Download a photo of host Bret Amundson with the only in Minnesota sign.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Host Bret Amundson travels to southern Minnesota to angle for walleyes near Albert Lea then walks the grass for pheasants near Austin. The Crow River Trail Guards of Paynesville connect kids to the outdoors, and homeowners are planting native wildflowers and grasses on shorelines to protect water quality.
“Cast and Blast Southern Style” will air on Pioneer PBS Sunday, February 23, 7:30 p.m.; WDSE Saturday, March 21, 4 p.m.; tptLife Saturday, March 28, 12:30 p.m.; and Lakeland PBS Saturday, April 25, 2:30 p.m. It will also be broadcast on the Minnesota Channel, which airs on all Minnesota PBS stations, Thursday, March 19 at midnight, 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.
Bret is at Fountain Lake in Albert Lea for the Governor’s Fishing Opener. The 521-acre lake is one of the largest in the area, with a maximum depth of only 14 feet. Because southern lakes are warmer longer than northern lakes, walleye fry that are stocked every other year can reach 14 inches in a few years. But the shallow lakes are filled with sediment. To restore Fountain Lake, the Shell Rock River Watershed District has been dredging bays for the past two summers to increase 4 to 5 foot depths to 10 to 11 feet. The project will continue over the next four years.
Then Bret is pheasant hunting at the Governor’s Opener near Austin on 120 acres of natural habitat restored through the Reinvest in Minnesota program. RIM was enacted in 1986 and has converted 250,000 acres of marginal farmland to wildlife habitat, under the Board of Water and Soil Resources’ administration. Bret is hunting with members of the Pheasants Forever Mower County Chapter that received a Minnesota State Conservation Excellence Award in 2012 for putting $1 million into habitat restoration
Next up, Crow River Trail Guards is engaging youth in improving trails and shoreline at the Crow River Nature Park. Every Saturday, from late April through October, Tom Koshiol leads youth in park maintenance and recreation. Volunteers are rewarded with adventure trips such as mountain biking, whitewater rafting, fishing and trips to the Boundary Waters. Crow River Trail Guards has involved almost 350 kids since Tom founded the nonprofit in the early 1990s.
Then a Conservation DIY segment shows homeowners what they can plant along shorelines to keep polluted stormwater runoff out of waterways. Local Soil and Water Conservation District staff help shoreline owners and nonprofits select the right native wildflowers and grasses for their soil types and conditions.
About Prairie Sportsman
Prairie Sportsman celebrates our love of the outdoors – to hunt, fish and enjoy recreation provided by our vast resources of lakes, rivers, trails and grasslands – while promoting environmental stewardship.
Prairie Sportsman’s team includes Cindy Dorn, producer/writer; Bret Amundson, host/editor; Dylan Curfman, editor/videographer and Max Grabow, assistant videographer/editor. The 2020 season is made possible by funding from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, SafeBasements of Minnesota, GrandStay Hospitality, Diamond Willow, Live Wide Open and Western Minnesota Prairie Waters.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit www.pioneer.org.
