Chapter Members,

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Holiday Season and hope many of you are still out hunting with your dogs.

The Board of Directors met on 12/21/2021 and the decision was made to once again NOT hold the traditional “Fable Fest” potluck, silent auction and annual meeting in early 2022.  This decision was made due to a combination of factors revolving around the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of Omicron variant and that the venue we have been using at Chomonix golf course is no longer suitable for a group of our size and needs.    Our chapter Bylaws require us to hold an “annual meeting” for our members in January or February, and this will be done virtually in mid February, as we did last year. Meeting details will be sent out in January.

Some other reminders:

Chapter memberships are now due, and there is a discount for renewing by 12/31.  Click here to renew.

We will be opening our 2022 test entries on Feb 1st, and it will be for members only until March 1st.   Our tests fill quickly, so make sure if you are planning on running a dog that your dog is registered with NAVHDA and that all owner and handler membership status is up to date with NAVHDA and our chapter.

2022 Testing Dates & Locations

Chapter membership renewals are now open and you can get a discount by renewing before 12/31.  Click here for our online membership registration.

We really like to get people to renew by 12/31 to help our Secretary update the roster.  Chapter members get priority for all of our clinics, events & tests.

Some of what we have in store for 2022

Applications for the Joe Dolejsi Youth & New Handler Scholarship are also now OPEN.  If you know a youth or someone new to the versatile dog world that could use some mentoring, please encourage them to apply.

Our Tentative 2022 Test Dates & Locations:

Test entries will open February 1st for chapter members only.

  • May 14th-15th Natural Ability (NA)-Four Brooks WMA Milaca, MN
  • June 4th-5th NA-UPT-UT-Kelley Farms Hugo, MN
  • June 11th-12th Natural Ability (NA)-Pineridge Grouse Camp Remer, MN
  • July 23rd-24th Natural Ability (NA)-Four Brooks WMA Milaca, MN
  • August 13th-14th NA-UPT-UT-Pineridge Grouse Camp Remer, MN
  • August 20th-21st NA-UPT-UT-Iron Range Retriever Club Virginia, MN
  • August 27th-28th NA-UPT-UT-Four Brooks WMA Milaca, MN
  • September 10th-11th-Natural Ability (NA)-Four Brooks WMA Milaca, MN

If you have a new puppy or a dog that has not tested previously, make sure you verify your dog is registered with NAVHDA. 

 

While it is still hunting season, there is no rest for the weary, especially for the largest chapter in the NAVHDA system. Your Chapter Board of Directors is busy planning 2022 Testing Dates & Training Clinics and opportunities. We will be opening up chapter membership renewals very soon, and test entries will open after January 1st. We are planning EIGHTEEN days of testing over EIGHT weekends in 2022! To maintain Minnesota Chapter membership, you must be a current member of NAVHDA International. To enter a dog in a test, the Handler & Owner of the dog must be current members, and the dog must have a valid NAVHDA registration. It is a good time of year to check on these things! You can verify membership and dog registrations at: navhda.org

Hello chapter members, the Chapter Bylaws require the current Board of Directors to notify the membership by August 15th of each year of the status of the  board members and their terms.  Your current Board of Directors, their current boards position and their term expirations are as follows:

  • Pete Aplikowski-President (October 2021)
  • Brent Haefner-Treasurer (October 2021)
  • Mitch Carlson-Director of Training (October 2021)
  • Sam Snyder-Vice President (October 2022)
  • Peter Ness-Secretary (October 2022)
  • Sean Ewaldt-Director Testing (October 2022)

Nominations will be accepted by the Secretary from the Membership until August 31st.   Members may nominate themselves. Members who are not nominating themselves must  agree to accept the nomination which is to be verified by the Secretary.

If there are more nominations than open seats, there will be an election.  Please reference the Bylaws Article IV for more information.  Please also reference the Bylaws for a description of each Board Position and duties.

The three individuals with expiring terms (Pete Aplikowski, Brent Haefner and Mitch Carlson) have all been nominated for another 2 year term.

Send any nominations to:   secretary@mnnavhda.org

 

We are getting reports of dogs getting sick from being in the water at Kelley Farms.  There have also been reports of algae blooms of the bluish-green variety.  Please be aware of this if you are using these grounds.   The lack of moisture this summer has also hindered the growth of grass, and the grounds have been heavily grazed over by the cattle.  To allow us to hold a high quality NAVHDA test, the chapter Board of Directors has decided to relocate our Labor Day weekend test on September 4th & 5th to Four Brooks WMA.    We are still looking for volunteers for this test.  If you can help, please contact Scott Green at slgreensm42@gmail.com

Here is a brief Spring Update to some things going on in the chapter.

Grounds Access:  Please be aware that to be on the grounds at Kelly Land & Cattle Co. in Hugo/Marine AND the Four Brooks WMA dog training area north of Milaca everyone MUST have an annual grounds pass OR be part of a chapter sponsored paid event like a Test, Primary Clinic, or an OPEN Training night.  You can find info on how to get passes here.    New for 2021, to help new members or those that do not wish to buy a pass, we are having OPEN training & puppy exposure nights on the 3rd Thursday of each month at Kelley.

August 7th & 8th Training Weekend-Virginia: There is still plenty of room left for the Traditional training weekend on August 7th & 8th at the Iron Range Retriever Club in Virginia.  More info and registration here.

AIMS & RULES CLINIC (formerly Handler Clinic): We still have spots available in our 2021 Aims & Rules Clinic at Pineridge Grouse Camp in Remer, MN on June 12th & 13th.  This clinic will be led by longtime chapter member and Senior Judge Terry Petro.    Full details here.

BIRDS: Birds are generally distributed through the small training groups or at the OPEN training nights on Thursdays at Kelley.  If you have questions about obtaining birds, please email training@mnnavhda.org.  The effects of the CV-19 Pandemic has disrupted our normal bird supply channels.  Obtaining birds this spring in sufficient quantities of what our chapter has been customary to has been challenging.  The growth in membership is also creating more demand for birds.   We have chapter volunteers who are spending a LOT of time trying to source birds for us.  They have made some new contacts and hope to have more consistent quantities arriving in the coming weeks.  If you know of anyone that can supply us with Pigeons or Chukar, please send an email to:  president@mnnavhda.org.

Testing Season is Starting: Minnesota NAVHDA has expanded our testing to span SEVEN weekends in 2021 starting May 15-16 with an all NA test at Four Brooks.  All of our tests are full with waiting lists.  We are in need of volunteers.  Coming to a test is a great way to meet people, see a variety of dogs, and learn about NAVHDA. If you can help, please contact the Test Coordinators.

 

We are holding a  NAVHDA AIMS & Rules Clinic on June 12th & 13th at Pineridge Grouse Camp in Remer, MN.

We have about 10 spots remaining, and we would really like to fill this up.  We are discounting the price to $120,00 from $165.00.    There are also additional meal & lodging options.

Wondering if this event is for you?  Full event details and registration are here:

(Those already sighed up will be receiving a partial refund)

 

“OPEN” Training & Introductory nights for new members at Kelley Farms-Hugo

We will be holding Introductory nights the 3rd Thursday of each month at Kelley Farms in Hugo starting at 4pm.   These nights are designed to give new people a chance to learn about NAVHDA and get some training & especially puppy exposure without having to commit to purchasing the expensive annual grounds pass.  These nights are NOT for people who are in other weekly small group training, although if experienced chapter members would like to come and help others, that would be welcome and  appreciated. We are trying this approach to try to manage the size of the chapter and keep training group sizes efficient and focused. Please help.   More info is  on our Master Calendar.

Small Training Groups at Kelley Farms:

All people that filled out our small group training survey should have been contacted by their small group leaders/coordinators by now.  If you have not, please send an email to  training@mnnavhda.org.   Some members have formed their own small groups as well without our assistance.  That is great!-Let us know what we can do to support you.

BOATS AT KELLEY:

  • We will have the “old red canoe” at the Dike Pond at Kelley as usual.  The hull split last year and was repaired with duct tape.  This could use a better fix.  If anyone has the skills to do a better  repair (like a fiberglass patch) and wants to take on that job, please email president@mnnavhda.org.  In the meantime, have a roll of duct tape with you.
  • We will have the “Carston” boat at the DNR pond again this year.  This boat MUST be moored IN the water when not in use so it does not get trampled by the cattle.  Please do not leave it on shore.  If you find it on shore, put it back in the water when done, please.

NOTE*-Our arrangement with Kelley Land & Cattle Company requires ALL members using the grounds individually or in small groups to have the annual Kelley Farms grounds pass. NO exceptions.  The only time chapter members can be on the grounds without a pass is at a Chapter sponsored event like a big Clinic, Test, or the OPEN Thursday nights outlined above.  These events will be indicated by the orange chapter signs on the roads and grounds.  For info on obtaining a grounds pass, send an email to:  training@mnnavhda.org.

BIRDS:

Birds are starting to arrive to the pens at Kelley  this week.  Designated people that are authorized  access to the pens will be contacted separately with the access and payment information.  Bird supplies are going to be limited this year, especially Chukar & Quail in May & June.   We are asking all members to be considerate of others in use of birds, and give preference to those  who may be preparing for the spring tests, especially with the quail.  We likely will not have any Chukar until July.

Training at Four Brooks WMA-Milaca:

Emails have been sent out by the Four Brooks group leaders about training there in 2021.  If you are interested in Four Brooks and have not been contacted, please send an email to mn.navhda.fourbrooks@gmail.com

To train at Four Brooks, you MUST have the annual $25 grounds pass from the Minnesota Federation of Field Trial Clubs (MFFTC).  You can obtain that by sending  a Check for $25 made out to MMFTC and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Tasha Pleskac

Four Brooks Pass

9610 175th St NE

Foley, MN 56329

We could use some volunteers to shuttle some birds periodically from Kelley to the Four Brooks group.  If you can help, send an email to mn.navhda.fourbrooks@gmail.com

 

We do require all people that train with Minnesota NAVHDA and use our birds & equipment to be members of both NAVHDA International and our Chapter.  Those not renewed by 3/31 were dropped from the roster.  You can check your status on those here:

  • Minnesota Chapter Membership Roster  (as of 4/1/2021).   Chapter Memberships good on an annual basis.   If you are not current, you can Join here.
  • NAVHDA International Memberships can expire at any time during the year  depending on when you first joined.  You can check your status here:  (This site has been running slow lately).    Member Roster – NAVHDA

Please also review our Minnesota NAVHDA  Participation Rules,  Etiquette & Safety Policy

Good luck to everyone and your dogs this training season!

Mitch Carlson

Director of Training

MN NAVHDA

training@mnnavhda.org

Hello Chapter Members.   The days are getting longer, some snow is melting, and it will not be too much longer until we start our 2021 season in April.  In the meantime, here is an update on some things to be aware of.

ANNUAL MEETINGS:   We held our chapter annual meeting on Tuesday evening Feb 2nd via the Google Meet platform.   This meeting was not recorded.  Chapter members will be emailed a copy of the Meeting minutes and Board of Directors reports.   NAVHDA International held it’s annual meeting on Jan 23rd via the Microsoft Teams platform.  This meeting was recorded, and is available to review here.

BYLAWS:   The voting for the revisions to our chapter bylaws was held electronically over a  14 day period ending on February 21st.  The revisions passed by a 94-6% margin.  (66% was required).  Thank you to all who participated.  These changes will allow us to better manage the size of the chapter and continue to hold quality tests and training events while fulfilling our mission statement.

CHAPTER SECRETARY POSITION:  Pete Ness is currently our chapter secretary, now in his 3rd two year term, but is looking to transition out of that role.  This is a very important position in a chapter of our size.  Primary responsibilities include managing the roster, monthly meeting agendas & minutes and coordinating chapter email communications.  We are looking for candidates to interview for this position.  Qualified individuals will be familiar with simple database management like MS Excel, sending mass emails, and online systems of sharing and storing information like the Google G-Suite.  Interested people can contact president@mnnavhda.org.

RAFFLE: Our 2021 Raffle Fundraiser for two Garmin Alpha 200i units was a huge success.  The raffle sold out sooner than we expected and winners were drawn at our Board meeting on 2/16.  Congratulations to our winners Greg Fassett & Dan DelMonico.

2021 VOLUNTEERS:   We are the biggest chapter in NAVHDA both in the size of our membership and the number of test days and training events we hold.   We cannot do this without volunteers, and we could use your help.   If you are running a dog in a test, please consider volunteering on the day you are NOT running.  You can contact the test & event coordinators listed on this page to volunteer.  (Note that your specific test running day assignment is not usually made by the test secretaries until the week of the test, so which day you would volunteer cannot be determined yet.)

TRAINING:  For 2021 Training, we will continue to form small focused training groups like we did in 2020.  If this interests you, please visit our Small Group Training Page and complete the questionnaire by March 15th, if you have not already done so.   Small group training dates are NOT published on our website calendar, but will be organized based on the results of this questionnaire.  You can visit our Training Events Page to see some of the larger scheduled events we have set up and which ones still have openings.  NEW for 2021, we will be doing some OPEN training nights at Kelley Farms on the 3rd Thursday of each month, from April through August.  This is to give people an opportunity to do some training at that venue without having to buy the expensive annual grounds pass for Kelley Farms.  These nights will also be open to non-members to check out what NAVHDA is all about before they make the decision to join.

NAVHDA AIMS & RULES CLINIC:  We still have openings at this 2 day clinic on June 12th-13th at Pineridge Grouse Camp in Remer, MN.  Full details here.

TESTING:  4 of our 7 tests are full with waiting lists.  there are still some openings in the other 3.  If you are planning on testing a dog in 2021, do not wait too much longer to sign up for a test.  Please reference our Testing Events Schedule for all details.

SPONSORS: Thank you to our Chapter Sponsors. 

We look forward to seeing everyone soon at our 2021 Events.

Pete Aplikowski

President