Mn Waterfowl Hall of Fame and Conservation awards banquet Friday April 13th in Bloomington

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New date and location.
Friday evening April 13th at the Mn Valley refuge center located in Bloomington.
Please call 952-767-0320 for tickets to attend.


Now finalized: The 2018 class of the Minnesota Waterfowl Hall of Fame

By MWA, 02/12/18, 11:00PM CST

We are pleased to announce we have finalized the ninth class of inductees into the Minnesota Waterfowl Hall of Fame. We’ll salute each of these men in April (details to come), but suffice it to say that each of them played a key role in the ultimate passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment in November of 2008. We’re now in our 10th year of the amendment and it’s pretty easy to see how much has been accomplished in the state as a result.

Without further adieu, here’s this year’s Minnesota Waterfowl Hall of Fame class:

Dennis Anderson: Outdoors columnist for the Star Tribune, he’s been a leader in conservation issues and using his space in the paper to fight for Minnesota’s natural resources. A column he wrote in December 2004 was the impetus for the first Duck Rally, which generated the momentum that resulted in the amendment’s passage.

Sen. Satveer Chaudhary: A former state senator from Fridley, Chaudhary was a longtime champion of the amendment and an integral part of the effort to create the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, which is the advisory group that makes annual recommendations to the Legislature about how money from the Outdoor Heritage Fund should be spent.

Fred Froehlich: A longtime leader of the Nicollet Conservation Club, Froehlich was instrumental in spreading the word to waterfowl hunters and conservationists in the Swan Lake area and ensuring their voices were heard at the state Capitol and during the two Duck Rallies.

Garry Leaf: Leaf was a behind-the-scenes player in organizing sportsmen to ensure lawmakers heeded their wishes to place the dedicating funding question on the November 2008 ballot. Leaf also was instrumental in creation of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council and today remains a fixture at the state Capitol for all things related to the Outdoor Heritage Fund.

Sen. Bob Lessard: Lessard, a former state senator from International Falls, began pushing the idea of dedicated funding as early as the mid-1990s. While he was out of office by the time it passed, he remained a key player in the effort. In recognition of the role he played, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council is named after him and the late state Sen. Dallas Sams.

Lance Ness: Ness has been advocating on behalf of conservation in Minnesota for decades and played a key role in ensuring the passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment – first at the state Capitol and then throughout the state. His Duck Rally leadership and political savvy at the state Capitol were integral parts of the amendment’s passage.

John Schroers: A past president of the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Alliance and Minnesota Waterfowl Association, John was tireless in his advocacy for the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. He leveraged his connections with the state’s conservation groups and lawmakers, and played a key role in both Duck Rallies.

Dave Zentner: A longtime leader in conservation and natural resources issues in Minnesota and beyond, Zentner is a well-known conservationist who expertly brought together all the people – guns and greens, as they were called – who played a role in the amendment’s passage. Zentner chaired the first Duck Rally and co-chaired the second one.


There are also 3 MN Conservation wards be given out that night too. Pioneer, Professional, and Citizen which are yet to be determined at press time.