Red Cross To Host Multi-Agency Resource Center For Hitterdal Families Affected By Apartment Fire

The American Red Cross will be organizing a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) for victims of the apartment fire in Hitterdal, MN. The MARC will be open from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29^th at the Hitterdal Community Center located at 101Vikings Avenue South

The purpose of the MARC is to bring local agencies together and create a ‘one-stop shop’ that provides resources for families affected by disaster. Organizations that will be present include the Red Cross, Salem Lutheran Church, the Salvation Army, Rural Enrichment and Counseling Headquarters, Inc. (REACH) Food Pantry, Eyecare Associates, and Pro Clean.

You can help people affected by disasters like home fires and countless other crises by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

The city of Hitterdal has set up a fund to help families affected by the fire at the State Bank of Lake Park.

For more Red Cross fire safety and preparedness information, visit redcross.org/homefires.

Minnesota farmers lend a helping hand

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 9, 2013) - Thanks to farmers across Minnesota, $652,500 has been invested in rural communities throughout the state. Back for the fourth consecutive year, America’s Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, will be giving farmers the opportunity to win a $2,500 donation for their favorite, local nonprofit organization. Since the program was piloted in 2010, America’s Farmers Grow Communities has helped more than 5,200 nonprofit organizations.

Nonprofit organizations continue to search for funding opportunities that will better enhance their programs. Through the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, farmers have been able to support a variety of nonprofit organizations in Minnesota.

- FFA chapters across the state have received a total of $85,000 in Grow Communities donations.

- Farmers helped put out fires by donating $137,500 to fire and health-related organizations.

- Service organizations, like food pantries, have received $150,000.

- Grow Communities has donated $150,000 to education organizations.

- Community improvement organizations have received $27,500 through Grow Communities.

- Many farmers chose to give back to their local 4-H clubs. A total of $70,000 has been donated to 4-H clubs across the state.

America’s Farmers Grow Communities launched nationally in 2011 and has grown to include 1,289 eligible counties in 39 states. Farmers and rural community members can now visit GrowCommunities.com or call 1-877-267-3332 and register to win or submit an idea for a nonprofit in need of funding. This program is part of the Monsanto Fund's overall effort to support rural communities.

State receives donation of forest land from The Nature Conservancy

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently accepted a donation of 2,751 acres of land in Cass County in north-central Minnesota from The Nature Conservancy.

The property is adjacent to more than 200,000 acres of land owned by the county, the DNR and the U.S. Forest Service. Consolidating publicly owned forest land helps conserve wildlife habitat and access for outdoor recreation.

The donated property is in eastern part of the county, about 25 miles southeast of Walker, close to the town of Longville. The acquisition will help maintain a large block of habitat for white-tailed deer, black bear, timber wolf and ruffed grouse.

The property contains mixed forests of pine, hardwoods, small ponds and wetlands and more than 3,000 feet of shoreline on Camp Lake. More than half of the property is within the Leech Lake watershed. The land includes more than five miles of grant-in-aid snowmobile trails. The donation will bring about more opportunities for hunting, fishing and paddling along undeveloped shoreline, hiking, bird watching and other activities.

“This land donation will be managed as working forest that provides for timber production, wildlife habitat and recreational activities,” said Forrest Boe, DNR Forestry Division director.

The Potlatch Corp. previously owned and managed the property and The Nature Conservancy acquired it in May.

The nonprofit acquired the property with $3.1 million in private money raised as part of the Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership, a coalition that includes business and conservation groups, along with the DNR. The groups have worked together to conserve more than 338,000 acres of industrial forest land to provide wildlife habitat, protect jobs and ensure public access for outdoor recreation.

The Conservancy, which has helped protect more than 672,000 acres in Minnesota since 1958, is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations and helps protect lands and waters throughout the United States and in more than 30 countries.

“Protecting the Camp Lake property was a priority of ours because of its connection to Leech Lake and the Brainerd lakes area,” said Peggy Ladner, director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota. “What we do on the land has an impact on the health of our waters.”

The DNR and Cass County are exploring the possibility of a land exchange involving this property in the future. Selected Cass County-administered forest lands would be exchanged for these new parcels, a strategic move that would improve forest management for both agencies.

“Moving this land into public ownership is the first win for the public,” said Joshua Stevenson, Cass County land commissioner. “A land exchange to consolidate ownership and increase efficiencies for the state of Minnesota and Cass County is the second win for the public.”

Lori Dowling-Hanson, DNR Northwest regional director, agreed, "This is a good example of DNR's commitment to work with counties on more progressive and efficient management of public lands.”

The Camp Lake project came together through the efforts and support of Cass County, The Nature Conservancy and DNR to work together to ensure permanent public access and sustainable forest management on these lands, Boe said.

State venison donation program available for deer hunters

ST. PAUL, Minn. – With thousands of Minnesota deer hunters preparing for the start of the firearms season this weekend, the Minnesota Hunter Harvested Venison Donation Program is once again gearing up to provide hunters with the option to donate venison to help feed hungry Minnesotans.

The venison donation program is operated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and state food shelves. The program provides a source of protein to people in need while helping reduce local deer populations. Minnesota hunters donated 421 deer to the program in 2011, which provided 15,520 pounds of processed venison to Minnesota food shelves. Funding for the program comes from a $1 surcharge placed on deer bonus permits.

To be eligible to donate venison to the program, hunters must have their deer processed at a state-registered meat processing plant that has agreed to participate in the program. A list of processors can be found online by typing “venison processors” into the search field on MDA’s homepage at www.mda.state.mn.us. Hunters are urged to contact the processor before bringing in a deer to make sure they are still able to handle the animal.

Only entire carcasses with the hide attached can be donated. Cut and wrapped meat will not be accepted for donation. Hunters and processors must also adhere to specific standards designed to prevent food-borne illness. Processors may only accept carcasses for donation that are:

 

Free from signs of illness;

 

Field dressed with the hide intact;

 

Free of visible decomposition or contamination; and

 

Properly identified with a Minnesota DNR registration tag.

BBB Advice for Donors after Natural Disasters Strike

Burnsville, Minnesota – July 5, 2012 – As cleanup and rebuilding efforts begin in the Duluth region, and as wildfires continue to spread in the West, many people are looking for ways to help by donating to a relief organization or charity. The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is advising people to be sure their donations reach the intended recipients, and warning that – as has so often occurred in similar situations – scammers and fraudulent charities will likely emerge to try and solicit donations from well- meaning individuals.

“The flooding that occurred in Duluth was momentous, and the fires in Colorado have caused tremendous destruction, as well. It will require a great deal of aid and generosity to assist victims of these disasters,” said Dana Badgerow, President and CEO of the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota. “People looking to help out financially will want to be sure their donations do the maximum amount of good – and stay out of the pockets of scammers.”

The BBB offers the following tips to help donors decide where to direct donations and ensure that their money provides the most benefit to victims of these disasters:

Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity.

Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other websites, as they might not have fully researched listed charities. The public can go to www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and verify that they meet the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s 20 Standards for Charity Accountability. 

Find out who will benefit from the donations and what type of assistance they will be provided.

Ask the charity where it will concentrate its efforts and what products and services it will provide to those who need assistance.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist victims.

Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fundraising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a given charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will go towards assisting victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fundraising and administrative expenses. They may use some of their other funds to pay this, but expenses will still be incurred. Wise Giving Alliance Standards state that at least 65% of the funds a charity raises should go to the intended recipients. 

Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the fil es may contain viruses.

Know the facts about donating via text message.

Text messaging has become a very convenient way for people to donate “on the go.” By texting a specified keyword to a short code phone number, a set charge (generally $10) is added on to a person’s cell phone bill, with the cell phone carrier, in turn, passing those funds along to the charity. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that it can take up to 120 days for these funds to transfer to the charity. Donations made directly through the charity’s website have a more immediate impact.  

Be cautious when giving online.

Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. In the past, after other disasters, the BBB was contacted by consumers with concerns about many websites and new organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims.

If tax deduction is a concern, use the IRS as a resource.

To help ensure your contribution is tax deductible, the donation should be made to a U.S.-based charitable organization that is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Go to IRS Publication 78 on www.irs.gov for a current list of all organizations eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable gifts.

The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public. Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the BBB at www.bbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222. Visit our Centennial website at bbbis100.org.

Donation helps DNR add third K-9 unit

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is adding a third K-9 unit to its ranks thanks to a $9,500 donation from the Lake Superior Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI).

“We believe organizations like ours have to work hand-in-hand with conservation officers because we’re against everything they are against -- poachers and violators of any kind,” said Dale Bruder, Lake Superior Chapter SCI president. “Our board thought it was an excellent idea for the organizations to work together.”

K-9 “Axel” and his partner, Conservation Officer (CO) Pat McGowan of Hastings, have completed nearly 12 weeks of human tracking, obedience and evidence search field training being conducted by CO Travis Muyres, a certified K-9 trainer and experienced DNR K-9 team handler.

The dog comes in “green” said Lt. Todd Kanieski, K-9 unit coordinator. “This allows us to train him how we want him.”

Kanieski added that the internal “working drive” of both dog and handler are paramount to the success of the K-9 team. “Being a K-9 handler carries a lot of extra responsibility,” he said. “The handler must have a proven history of making solid decisions in the field. The dog must be social around people.”

The DNR working dog model is a lot like the civilian law enforcement patrol dog: a dog of steady, stable character that is capable of controlled aggression under certain circumstances, such as on command, when attacked or when the handler is attacked. Conservation officers typically work alone in a 650 square mile patrol area.

The added dimension of a DNR K-9 is the ability to sniff out game and fish violations, a force multiplier noted Kanieski. 

“Searching for trace blood evidence or a shell casing in a large field or wooded area could take multiple officers several hours, but with the right K-9 team, that task can be done in minutes and the area would be more thoroughly searched,” Kanieski said. 

The K-9s are a small part of the DNR Enforcement Division, relying primarily on private donations from organizations like SCI, with a heavy interest in conservation education and humanitarian projects, to support the program.

The ability to protect natural resources was a big reason why SCI made such a generous donation to the DNR K-9 program. Safari Club International is composed of more than 50,000 members and 180 local chapters dedicated to wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian service.

“We see the benefits of establishing good rapport with game agencies, so this fell right in line with what our chapters need to do,” said Derron Wahlen, SCI field coordinator.

Funds to assist with the acquisition of a K-9 are raised through SCI chapter fundraisers soliciting raffle merchandise from mostly outdoors hunting and fishing outfitters, firearms manufacturers and wildlife artists.

Other donors feed the DNR K-9 program as well. KLN Family Brands of Perham, Minn., has been providing its Nutri-Source dog food product to the DNR K-9 program at no charge for years.

“We appreciate the work of DNR conservation officers,” said Matt King of KLN Family Brands.

“They’re a great partner for us, and we hope to continue partnering with them in the future. Our company has always been very supportive of anything that’s good for the state of Minnesota.”

“Without the support of the Lake Superior Chapter of the Safari Club, or our friends at KLN Family Brands, we would not be adding a third K-9 unit,” said Kanieski.

According to Kanieski, the DNR K-9 program is more important than ever. “We have had great success at finding fish/game evidence and shell casings in the field. That evidence helps us in protecting our natural resources. A K-9 makes sure of that.”