Living Shallow Lake Enhancement & Wetland Restoration Initiative - Phase V
Ducks Unlimited successfully enhanced 3,437 wetland acres and restored 83 wetland acres through this grant, which significantly exceeds our grant acre goals of 2,000 acres of wetland enhancement and 50 acres of wetlands restored for this 2017 OHF appropriation. Ducks Unlimited successfully completed this work by spending 99% of this OHF grant appropriation while also providing significantly more non-state leverage than proposed, specifically $886,800, which is 443% more than the $200,000 pledged back in 2017 by successfully leveraging several federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grants along with providing more DU private funding too.
Ducks Unlimited promptly began spending this ML 2017 OHF grant in July 2017, with DU biologists and engineers surveying and designing several new shallow lake enhancement projects while beginning construction of several previously-designed projects too. The following is a list of wetland projects and acres completed by Ducks Unlimited for the Minnesota DNR and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under this 2017 OHF appropriation:
458 wetland acres enhanced in North and South Badger Lakes in Murray County, where DU constructed a new variable-crest water level control weir structure on the outlet of North Lake.
30-acre wetland enhancement on Riverside WMA in Lac Qui Parle County.
102 acres enhanced in two wetlands on Haydenville WMA in Lac Qui Parle County.
361-acre Sanborn Lake was enhanced with a large variable-crest water level control structure in Le Sueur County.
150 wetland acres enhanced via new water control structure on the outlet of Tyler WMA in Lincoln County.
206-acre Long Lake was enhanced with a water control structure in Cottonwood County.
13 acres of wetlands restored on the Ullenhop USFWS Easement adjacent to Long Lake in Cottonwood County.
202 acres enhanced in Hurricane Lake in Cottonwood County by modifying and improving the existing water level control structure to make it more effective and manageable.
706-acre Lake Hassel was enhanced in Swift County north of Benson;
290 acres wetland acres enhanced on Redhead Slough WPA in Grant County;
216-acre Ward Lake enhanced in McLeod County;
260-acre Timm Lake enhanced in Yellow Medicine County;
5 acres of wetlands restored on Fish Lake WPA in Cottonwood County;
14 acres of wetlands restored on Buffalo Lake WPA in Murray County
2 acres of wetlands restored on the Welch USFWS Easement in Meeker Co.
20 acres of wetlands restored on the Doering USFWS Easement in Meeker Co.
1 acre wetland restored on Harder Lake WPA in Cottonwood County;
16 acres of wetlands enhanced on Ben Wade WPA in Pope County;
20 acres of wetlands restored on Ward Lake WMA in Sibley County;
3 acres of wetlands restored on Watonwan River WPA in Cottonwood County;
5 acres of wetlands restored on Cottonwood Lake WPA in Cottonwood County, and,
440-acre Curtis Lake enhanced in Yellow Medicine County.
Total accomplishments include 3,437 wetland acres enhanced and 83 wetland acres restored by DU through this grant, which significantly exceeds the acre goals of 2,000 acres of shallow lake enhancement and restore 50 acres of wetland habitat for this 2017 OHF appropriation.
$4,716,000 in the first year is to the commissioner of natural resources for an agreement with Ducks Unlimited to restore and enhance shallow lakes and wetlands on public lands and wetlands under permanent conservation easement for wildlife management purposes. A list of proposed shallow lake enhancements and wetland restorations must be provided as part of the required accomplishment plan.
This program enhances and restores shallow lakes, large marshes, and small pothole wetlands in Minnesota's Prairie Section. Many wildlife species of greatest conservation need and those listed as Threatened or Endangered rely on wetlands or are wetland-dependent. As Minnesota has lost 90% of our wetlands in the Prairie Section and most of the larger marshes and shallow lakes there are turbid and degraded due to agricultural drainage runoff and invasive fish (especially common carp), this conservation work directly benefits the habitat needs of many Minnesota wildlife species of greatest conservation need, including Threatened/Endangered species found in Minnesota's Prairie Section.
DU Private, DU Private and NAWCA Federal, Federal NAWCA, DU Private and NAWCA Federal and DU Private