Prairie Chicken Habitat Partnership of the Southern Red River Valley - Phase X

Greater prairie chickens are a grassland dependent species found largely in the beach ridges of Glacial Lake Agassiz in western Minnesota. Grassland complexes composed of various successional stages (i.e. age of habitat resulting in changing plant community), and at least 320 acres in size are required by this species. Loss of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres and conversion from grassland to row crop agriculture are the two major factors reducing quality or the habitat available to prairie chickens. As a charismatic upland gamebird, prairie chickens serve as flagship or ambassador for other grassland dependent species. Protection and restoration of habitat for the benefit of prairie chickens will, in turn, positively benefit other species such as the chestnut-collared longspur and Dakota Skipper (both species listed by the MN DNR as endangered).

The focus of this partnership is to permanently protect native and restored prairies and associated wetland habitats to both increase and stabilize prairie chicken populations in western Minnesota. This is done by focusing on remnant prairies within core and corridor areas of the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan (MNPCP). Proposed tracts, with willing sellers who value wildlife habitat, are ranked based on the following criteria: 1) distance to the nearest prairie chicken lek, 2) location in or outside of a core area from the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan (MPCP), 3) distance to the nearest public hunting land (WPA or WMA), 4) tract size, 5) current grassland type (native prairie, restored prairie, brome, or row crop), and 6) wetland density and predicted waterfowl breeding pairs (wetlands can provide important habitat for prairie chickens over their annual life cycle). Purchased tracts will be restored and/or enhanced to their fullest potential using grant funds. When appropriate, tracts will be transferred to the MN DNR as Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) or to the USFWS as Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) and will be responsible for future management.

This proposal delivers numerous stateside conservation plan goals by protecting, restoring, and enhancing grasslands and wetlands in strategic areas. The MPCP specifically states that an ecosystem measure of success is stable or growing prairie chicken populations in Minnesota. The MPCP is ideally suited for greater prairie chicken management with core areas containing large contiguous blocks of grassland and smaller grassland patches serving as corridors allowing birds to maintain populations outside the core areas as well as move across the landscape. Additional benefits of this work is protection and restoration of the extensive wetland systems encompassed by these tracts. Water storage sequestering and storing carbon, water quality, diversity of flora and fauna, and reducing erosion are among the many benefits of fully functional wetland systems.