Accelerating the Wildlife Management Area Program - Phase XVI
In this phase of Accelerating the Wildlife Management Area Program, Pheasants Forever (PF) seeks to protect, enhance, and restore wildlife habitat in the prairie, prairie forest transition, and metro regions of Minnesota. Acquired parcels will either be adjacent to or between existing public lands to create larger complexes or corridors for a variety of wildlife species. These properties will be restored to their greatest potential with regard to time and budgets.
This proposal represents the latest phase of Pheasants Forever's Accelerating the Wildlife Management Area program. The longtime goal of this program is to prevent future loss of wetland and grassland habitat and improve public access in the prairie, forest-prairie transition, and metro regions. This mission helps to expedite goals set out by the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan (MPCP), and Minnesota's Wildlife Management Area Acquisition - The Next 50 Years plan. Concurrently, this proposal achieves three priority actions set by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council's Ecological Vision and Priorities as part of its FY2025/ML2024 Call for Funding. To date we've successfully protected and restored over 15,000 acres of priority wildlife habitat and wish to protect additional acres under this phase.
When selecting parcels for acquisition, PF and the MN DNR will approach willing sellers who often wish to leave their conservation legacy by providing wildlife habitat for all Minnesotans to enjoy. Factors considered when prioritizing parcels include location relative to other public land complexes, corridors, and habitat priority areas. Breeding waterfowl density, restoration potential, and the presence of threatened or endangered (T/E) species or species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) as identified by surveys such as the Minnesota Biological Survey are also parameters considered when evaluating the value of parcels. Criteria used to develop the potential project list including: 1) Does the parcel contain habitat restoration potential that will result in an increase in wildlife populations? 2) Does the parcel build upon existing investments in public and private land habitat (landscape scale significance)? 3) Does the parcel contain significant natural communities, or will it protect or buffer significant natural communities? 4) Does the parcel have the potential and focus for habitat protection and restoration in the future? 5) Does the parcel provide multiple benefits (recreation, access, water control, water quality, wellhead protection, riparian protection, local community support, etc.)? Upon purchase, PF and the MN DNR will work together to create a plan that ensures habitat is restored to the highest quality as funds and time allow. Plans may include farming current cropland for 1-2 years to mitigate any herbicide present in the soil or manage non-native species, planting high-diversity native seed mixes, restoring drained wetlands, and removing invasive trees when appropriate. Tracts will ultimately be transferred to the MN DNR to be enrolled in the Wildlife Management Area program or held as an HMA by PF (in which case the property will be permanently protected by PF or transferred to another agency to hold in perpetuity). In both cases, tracts will be open to the public to be used in accordance with state law.
$5,315,000 the second year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Pheasants Forever to acquire in fee and restore and enhance lands for wildlife management area purposes under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.05, subdivision 8. Subject to evaluation criteria in Minnesota Rules, part 6136.0900, priority must be given to acquiring lands that are eligible for the native prairie bank under Minnesota Statutes, section 84.96, or lands adjacent to protected native prairie.
Remnant native prairies are part of large complexes of restored prairies, grasslands, and large and small wetlands - Parcels that increase the functionality of existing habitat will be acquired and restored to functioning wetlands with diverse upland prairie to serve as habitat for pollinators, resident and migratory game and non-game species. Outcomes will be measured by overall acres protected in prairie core areas or acres added to complexes. Lands will be transferred to the state as a WMA to provide accelerated wildlife habitat and public access, monitored by Minnesota DNR. Protected and restored acres will be measured against goals outlined in the "Minnesota's Wildlife Management Area Acquisition - The Next 50 Years" and the Minnesota Pheasant Action Plan.
Protected habitats will hold wetlands and shallow lakes open to public recreation and hunting - Parcels that increase the functionality of existing habitat will be acquired and restored to functioning wetlands with diverse upland prairie to serve as habitat for pollinators, resident and migratory game and non-game species. Lands will be transferred to the state as a WMA to provide accelerated wildlife habitat and public access, monitored by Minnesota DNR. Outcomes (restoration and protected acres) will be measured against goals outlined in the "Minnesota's Wildlife Management Area Acquisition - The Next 50 Years" and the Minnesota Pheasant Action Plan 2020-2023.
Key core parcels are protected for fish, game and other wildlife - Parcels that increase the functionality of existing habitat will be acquired and restored to functioning wetlands with diverse upland prairie to serve as habitat for pollinators, resident and migratory game and non-game species. Lands will be transferred to the state as a WMA to provide accelerated wildlife habitat and public access, monitored by Minnesota DNR. Protected and restored acres will be measured against goals outlined in the "Minnesota's Wildlife Management Area Acquisition - The Next 50 Years" and the Minnesota Pheasant Action Plan 2020-2023
PF, PF, Federal and Private