Accelerating the Waterfowl Production Area Program - Phase IX
The goal of this phase of the WPA acquisition program was to protect a total of 760 acres of grassland, wetland and other wildlife habitats as Waterfowl Production Areas open to public hunting. Pheasants Forever purchased 11 parcels totaling 1,310 acres of wetlands and grasslands in Minnesota?s prairie region. In addition to exceeding our acre goals, $28,152.10 of grant funds will be returned.
Conversion of grasslands and wetlands for other uses have not only contributed to many native species population declines, but also impacted water quality, groundwater recharge cycles, and natural flood cycles. Permanent acquisition and restoration of grasslands and wetlands is one of the major tools we have for reversing this trend. This phase of the WPA acceleration program acquired and restored a total of 1,310.61 acres of grasslands and wetland habitat as permanently protected WPA's managed by the USFWS. Pheasants Forever and USFWS staff collaborated to generate a list of parcels with landowners who had the desire to sell. The parcel's ecological impact was evaluated using landscape level planning tools developed by the USFWS Habitat and Population Evaluation Team (HAPET). These tools utilize Thunderstorm Maps to predict productivity of breeding waterfowl, grassland birds, and other wildlife species for the potential parcel and surrounding area. By utilizing these tools, we were able to focus efforts in areas where acquisitions and restorations will make the greatest impact on the landscape and thus these additional acres of WPA are very beneficial to wildlife and public recreation. Pheasants Forever notified counties prior to acquisition of lands. Once acquired, the USFWS will make a one-time Trust Fund payment to the County where the property is located. Additionally, the USFWS will make annual Refuge Revenue Sharing payments for all fee lands within the respective counties. Once acquired, wetlands on each parcel were restored by installing surface ditch "plugs" and/or breaking subsurface tile. Some wetlands may also have had sediment removed to create proper substrates for wetland function and vegetative growth. Grasslands were restored by planting a high-diversity native seed mix of grasses and forbs that are regionally appropriate to the area. As with all restoration work there are challenges that come from weather and working with private contractors but we did not face any major issues.
$5,500,000 in the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Pheasants Forever to acquire land in fee and restore and enhance wetlands and grasslands to be designated and managed as waterfowl production areas in Minnesota, in cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. A list of proposed land acquisitions must be provided as part of the required accomplishment plan.
The majority of the acquisitions in this program are located in the Prairie Pothole Region which is not only the richest wetland system on earth but also produces approximately one-third of the continents waterfowl population. In addition to supporting waterfowl, this region supports numerous grassland and wetland dependent wildlife species, many of which are experiencing severe population declines due to habitat loss. The parcels acquired and restored as part of this phase add to the quantity and quality of grasslands and wetlands that are available to species such as mallards, black terns, bobolinks, meadowlarks, and the ring-necked pheasant. Additionally SGCN and T/E were considered when the parcels were evaluated for acquisition. Parcels with these species were ranked more favorably than parcels without. Species of concern that will benefit from these projects include the greater prairie chicken, short-eared owl, marsh hawk and yellow rail.
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