Wetland Habitat Protection Program – Phase 2

Minnesota Land Trust’s Wetlands Habitat Protection Program area extends from Meeker northwest to Becker
County, located along a vast glacial moraine system at the edge of the of western Minnesota. This prairie pothole
country is the core of Minnesota’s “duck factory” and is central to one of North America’s most important flyways
for migratory waterfowl. In this second phase of its Wetland Habitat Protection Program, the Land Trust focused
its activities toward the protection of important wetland/upland complexes of habitat within the program area.
In Phase 2 of this program, the Land Trust protected 1,026 acres of high priority wetland and associated upland
habitats and nearly 17.56 miles of shoreland along lakes, streams and rivers by acquiring conservation easements
from willing landowners. This exceeded the proposed target output by 276 acres. The Land Trust accepted one
fully donated easement, negotiated bargain sale purchases on an additional four easements, and purchased four at
full appraised value. Total leverage from donated value of the easements is placed at $386,975, in excess of that
proposed. This value was substantiated in all nine easements through appraisals.
The success of the program in producing high levels of donated value was due in part to both the high levels of
interest among landowners in participating in the program, and the use of a market-based approach to incentivize
landowners to contribute in this fashion. The program targeted projects that helped fill gaps in existing public
ownership, contained the highest-quality habitat, and provided the greatest leverage to the state. Landowners
submitted applications to the program via a RFP process, whereby proposals were evaluated based on a
combination ecological factors (size of the property, condition of wetland and associated upland habitat, proximity
to other protected lands, and other factors); landowners were also asked to submit the level of funding necessary
for them to participate in the program. Those properties with the best ratio of environmental benefits to easement
cost became the highest priority for acquisition.
Nine properties were protected through this Phase 2 grant, including the following (each of which more
thoroughly illustrated through a project summary sheet that is uploaded as part of this final report):
Cooks Lake (Vergas Trail Timberlands, LLC) - This 116-acre property builds on a large complex of private lands
protected by conservation easements along the shore of Cooks Lake in Otter Tail County. The total complex now
totals 760 acres. The property protects high quality mesic hardwood forests, wetlands, and 4,072 feet of shoreline
on Cooks Lake.
Little Crow Lake (Kluck) - This spectacular 263-acre property encompasses nearly the entirety (13,719 feet of
shoreline) of Little Crow Lake in Otter Tail County. Mesic hardwood forest, wetlands and grasslands are draped
across the rugged hills of the property, providing habitat for a variety of SGCN including common loon and
trumpeter swan.
Little Pine Lake (Durrant) - Duel Creek, a designated trout stream, winds its way through this 164-acre forested
property in Todd County. The property contains nearly all of the fishable reach (6,726 feet) of this trout stream,
one of only four in Todd County. The property is dominated by hardwood forests on rugged, rolling terrain.
Mineral Lake (Harris) - This 126-acre easement in Otter Tail County comprises much of a large, forested peninsula
extending into Mineral Lake. Basswood-Bur Oak-(Green Ash) forests, wetlands, and 20,924 feet of shoreland are
protected through this impressive property.
Sauk River (Dodge-Dunker) - This 71-acre easement is one of three contiguous properties along the Sauk River in
Stearns County protected through this grant. The property is a mix of floodplain forests, marshland and dry
savanna on the slopes of an esker, and includes 6,321 feet of shoreline along the Sauk River.
Sauk River (Klehr Trust & Klehr) - This 37-acre easement in Stearns County contains high quality floodplain forests
located along nearly 2 miles of the Sauk River and its meandered channels and oxbows.
Sauk River (Klehr) - This 82-acre property in Stearns County contains extensive floodplain forests along three
miles of the Sauk River. The property contains a mixture of floodplain forest, marshland and dry savanna.
Sauk River (Lindell) - This 77-acre easement protects nearly one-half mile of shoreline along the Sauk River and
abuts the Cold Spring Heron Colony SNA in Stearns County. Restoration of a degraded fen is underway in a joint
project between the Minnesota DNR, The Nature Conservancy, Minnesota Land Trust and Sauk River Watershed
District.
Spitzer Lake (Burkett) - This 87-acre project located on the shores of Long Lake and Spitzer Lake in Otter Tail
County is part of a complex of protected lands totaling over 3,000 acres. The property contains over 9,145 feet of
shoreline, mesic hardwood forest and grasslands.
Landowner interest for the program has increased significantly over the course of this grant, with in excess of 50
landowners applying through our November 2018 RFP. Across Phases 1 and 2 of this program, the Land Trust has
protected 2,990 acres of important wildlife habitat and 32.4 miles of shoreline, while leveraging $1,596,680 in landowner donation of easement value.