Two people touched MWA this year in very different, yet very profound ways. The legacies they’ve left—one planned, the other not—have amazed and humbled me. At the heart of their stories lies a common truth: the success of MWA and waterfowl conservation largely lies in the hands of our youth.
LEVI MARCOTTE:
I first “met” Levi Marcotte via the Internet in February of 2006. Levi emailed me looking for information about “Woodie Camp.” His email said that he had seen a segment about Woodie Camp on Ron Shara’s Minnesota Bound. His youthful exuberance was apparent as he said that he really wanted to attend Woodie Camp as he was very excited about the outdoors, wanted to make sure that the outdoors were taken care of, and that he wanted to learn everything that there was to learn about waterfowl hunting. He closed his email with the announcement that he was 12 years old, and that he wanted to attend the camp with his best friend Matt Smith.
When I emailed Levi back, I had no idea that this was to be only the beginning of an “electronic conversation” that would take place over the next year and a half. In my response I told him that the camp was for kids ages 13 to 15. His quick reply asked if he could still apply even though he was too young—just in case there was an outside chance that there was room for him and his friend. I told him that he should apply and if there was room it might be possible—but I also told him that was unlikely and it would be more likely they would be accepted the following year. He said that sounded good and that he was so excited to attend he could hardly wait to hear from me. We probably traded a couple of dozen emails before the beginning of June when I sent out the announcement on who had been selected to attend Woodie Camp. I emailed Levi and told him that we had received over 60 applicants and that we needed to take the older kids, but I assured him that he was on a waiting list for the next year, and he would be accepted then. I thought to myself how much easier MWA’s mission would be if most people had half the passion for waterfowl that Levi did.
From that time on I received maybe two emails a month from Levi. He said he wanted to stay in touch. He told me about how his fall had been going…asked about my fall and wondered if I had any hunting trips planned. He kept in touch all year. On the coldest February night I received an email from him asking if I was staying warm. I told him I was trying to, and that I was looking forward to spring. He said that he was too, and he was looking forward to seeing the birds. Then he started asking about Woodie Camp again and said he was more excited than ever. He asked if he and Matt were on my list…when they would get the packet of things in the mail…when the registration materials would be out…what could he expect to bring…could he bring food…where do the kids that attend camp come from…was I going to be there the entire time during the week…a seemingly endless list of eager questions. I chuckled to myself when replying to Levi and was looking forward to finally putting a face with his name.
Levi emailed me weekly from mid spring right up until the end of July. He said that he and his family were moving from town out to the country. He said he was really excited to be moving and really excited to be able to ride his 4-wheeler on their new property. He signed off saying he would email me when he could or he would just see me at Woodie Camp.
I never heard from Levi again. I never got to meet this kid and put his face with his name. Four days before Levi was to come to camp, he was riding his 4-wheeler with his Dad and brother around their new property outside of Kandiyohi, MN when he had an accident and was killed. Levi was 13 years old. Levi never made it to Woodie Camp.
The news hit me like a ton of bricks. I just kept thinking about how excited he was to attend camp, and just like that…he was gone. I felt completely helpless. I knew that I couldn’t attend the funeral as I needed to be at Woodie Camp to start setting things up on that Saturday. I wanted to contact Levi’s family but thought it was too close to when the accident happened. I knew I wanted to do something in Levi’s honor if we could.
At Woodie Camp I talked with my assistant director, Teressa Schlieman and one of the Woodie Camp founders, Tony Rondeau about how we could honor this kid who loved waterfowl and the outdoors. We came up with what I thought was a great idea: the campers build wood duck houses during the week, and we were going to have Tony wood burn “In Memory of Levi Marcotte, Woodie Camp 2007” on a wood duck house and have it put up at the Prairie Wetland Learning Center where Woodie Camp is held. We took a photo and sent it to Levi’s family with a letter explaining what we did and how we hoped it would help honor his memory.
I heard back from Levi’s mom, Brenda Marcotte, right away. She wanted to get together and meet me with her family. We decided that we would meet at the Prairie Wetland Learning Center in late October. I set up the meeting with Teressa, Tony, the Marcotte family and Matt Smith. We toured the grounds of the Learning Center, and visited Levi’s wood duck house. Levi’s younger brother Blake and Matt put cedar shavings inside the nesting box. We took photos.
Later inside the Learning Center, the Marcotte’s and Matt Smith talked about Levi and what he was like. They said that everything Levi did, he did 110%. He loved baseball, he loved hunting, and he loved life. They shared photos and stories of Levi. It was obvious that Levi was very loved and was one special kid.
I have seen and talked to the Marcotte family since our meeting in late October. They are doing as well as can be expected. They are taking it day by day—with the inevitable good days and bad days. I saw Brenda and Blake at the Prairie Pothole banquet on February 1st where Blake was very excited to win a gun. He called his dad at work and made me get on the phone to tell him that Blake really did win a gun! The love for hunting continues…
Brenda and Dean are so excited about Woodie Camp and getting more kids involved, they have started a “Levi Marcotte Woodie Camp Fund.” We are excited that this fund is set up and will be sponsoring kids to attend Woodie Camp for years to come.
Levi Marcotte didn’t attend Woodie Camp—at least not in the way he thought he would. However, thanks to him and his love for waterfowl, he will be impacting kids and waterfowl for many years to come. And that is a legacy that I think Levi Marcotte would be pretty darn excited about.
BENNET JOHNSEN
Bennet Johnson was a long time member of the Minnesota Waterfowl Association. Bennett—Ben to friends and family—passed away last April at age 72. Ben designated MWA as the sole beneficiary of his 401K retirement back in the mid 1980s.
Ben was a welder for Loram Maintenance Way in Hamel, MN. He worked there for 46 years, until he passed away of natural causes at his home. Ben had no immediate family, and never married, but was very close to his nieces and nephews. I talked to his niece, Therese Maurer, several times since MWA was notified about Ben and his 401K designation. She explained that Ben loved the outdoors, knew every kind of bird there was and could identify all of them. He was a fisherman, and hunted pheasants as well as grouse. He loved to shoot his bow and arrow, but never hunted waterfowl as far as she knew.
Therese said that Ben donating his retirement to MWA made perfect sense, she said that he saw an opportunity for children to benefit from and be introduced to the outdoors. She said that he was really interested in kids and education. It was said that he wasn’t supporting MWA because he was a duck hunter, but because he felt it was the right thing to do.
Ben’s legacy gift to MWA is one of hope for the future—as is Levi’s. I think that both believed—in their own way—that youth involvement was key for the successful future of waterfowl conservation in Minnesota. And for that we say thank you.
—Brad Nylin, Executive Director as told to Stephanie Teig
This article appeared in the Spring Issue of the Minnesota Waterfowler - Magazine
MWA Recieves Financial Boost!
The MWA recently received great news that a long time member has left a major donation to the organization. The late Bennett A. Johnsen of Minneapolis, MN named MWA as the sole beneficiary of his 401(k).
While MWA has experienced some severe funding restraints the past three years, it is in the process of rebuilding the chapter
membership and financial base as it celebrates its 40th Anniversary. A new fundraising campaign underway also will seek support from other private sources. The Bennett Johnsen donation will be of great help in improving base funding and will enable the organization to resume work on wetland projects in cooperation with its over 25 chapters, state and federal land management agencies and other conservation organizations. This will enable MWA to increase its capability to participate in cost-share arrangements with the other organizations in wetland and grassland restoration projects and improvement of shallow wildlife lakes, as it did previously. It also will
strengthen their ability to expand educational programs such as Woodie Camp, the Young Waterfowlers Program, the annual Minnesota
Waterfowl Symposium and the wood duck nest box building program.
As the MWA program continues to increase in scope, other objectives are to strengthen our ability to work with other grant programs. We
are grateful to Bennett Johnsen for his donation in support of MWA program objectives and encourage other waterfowl enthusiasts to
consider similar private donations. We plan to recognize the Bennett Johnsen donation with a very special project in his honor. Bennetts donation will go a long way towards re-establishing MWA's long-term financial future.
Brad Nylin
Executive Director
Dedicated Funding
MOHA MEMBER ALERT
We have reached a critical point in the current Legislative Session regarding the passage of a bill for dedicated funding. And unfortunately we are hearing from our best supporters in the House and Senate that THEY are not hearing from hunters, anglers and trappers in their districts – AT ALL.
Case in point. Representative Sandy Wollschlager from Cannon Falls said she gets 200-300 calls when she writes a column on education or health legislation for the Red Wing and Cannon Falls newspapers. She has written three columns about dedicated funding for natural resources and has almost NO calls.
Please make it a point to contact your own organization members immediately and launch a call-in or write in campaign to their House and Senate members. The message is simple. The outdoor community would like a constitutional amendment that dedicates at least 1/8th of 1% of the sales tax for fish and wildlife conservation. If the bill also includes 1/8th of 1% for clean water, we can support that. We want a “clean bill” for conservation, without unrelated programs. And we want a Heritage Fund Committee made up of citizens who live and breathe hunting, fishing, trapping and conservation.
If we are to pass this critical legislation we need to get moving NOW. If your organization has a web site, please post this there now.
Thanks. We can get this done!!!!
Prairie Grass for Gas
A Renewable Energy Initiative Supported by the Minnesota Waterfowl Association.
Let Minnesota Lead the Way!
Background: A recent study conducted at the University of Minnesota found that diverse, native grassland vegetation provides more energy per acre than ethanol produced from corn or biodiesel from soybeans. The benefits from using a diverse mix of native vegetation for biofuel production could be far reaching. Farmers could profit financially by using less fuel, fertilizer, and herbicides when growing prairie vegetation instead of traditional crops. The environment would benefit from cleaner water due to reduced amounts of fertilizers and herbicides required to grow prairie grasses. Fields planted to prairie grasses would also provide ideal nesting habitat for waterfowl and other grassland dependent birds. The timing of harvest would likely be late summer after many species of grassland birds are done nesting. The technology to make ethanol from native vegetation is advancing rapidly and has the potential to provide an economical source of renewable energy.
Environmental Benefits
Improved Soil Fertility
Removal of Greenhouse Gases
Cleaner Water
Reduced Soil Erosion
Waterfowl Nesting Habitat!!!
On the Farm Benefits
Decreased Fertilizer Costs
Decreased Fuel Costs
Reduced Field Work
Marginal Land Income
Recreational Opportunities
What you can do: Contact your state and federal representatives to voice your support for biofuel production from native prairie vegetation. Let them know that funding for renewable energy research should be targeted toward converting grassland vegetation into biofuels. Have them make sure that the University of Minnesota continues to be a leader in prairie/biofuel technology. In addition, any economic incentives for constructing biofuel production facilities should go to those using native vegetation. Tell them that biofuel from native prairie vegetation is a cost effective renewable energy source that could lead to a cleaner environment, more wildlife, and increased farm income from marginal agricultural land. Contact the Minnesota Waterfowl Association, today, to join in this effort.
