BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The Private Land Open To Sportsmen (PLOTS) program is an agreement between the North Dakota Game and Fish (NDGF) Department and private landowners to allow walk-in access to hunters.

And this year, there will be more hunting opportunities.

“We’ve got about a 36,000-acre increase this year. So, we had a nice uptick in acres. So, we’ll be coming into this fall with about 836,000 acres,” said Kevin Kading, NDGF private lands coordinator.

On some PLOTS agreements, there’s a habitat component.

“Such as new grass plantings, food plots, things like that. Other PLOTS tracts are simply just access where there’s no habitat development component to them. We’re just acquiring that access with that written agreement with the landowner. And we do have about 2,800 agreements with landowners right now,” said Kading.

PLOTS is a statewide program that features diverse landscapes and habitats.

“It could be a PLOTS tract that you could find a lot of different species on or it might be one that’s a little bit more specific, like for example, waterfowl hunting,” said Kading.

There will be some changes to how the new PLOTS acres are signed in the future.

“For many years we’ve signed those very heavily to make sure that we’re identifying those boundaries. But again, now with these apps that people have on their phone right in their pocket, they can see exactly where they are. So, one thing that’ll be changing this year is for new PLOTS tracts that were signed up this year, we’ll just be placing fewer signs on the property,” said Kading.

Hunters also need to remember these are private lands, so make sure to respect these acres.

“Treat it well. Know that these lands could come out of the program at some point, and we don’t want any type of behavior out there that could influence the landowner maybe not wanting to be in the program, that type of thing. But, yeah, pick up your empty shells, pick up your trash when you’re out there, pick up other trash if you see it out there. Keep the gates the way they are when you get there,” said Kading.

To find this year’s PLOTS acres visit the Game and Fish Department’s website at gf.nd.gov. There are also a variety of mobile apps hunters can download to view these acres, or pick up a new PLOTS Guide at a local license vendor or any of the Game and Fish district offices.

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North Dakota

Brandon Bernard Vanderhoff, Grand Forks, Chapter 7

Connie Ann Burns, Saint Thomas, Chapter 7

Thomas Alexander Starks, Lisbon, Chapter 7

Paul Edward Gould Jr., Grand Forks, Chapter 7

Casey Lee Lipp, Lincoln, Chapter 7

Amy Lavon Lilly, Minot, Chapter 7

Nicole Blackaby, also known as Tiny Toes Daycare, Washburn, Chapter 7

Daniel Ian Pozarnsky, formerly doing business as Balance Chiropractic and Rehab, West Fargo, Chapter 7

Tim Travis Quast, Grand Forks, Chapter 7

Rockwell Dean Skarsgard, Bismarck, Chapter 7

Aaron Jeffrey Christianson, Bismarck, Chapter 7

Shannon Sager, Fargo, Chapter 7

Minnesota

Bankruptcy filings from the following counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Polk, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin.

Phillip Michael and Susan Marie Decker, East Grand Forks, Chapter 7

Holly LaMae Anderson, formerly doing business as Boon Dock Bunnies 24HR Daycare, Alexandria, Chapter 7

Pamela Kaye Solberg and Daniel Matthew Solberg, McIntosh, Chapter 7

David Michael and Valerie Jean Muellenbach, Dilworth, Chapter 7

Alan Dean Leiss, Dilworth, Chapter 7

Heidi Jane Malone, Clitherall, Chapter 13

James Scott and Terra Corinne From, Audubon, Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is a petition to liquidate assets and discharge debts.

Chapter 11 is a petition for protection from creditors and to reorganize.

Chapter 12 is a petition for family farmers to reorganize.

Chapter 13 is a petition for wage earners to readjust debts.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

On Aug. 14, I watched with great interest the interim Education Committee meeting that took place at the state Capitol. Toward the end of the meeting, committee Chair Sen. Michelle Axtman updated the committee on the work of the school choice task force (SCTF). Axtman went on to say that the task force “is not legislatively driven” and has met “multiple times.” Excellent reporting by Amy Dalrymple in the North Dakota Monitor notes that the SCTF has met three times, and Axtman has indicated that it will meet in the future as the task force inches “closer to really cementing what possible legislation would look like.”

According to Axtman, because this committee/task force “is not legislatively driven,” this group does not have to post notifications of its meetings, open the meetings to the public, produce minutes of the meetings, or otherwise comply with our state’s open meetings requirements. I know she is following the advice of the director of Legislative Council, but that advice is causing many people in North Dakota — including members of Axtman’s interim Education Committee — great concern about transparency.

I am not surprised to learn that “school choice” is being studied this interim. When the Legislature narrowly passed HB 1532 then failed to override Gov. Doug Burgum’s veto of that voucher bill, it was clear that the proponents of giving public dollars to private, parochial and homeschools would be back with another plan to accomplish their goal.

What I am surprised about, however, is that an ad hoc “not legislatively driven” task force is doing the work of drafting legislation to be considered, rather than a subcommittee of the interim Education Committee. Section 13 of

SB 2284

says “… the legislative management shall study school choice models,” yet, the SCTF that Sen. Axtman has referenced includes just three of the interim Education Committee’s 21 members. It is worth noting that the lobbyist for the State Association of Nonpublic Schools and the vice president of academic affairs for the Light of Christ Catholic Schools, among others, have seats at the table as the SCTF gets “closer to really cementing what possible legislation would look like.”

Now, while I disagree with the notion that North Dakota taxpayers should be paying to support private and parochial schools in North Dakota, I welcome the discussion. But that discussion should occur in public, not in secrecy. Just because one can hold “not legislatively driven” meetings in private, does not mean that one should. When legislation is being crafted that will impact something as important as the education of our children, why wouldn’t all of us want to see how that legislation develops?

The closed-to-the-public meetings lead North Dakotans to question the motives of those involved. The Department of Public Instruction ought not be using taxpayer monies to pay the Hunt Institute to facilitate private legislator retreats or this “not legislatively driven” task force that are not open to the public. It is not a good look for DPI, Hunt or our legislators.

Look, I believe Axtman when she says that she and the others are working hard to improve education for all students. I know her to be an honorable and resolute public servant. All I would ask, however, is for that work to be done in public with an opportunity for all voices on the matter to be heard.