Shallow Lake & Wetland Protection & Restoration Program - Phase XII
This Phase 12 request supports Ducks Unlimited's prairie land acquisition and restoration program. DU proposes to acquire and restore 790 acres of land containing drained wetlands and land bordering shallow lakes in SW Minnesota's Prairie Pothole Region for inclusion in the Minnesota DNR's state WMA system. This land acquisition and restoration program focuses on restoring cropland with drained wetlands along shallow lakes and adjoining WMAs to help restore prairie wetland habitat complexes for breeding ducks and other wildlife. DU biologists and engineers will survey, design, and hire private sector contractors to restore drained wetlands and seed uplands.
This is Phase 12 of Ducks Unlimited's ongoing program to both Acquire and Restore wetlands and prairie on land for sale adjacent to Minnesota DNRs State Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). DU works with willing seller private landowners adjacent to WMAs that have drained wetlands and converted prairie uplands, and land on shallow lakes in need of protection. DU purchases and holds land title through it's Wetlands America Trust (WAT), DU's supporting land-holding organization, of which DU is the sole corporate member.
Our goal is to help restore functioning prairie-wetland habitat complexes and complement other conservation efforts to protect intact native prairie. Our work addresses the habitat goals in Minnesota's Long-range Duck Recovery Plan, Minnesota's Prairie Conservation Plan, and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. This work is time-sensitive because farmland adjacent to state WMAs is rarely offered for sale for conservation, and tracts are only available for a short time. DU works quickly, and has already spent much of our past OHF appropriations for land acquisition.
Ducks Unlimited works closely with the Minnesota DNR Section of Wildlife and partners with Pheasants Forever, other NGO partners, and local sportsmen clubs such as Swan Lake Area Wildlife Association and local conservation leagues to restore lands. Although approval is not requested from county boards for DU land acquisitions, DU communicates frequently with county and township officials to ensure local official awareness of our conservation work, and often attends county and township board meetings to discuss projects. The acquisitions and restorations proposed represents the amount of work DU can accomplish over 4-7 years, is scalable, and benefits game and non-game wildlife species alike - from mallards to monarch butterflies.
Because 90% of Minnesota's prairie wetlands have been drained and 99% of prairie uplands converted in Minnesota, acquisition and restoration of prairie and small wetlands is critical - especially for breeding waterfowl in the Prairie Pothole Region of SW Minnesota where DU focuses our efforts. Furthermore, most remaining undrained wetlands here are in poor ecological condition due to massive landscape prairie conversion to cropland and wetland drainage that degrades both wetland condition and habitat function for prairie wildlife.
Although many of our remaining prairie wetlands and shallow lakes are contained within state WMAs or federal Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA), these small public land patches rarely provide optimal wildlife habitat due to their fragmented shape and small size. Similarly, most prairie shallow lakes are surrounded by a thin ribbon of uplands that fail to adequately buffer them from surrounding agricultural land runoff. Therefore, acquisition and restoration of drained wetlands and cultivated cropland in close proximity to our public lands will improve and buffer our public shallow lakes and remaining wetlands, and help create functioning prairie-wetland complexes of habitat for breeding ducks and other prairie wildlife.
DU professional engineers and biologists work closely with Minnesota DNR field staff to plan and implement robust prairie upland and pothole wetland restorations, including diverse native forb/grass seed plantings and complex wetland restorations that often involve extensive tile drainage.
$7,061,000 the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Ducks Unlimited to acquire land in fee for wildlife management purposes under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 8, and to restore and enhance prairie lands, wetlands, and land that buffers shallow lakes. A list of proposed acquisitions must be provided as part of the required accomplishment plan.
Protected, restored, and enhanced shallow lakes and wetlands - Land bordering shallow lakes and land containing drained wetlands will be acquired and restored back to wetlands and prairie grasslands, with native grass and forb wildflower grasslands surrounding wetlands as functional habitat for pollinators, migratory birds, and resident wildlife. Lands will transferred into the state Wildlife Management Area system to provide additional prairie habitat for migratory species and public use, both of which will be monitored by Minnesota DNR. Restored wetland basins will be monitored by DNR area wildlife field staff, and managed to optimize wetland habitat conditions. Prairie uplands will be managed to minimize trees and encourage native plants
Federal NAWCA and DU Private