February 1978 - Laserfiche WebLink

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"Why may not a goose say t huss 'All the parts of the universe I have an interest ins The t earth serves me to walk upon; the sun to light me; the stars have their influence upon me; I have such an advantage by the winds and such by the waters, there is nothing that yon heavenly roof looks upon so favourably as me. I am the darling of Natures Is it not man that keeps, lodges, and serves me?" -Michel De Montaigne 1533-1592 The 75 geese that live on Lake Valentine honked this quotation at me when I visited. them ' in January and I can certainly understand their reasoning. They have got a good deal going there for themselves. Mr. Don Graff and Ray Brooker of the Arden Hills Sportsman Club invited me out to see their goose -breeding project, and it's impressive enough that each of you should ' go over and take a look. Mr. Graff originally called me to get a notice in the Town Crier that, because of the geese there is open water on Lake Valentine and that snowmobilers and cross-country skiers should I beware. Our conversation developed into a tour of the area. In the winter of 1976, the Arden Hills Sportsman Club acquired a flock of 40 Giant Canadian Geese (Brants Maximus). Valentine Lake is a good breeding area because of the natural wilderne shoreline and no nearby homes. Rethel College owns the land and was very generous to give the . Sportsman's. Club the shoreli" for this project. The area is a state game refuge. The Sportsman's Club has fenced in the area to keep people from disturbing the birds, but the view is fine anyway. They have also put in pumps to keep the water open in winter, because, the geese require this. Last winter, the pumps gave out, and the men themselves had to chop ice for the flock. Don said if he worked half as hard for himself as he does for the geese, he'd be a millionaire. The Sportsmen have also erected a shed for storage, feed bins, and nests ing platforms. All this, plus the regular expenses of feed and electricity, is paid for by the Arden Hills Sportsmen from donations and fund raisers. So, why not drive over, see the geese, and send a donation tot Arden Hills Sportsman Club, 3310 Lake Johanna Blvd., Arden Hills, 551 Directionss Go north on Old Snelling from Lindey's. About 1 block past the entrance to Bethel, park off the road. Follow the path over the chain and past the sign that says, "No motorized vehicles." Before you come to the next chain (less than a block), take the path to the left. You can follow the honking of the birds. Remember to stay away from the open water.' Bring a camera. The Arden Hills Community Service Club will host its second annual Duplicate Bridge Tourni ment for the benefit of Arden Hills Parks and Recreation. The Service Club has donated money to this cause from various fund-raisers in the past, but this is the only fund raiser planned for this year, so let's support it: The Tournament will be run by a professional (yet patient) director. No master points will' be awarded. You need not ever have played duplicatebridge before to come, although basic knowl- edge of the game would be helpful: Last year, most of the participants had never played dupli� Cate before, yet they overwhelmingly rated it as a fun evening. The Arden Hills Community Service Club would like many more players this year, so do support your Parks and Recreation and have fun with your neighbors at the same time. And if you don't play bridge but own a busines in Arden Hills, how about donating a prize? Date: Wednesday, February 15 Times 7%30 p.m. Places Lake Johanna Fire Station #1 (on New Brighton road) Donations $1.50/player or $3.00/couple (If you don't have a partner, come anyway. The AH I Service Club will match you with someone of equal talent.) Refreshments will be available at a small charge. For reservations or donations, please calls Joan Gray (633-8853) or Nancy Hanson (633-1360). Reservations aren't absolutely necessaW but it would sure help the gals who are going to organize this if they could know how many to plan for ahead of time. See you on the 15th. The Arden Hills Sportsman Club will be holding their 26th annual FREE kids' ice -fishing contest on Sunday, February 26, from 1s00 p.m. to 3100 p.m. at Lake Johanna. This contest has grown to be the world's largest free contest for kids up to and including age 14. There will drawings throughout the afternoon for prizes, as well as prizes awarded for largest fish caught by Boy and Girl. Minnows will be furnished. All ,you need to bring is fishing tackle and a bucket for the bait. Come to the beach area on the 26th if you are interested.