My 2 Cents

It appears spring has sprung here in the upper Midwest. Unfortunately, in many parts of the state it appears we are picking up right where we left off before the winter arrived. Spring turkey season is open and the Game and Fish Department is reminding hunters to be aware of the dry conditions and make sure to check the NDResponse.gov website to ensure they are up to date on local fire bans and other restrictions intended to reduce the risk of fires.

North Dakota commonly sees different weather patterns for each end of the state, but this year was quite noticeable. Winter returned with a bit of an attitude in the eastern half while leaving most of the west open and brown for most of the winter months. Drought conditions in these areas will once again be a big concern unless our weather pattern changes and some meaningful moisture starts hitting the ground. I know there isn’t a shortage of people praying for that to happen.

A big topic of concern going into the spring fishing season is boating access. The drought conditions have many parts of our state experiencing low water levels, ultimately resulting in marginal or unusable boat ramps. The Department has been coordinating with both state and federal partners to prioritize areas most heavily impacted by low water levels.

Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake are obvious priorities, but the Department doesn’t lose sight of the other smaller lakes all across the state that are just as important to local citizens who don’t get the opportunity to travel to our larger bodies of water.

Low water level concerns on Lake Sakakawea will benefit by some proactive planning during the drought years of 2005-06 when agencies collaborated and constructed several low water ramps around the lake to prepare for future drought years. The bigger task now is constructing access roads to these ramps and removing 15 years of silt that has built up on these sites after many years of high-water conditions.

Agency coordination has been ongoing since January and preparing for low water levels is a huge effort amongst agencies and various partners to accomplish this task. The Department is committed to helping ensure access is as good as possible but is also asking for the public’s patience and understanding as we know it won’t be what most have been used to for the last 15 years.