Root River Protection and Restoration

This program identified three primary goals: 1) expand the amount of protected land—both public and private—in strategic locations based on existing protected lands and high-quality habitat; 2) maximize the quality of this protected habitat through well-executed restoration and enhancement projects; and 3) increase public access to these unique habitats in this area of the state with relatively little public lands. Using funding provided by this appropriation, we advanced those goals by acquiring fee ownership of key additions to State Forest units, completing conservation easements over private lands with significant biodiversity, and taking on the most difficult initial phase to invasive brush control to restore important bluff prairie and savanna habitat. 

Priorities for this program were informed by biodiversity data from the MN Biological Survey (MBS) along with a comprehensive, multi-partner watershed protection plan, the Root River Watershed Landscape Stewardship Plan (LSP). The LSP identified areas where program work would have the most impact for multiple benefits. MBS data identified areas with the greatest significance for biodiversity. From there, local knowledge of TNC and MLT staff, along with our DNR partners guided us to the most important opportunities in the program area. 

In this Root River program, MLT strategically concentrated its land protection activities on high priority upland habitats, including bluff prairies, forests, savanna and high quality trout streams. MLT targeted private lands that helped fill gaps in existing protected land framework, contained the highest-quality habitat, and provided the greatest leverage to the state. The Land Trust sought donated easement value in these areas whenever possible but purchased easements that help complete key complexes as necessary. In subsequent grants in Southeast Minnesota, MLT transitioned to a competitive, market-based approach to identifying and securing conservation easements.

Opportunities for fee acquisition under this appropriation became limited when the SNA program reversed a previous verbal agreement to accept a large property, the Rollie Tract (now 7 Springs WMA). The SNA program decided after funds had been awarded that the amount of restoration need on the property was not an appropriate fit for their program. The Rollie tract and associated restoration projects have since been completed in partnership with DNR Division of Wildlife using subsequent appropriations from LSOHC. SNA’s decision not to accept new acquisitions left State Forests as the only allowable partner for protection in fee under this appropriation, and it proved difficult to find enough opportunities that met with Division of Forestry’s priorities to utilize the funding leftover from the 7 Springs tract. 

Original restoration and enhancement goals included acres that were intended to be acquired during this appropriation, including the 7 Springs Acquisition. When this appropriation was unable to be used on that site, TNC shifted focus away from restoration and towards enhancement projects. Resources were redirected towards much needed enhancement work on bluff prairies threatened by brush and red-cedar encroachment. These habitat types are critical components of the diversity of the region, and are at risk of being overrun by invasive buckthorn and honeysuckle and native red-cedar that have become aggressive in the absence of fire. 

These sites were selected based on their positions within larger habitat complexes. TNC prioritized work in areas with several larger bluff prairie sites in proximity to each other with known timber rattlesnake dens, a Species in Greatest Conservation Need. Targeted sites can be maintained as part of a larger habitat complex, with prescribed fire utilized on a landscape scale to manage fire-dependent oak woodlands as well as the prairie and savanna sites. This creates diverse connected habitat that provides the full suite of habitat types used by rare herpetofauna and birds, as well as popular games species like deer and turkey. These connected complexes are also easier to manage at a landscape scale in a disturbance dependent landscape like Southeast MN.

In partnership with DNR Forestry, as well as staff from DNR’s non-game program, TNC used a variety of methods to control invading brush and release the native prairie communities. On the most severe sites, contractor or CCM crews cut brush by hand, and burned the slash on site. This is difficult work on steep terrain, and was only conducted during the winter season to minimize the potential for rattlesnake encounters. The difficulty and cost of this work emphasize the need for treating sites before brush encroachment gets too severe, and also to follow up on recently cleared slopes to maximize its effectiveness. Prescribed grazing using goats has proven cost-effective on sites to treat new brush growth, giving grasses and forbs the opportunity to re-colonize areas where thick brush has been removed. On flatter areas, forestry mowers were used to treat undesirable woody vegetation over larger areas to return savanna conditions and facilitate the return of prescribed fire management.