Critical Habitat License Plate being changed??

[Mayfly]

Just heard this today. I have not seen the report but someone told me that they are changing the plate again? Last year there were about 4 or 5 that were voted on and the worst one was chosen! Well I heard that they are now making some changes after a bunch were made? Anyone got the story?

[UncleDave]

These are going to become eBay collector's items!

[JD]

A leaping walleye? DNR throws it back
License plate's fanciful fish exchanged for a bass
BY DENNIS LIEN
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 05/01/2007 11:16:29 PM CDT


Remember the leaping walleye the state introduced in November? The one featured in the next installment of the state's "critical habitat'' license plate?

Well, forget about it.

That fish, a stylized, generic version that resembled a walleye but jumped like a bass, has been transformed into a largemouth bass. After hearing from anglers who felt, shall we say, uncomfortable with the initial creature, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources dumped the impostor for the real thing.

"It made sense for the fish to be a specific fish species rather than to be stylized,'' said C.B. Bylander, chief of the DNR's fish and wildlife outreach section.

Not long after announcing the winning entry in the design competition for the next plate image, the agency asked Sam Melquist, the East Grand Forks, Minn., artist who had created it, to make the change.

"We contacted Sam and said, 'Sam, is there anything we can do to make it representative of a largemouth bass?' '' Bylander said. "He said, 'Sure.' He lifted the old fish out and inserted one with that fish in exactly the same space.''

Because the DNR wanted to preserve the jumping-fish image, Bylander said, it made sense to choose a largemouth bass, renowned as a leaping fighter, rather than a walleye, which doesn't break water that way.

Melquist said the original image was inspired by a 10-pound walleye caught by his brother-in-law. He said he depicted it as a leaper to make the image more appealing.

"We
had some reservations it was not a true fish species,'' conceded Bylander, who said dozens of anglers contacted the agency. "There was interest from the angling community that it be a certain species. ... And we thought they made a good point.''
The plate was expected to be available earlier this year. But changing the fish and tweaking other elements, such as the background and the color of letters and numbers, have delayed the plate.

Bylander met with Department of Public Safety and other law-enforcement interests recently to go over refinements in the image.

"I'm hoping, in two weeks, we should have the final one, and cross our fingers and go into production,'' Bylander said. "We hope the plate will become available sometime in June.''

The state has a keen interest in getting it right.

Instead of choosing regular plates, motorists can opt for the increasingly popular "critical habitat" plates, which bring in $3.5 million annually for conservation purposes such as buying new habitat for wildlife or scientific study. People pay a $10 one-time fee, then $30 a year to the Reinvest in Minnesota Critical Habitat Matching Account.

In the decade since the plates have been offered, more than $17.5 million has been raised, allowing the DNR to protect more than 4,300 acres at more than 60 sites.

Motorists can still buy either of two previous images - two deer silhouettes or a loon. There are 27,907 deer plates, and 88,093 loon plates.

Melquist's design got the most votes in an agency Web site competition and was selected by former DNR Commissioner Gene Merriam and Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion. At the time, Merriam called the image appealing and said it recognizes the popularity of fishing in Minnesota.

"It speaks to what so many Minnesotans enjoy - our lakes, our fishing and that feel of the North,'' Merriam said.

That's still true, according to Bylander, who emphasized that concerned anglers also believe a plate depicting a specific species will promote more sales.

"This fish has taken longer to reel in than we thought,'' Bylander said, "but we're going to catch this thing.''

[JD]

When I first seen this plate and that they were coming out with it, I was saying to myself, "Why do they have a walleye leaping out of the water?"  I guess I wasn't the only one that wondered this. ???

[Mayfly]

Ridiculous I thought......

[iceman]

what you never seen a walleyed bass before ??
j/k when i seen this when it came out i thought it was a joke now that i have seen it again got me thinking who was the artist?

[Mayfly]

The weird thing is that it won!?? How the hell did that happen???

Thye had a really cool one with walleyes on the bottom of the lake. Now that was nice. I just can't figure out who voted for this plate and why it won. It upsets me! Rigged?

[guythathunts]

Well... They did change it! They used the same design of the plate that was votes in, but instead of the walleye the artist was asked to change it into a bass... and he did. I think it is good that they used the design, and had the balz to ask the artist to change it to be more realistic. Can't wait till I get my truck so I can get one of these plates for it!!!
~ Greg