Anglers Benefit From Agency Partnerships

Lulled by the summer sun and rhythmic, rolling waves, anglers lazily cast from the fishing pier at Kidder County's Lake Josephine. Miles away, anglers busily filet their catch at a cleaning station at Parshall Bay Recreation Area on Lake Sakakawea.

These types of fishing opportunities in North Dakota are enhanced by facilities made possible through partnerships between hundreds of local entities and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, which provides both labor and funding to help develop fishing or boating facilities and enhance access to lakes.

"They've certainly proved without a doubt and to the nickel that they invest in fisheries throughout the state," said Wayne Beyer, Wahpeton Park Board parks and recreation director. "There's no question we would have considerably less than what we have now and it would have taken a lot longer to get things developed. Without question, the way we've been able to deliver services in reasonably short periods of time is due to the partnership."

About the Program

The Game and Fish fisheries development program provides grants to fund up to 75 percent of local projects that develop fishing or boating opportunities.

Local entities are then required to provide the remaining 25 percent of the cost, maintain the project and carry liability insurance. Local partners range from park boards to wildlife clubs.

"We entertain requests for just about anything that's fishing or boating related as far as projects," said Bob Frohlich, Game and Fish Department fisheries development supervisor.

The state and local partnership is vital in developing local facilities, he said.

"The program has grown, the number of lakes has grown, our angler numbers have gone through the roof, our number of registered boats are at record levels and we've got more facilities on the landscape than we've ever had," Frohlich said. "Without these partners, there's just no way we'd be able to keep up, so they are vital."

Since the late 1980s, the number of lakes in North Dakota has increased from 180 to 425, creating more demand for access. But with only three employees working full time in the program, Game and Fish must rely on local partnerships to help develop and maintain facilities across the state.

"In some instances, Game and Fish has been proactive and recruited partners to work with us, or we've actually gone in on a few of them and developed them 100 percent ourselves," Frohlich said, "because we felt it was that important of a fishery."

The program gets anywhere from 50 to 200 requests for local assistance a year, with more requests during years of high water or drought, when it's necessary to add facilities or change them to maintain access to waters.

Local entities must submit an application for project funding by February 1 of each year. Examples of projects include boat ramps, courtesy docks, restrooms, access roads, parking areas, fishing piers, security lights and fish cleaning stations. Projects that aren't eligible include camping areas, picnic shelters, swimming beaches or playgrounds.

Money for the fisheries development program comes primarily from federal aid through the Sport Fish Restoration Act. Revenues come from manufacturers' excise taxes on sport fishing equipment, such as rods, reels and lures, plus a portion of motorboat gas tax. Federal aid is distributed back out to the states based on a formula that factors in the state population, number of licensed anglers and number of registered boats.

"It's one of the success stories of a user-pay, user-benefit type of program," Frohlich said.

Partner Success Stories

The Wahpeton Park Board has partnered with Game and Fish for everything from putting fishing rods into the hands of youth during fishing derbies, to providing handicapped access to fishing areas, Beyer said.

"The funding is critical, and the funding comes with a local commitment, so there needs to be buy-in, so the partnership is the most important aspect," he said. "These projects require upkeep, so it commits local boards that own the property along the rivers and lakes to be responsible for ongoing maintenance and improvements."

Each year, the fisheries division presents a certificate of appreciation to an organization that has a history of accomplishments as a cooperating partner in local fisheries projects.

The Wahpeton Park Board has been recognized for its ongoing efforts to develop and improve public boating and fishing facilities at numerous lakes, rivers and recreation sites in Richland County.

"The Wahpeton Park Board and its members have helped with construction and installation of boat ramps, courtesy docks, toilets, fishing piers, fishing access roads and parking areas at Mooreton Pond, Brushvale Landing and numerous sites on the Red River in the immediate Wahpeton area," Frohlich said. "They have also assumed primary responsibility for maintaining these facilities after construction, and the park board does an outstanding job in performing this task."

The fisheries development program has helped create fishing facilities from A to Z, Beyer said. The local park board has been able to create road access to recreation areas and trails to shoreline fishing, along with a handicapped-accessible fishing pier.

"Lots of different ages and different stages," Beyer said. "We look at outdoor recreation, making those opportunities available not only on a local, but on a regional basis, too.

"The staff has been great to work with. They are very helpful," he added. "We've dealt with some quality professional folks and that helps with the success of it."

The Wahpeton Park Board, in turn, partners with local clubs, such as the Red River Area Sportsmen's Club, which also provides some of the local funding and members have helped develop recreational areas, Beyer said.

Parshall Bay Recreation Area is a popular fishing area that's benefited from the program also.

Kim and Barb Knudson manage Parshall Bay Recreation Area for the Mountrail County Park Board, and are third-party concessionaires at the site.

The recreation area installed and maintains three boat ramps through the fisheries development program.

"Lake Sakakawea fluctuates so much, that's why there are three boat ramps, so when the water goes way down, there's still access," Kim said.

The partnership has also addressed another issue in the area by installing two fish cleaning stations, where fish remains are ground and put into a septic system, then spread as fertilizer on local fields.

"This area is well-known for the walleye fishing and a lot of the walleye congregate here in late spring and early summer, so there's a massive amount of fish taken out of here. Well, it got to be such a problem because people were throwing their fish remains everywhere," Kim said. "Everybody expects the boat ramp (to be here), but the fish cleaning stations are big. We have a lot of people come here who have never seen fish stations utilized that way."

The state and local partnership also helped improve access to a shore-fishing area at Parshall Bay after cars and trucks were getting stuck on a prairie trail.

The Morton County Park Board's activities include the construction and installation of boat ramps, courtesy docks, toilets, fishing piers, fish cleaning stations, shoreline access, roads and parking areas at sites such as Nygren Dam, Sweet Briar Lake, Crown Butte, Danzig Dam, Fish Creek Dam, Harmon Lake, Little Heart, Fort Rice and Graner Bottoms.

"Game and Fish played a major role in putting in the steps leading down to the Missouri River at the Heskett Station north of Mandan," said Tim Nilsen, director with the Morton County Park Board. "Game and Fish has helped us in several different ways, in purchasing and placing new vault toilets at just about all our recreational areas in Morton County. Without help from Game and Fish, we wouldn't be able to do lots of what we're doing."

And, he added, anglers and boaters use the facilities to the fullest extent.

The fisheries development program has also helped the Tuttle Wildlife Club bring Lake Josephine back to life.

"I think it's a real good program to have. It's real good to be working together like that," said Sid Larson, Tuttle Wildlife Club vice president.

The club has also added boat ramps and updated parking areas at several other area lakes, including a pier at Lake Josephine.

"That was a real blessing to get because there isn't much place to fish from shore," Larson says.

Activities completed by the Tuttle Wildlife Club include construction and installation of boat ramps, courtesy docks, toilets, fishing piers, fishing access, roads and parking areas at Lake Josephine, Cherry Lake, Jasper Lake, Frettim Lake and Lake Williams.

"The club alone couldn't just go out and do these things," Larson says. "We need the Game and Fish in with that. It's a real plus."