Minnesota Mixed Bag: State Fair continues through Monday

Falcon Heights, Minn. — The 2025 Minnesota State Fair continues through Labor Day, Sept. 1, with new and classic attractions, and the usual array of interesting food stuffs.

The DNR’s fish pond is one of the top attractions at the DNR building, but visiting the department’s site also offers the chance to speak with DNR experts, check out an Enforcement Division K-9 demonstration, climb the fire tower, and more.

Be sure also to stop by the nearby Outdoor News booth at Nelson and Judson to renew your subscription or to chat for a bit with one of our fine folks. Get a free hat with your subscription.

State Fair admission is $20 for those ages 13 to 64; $18 for those 65 and older and kids ages 5 to 12; and free for children age 4 and under. Fairgrounds hours are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (9 p.m. on Labor Day). For more information, visit mnstatefair.org

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DEER LOTTERY APPLICATION DEADLINE IS SEPT. 4

St. Paul — Firearms and muzzleloader deer hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area with an antlerless permit lottery designation must purchase their licenses by Thursday, Sept. 4.

Hunters who purchase their licenses by Sept. 4 are automatically entered into the lottery for the DPA or special hunt area they declare. Successful applicants will receive a postcard in the mail authorizing them to take an antlerless deer using their regular license in that antlerless permit lottery area.

No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either-sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit, or five-deer limit designations. Hunters should note that DPA 183 has been split into two smaller DPAs (153 and 154), and these DPAs have last year’s designation of lottery with a one-deer limit.

Hunters who want to participate in special firearms or muzzleloader deer hunts also need to apply for permits issued through a lottery. That application deadline is also Sept. 4. More information about how to apply for special hunts is available on the DNR website.

Further information about designations and regulations for deer permit areas, as well as details about special hunt opportunities, are available on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/hunting/deer) and in the 2025 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook, which is available online and in print wherever Minnesota DNR licenses are sold.

WALK-IN ACCESS LANDS OPEN SEPT. 1

St. Paul — Walk-In Access areas will be open for public use beginning Monday, Sept. 1, through May 31, 2026, with the purchase of a $3 Walk-In Access validation.

The Walk-In Access program pays landowners to allow public access to their property without additional landowner contact. This year, there are around 30,000 acres of private land at more than 280 Walk-In Access sites in west, central, and southern Minnesota.

To search for Walk-In Access sites, identify sites open to all compatible uses, find digital maps for individual sites, and get more information, visit the Minnesota DNR website. Additionally, all Walk-In Access sites are shown on the DNR Recreation Compass.

PRAIRIE POTHOLE DAY IS SEPT. 6

Spicer, Minn. — The 42nd Prairie Pothole Day returns to the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center near Spicer on Sept. 6. The event is slated for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This year’s Prairie Pothole Day, hosted by the volunteers and friends of the Prairie Pothole Conservation Association, will include events such as dog distance jumping, a blackpowder shoot, kids archery, BB gun shoot, fishing pond, and much more.

Admission to the event is free, and adults are encouraged to purchase $10 in raffle tickets. Lunch is available on the grounds. For more information, visit the Prairie Pothole Conservation Association’s Facebook page.

STARRY STONEWORT CONFIRMED IN FOUR MINNESOTA LAKES

St. Paul — The Minnesota DNR has confirmed the presence of the invasive algae starry stonewort in Garfield Lake, near Laporte, in Hubbard County; Gull Lake, one mile west of Tenstrike, in Beltrami County; Three Island Lake, near Turtle River, in Beltrami County; and Two Rivers Lake, near Holdingford, in Stearns County.

Starry stonewort was found in these lakes during the recent Starry Trek event in early August, during which county and state staff and volunteers searched lakes for starry stonewort and other aquatic invasive species. Starry Trek is an annual statewide volunteer event coordinated by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center at the University of Minnesota.

A Hubbard County environmental specialist found starry stonewort near the public access in Garfield Lake during the Starry Trek event, while event volunteers found starry stonewort at the public accesses of Gull Lake and Three Island Lake. At Two Rivers Lake, DNR invasive species specialists conducted a survey after starry stonewort was reported during the Starry Trek event and found the invasive algae across about one and a half acres of the lake near the public access and adjacent shoreline. At all locations, DNR aquatic invasive species specialists will conduct additional surveys to determine the extent of starry stonewort and will work with local entities at all lakes to assess potential management options.

Learn more about starry stonewort on the DNR website.