2006 DNR Conservation License Plate Design Contest

[stmichael]

dtro I am in total agreement with these not looking very good.

Leech21, I think that there was some lobbying going around on those six pics. (yours should have made it) I like the layout you chose, a nice background. The Walleye picture I am going to vote for does not look like they are in water or even close to water. To me it looks like they are on rocks with the sky in the background.

I personally do not care for Timberwolves in general, I will be voting for the "Walleye on the rocks" enjoying the midday air.

Cool! at least, now I can say I voted this year.

[metrojoe]

I can't view leech's design from work. I'll have to wait until I get home.

I voted for the walleye plate. Like posted above we already have the deer silhoutte.

[WxGuy]

If the ladyslippers win, this state's going to have some serious identity crisis issues...

[solbes]

I voted for the walleye's on the rocks. I liked the timber wolf as well though.

I remember being up in the BWCA when I was a kid. Two timber wolves were going through our pots and pans at about 2 in the morning under a full moon. Great memory.

[Ely Lake Expert]

I voted for the one with the 2 walleyes and the rocks. If leech would of made it he would of had my vote instead. If the one with the flowers wins, I am moving to a different state.

[iffwalleyes]

Walleyes on the rock that is how it should be. Too Bad ND doesn't have something like this for me. But if I ever end up back in MN those will be on my Duramax

[Northlander]

I voted walleyes on the rocks as well. The jumping walleye must have been drawn by a bass fisherman, the moose is just a shadow, the lady slipper looks like a florida or Hawai plate, I dont care for wolves and I cant remember trhe other.

Leeches was better than all them!

[Bobb-o]

supposedly the one that everyone thinks is a jumping walleye is actually a bass, if you hold your mouse button over it, a little help thingy pops up that says "image of plate contest finalist - bass plate" but i also voted walleye on the rocks, definitely plan on getting one of those if they win, it seems everytime i tried to get the loons they were out of them.

[Northlander]

Thats one heck of a poor bass.

[iland99]

Too bad they have two fish plates up for voting. I could see where people will split the votes between the two fish, and we'll end up with a stupid flower on our plates.

I voted for the two walleyes as well. If that one wins, I'll be replacing my deer plates.

[marine_man]

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Too bad they have two fish plates up for voting.

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I just noticed a critical flaw in the voting... you can vote as many times as you want... I've sent an e-mail to the DNR... it'll be interesting to see what they have to say.

marine_man

[iland99]

I noticed that too. As they say in Chicago, vote early, and vote often.

[SomethingFishy*]

Kind of a poor selection. I totally dig wolves but they don't quite look right on the design. Call me picky. I votd for the walleyes.

Someone should have done some nice Pumpkin Seeds or some Crappies, that could have been a winning design.

[PierBridge]

We better start voting then I heard the Bass guy's are conspiring with a text messaging that condones and encourages voter fraud.

Couldn't believe mine didn't make it.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b213/Pierbridge/ice.jpg

[hanson]

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Couldn't believe mine didn't make it.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b213/Pierbridge/ice.jpg

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Hmmmm... I think you would have had a better chance there Gary with a St. Paul Ford factory built Ford Ranger fallin' through the ice. Little more MN pride than that Toyota.

[Ralph Wiggum]

LOL, Pier!

Those choices are pitiful. If that is supposed to be a bass, it's the poorest rendition I can imagine. I was looking forward to a cool plate catered to us fishermen, but I guess I won't be getting any of those

[marine_man]

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I just noticed a critical flaw in the voting... you can vote as many times as you want... I've sent an e-mail to the DNR... it'll be interesting to see what they have to say.

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Here's the DNR's Response:

The DNR Information Center has asked me to respond to your request. Yes, we are able to track "duplicate" selections which will not beincluded in the final tabulations.

marine_man

[Ely Lake Expert]

Quote:

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Quote:

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I just noticed a critical flaw in the voting... you can vote as many times as you want... I've sent an e-mail to the DNR... it'll be interesting to see what they have to say.

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Here's the DNR's Response:

The DNR Information Center has asked me to respond to your request. Yes, we are able to track "duplicate" selections which will not beincluded in the final tabulations.

marine_man

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Marineman, its just my opinion but I think the response the DNR gave you is talk.

[marine_man]

There's no doubt about it in my mind... my concern is that we're going to end up with a flower on a critical habitat license plate because a bunch of people are going to get together and vote repeatedly for it.

marine_man

[WxGuy]

IP addresses are very easy to track, actually.

Just by visiting a HSOforum, the administrator can tell what operating system you're using, type of browser, and where you're located along with your service provider.

I wouldn't worry about repeat voting. A simple script in the poll will void any repeat votes from single IP addresses. With that said, you could vote once at home and once at work, but one person voting twice will be negligible compared to voting hundreds of times.

If we end up with the flower, then thousands of soccer moms who would never otherwise get a habitat plate will want it on their minivan or suburban 'cuz "it's pretty" and the DNR will end up with a whole lot of money that they otherwise wouldn't have seen.

It's about the money and the resource, not our bumper.

I'm not saying I want the flower, I didn't vote for it...I'm just sayin'

[DEADhead]

well put WxGuy

[LEECH21]

Thanks for all the great comments fellas!

If I would have known about the contest earlier I would have done the plate in oil. It would have turned out even better. I am a little disappointed that a jumping "bass-eye" or whatever its supposed to be, topped mine. Whatever, I guess.

Thanks again!

[dustin85]

I was getting my snowmobile registration at the DMV today...the girl behind the counter was telling this other gentleman about the new fish plates. When he asked what it was supposed to be I started laughing. I had to perk up and tell him it was the elusive basseye. THe girl behind the counter told him was some inbred fish, lol.

[ChuckN]

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.''

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[Ralph Wiggum]

Thank you, DNR!!!