Wild Rice Shoreland Protection - Phase VII
This Phase 7 continuation of the Wild Rice Shoreland Protection Program will utilize permanent conservation easements to protect 660 acres and approximately 3.5 miles of wild rice shoreland habitat. Development trends pose a serious threat to wild rice habitat, and sites are selected through an integrative ranking process that considers development risk, surrounding land use, habitat value, and numerous other criteria. BWSR will utilize the RIM Easement process in partnership with 14 local SWCDs within the Northern Forest and Forest Prairie Transition. Previous phases of this project have protected 4,831 acres and exceeded goals by 27%.
Historically, wild rice occurred throughout Minnesota and extended into northern Iowa. Wild rice has since been extirpated from most of its southern range due to human impacts including changes to water quality and chemistry, sedimentation, drainage, flow alteration, boat traffic and competition from introduced aquatic invasive species. Today, the heart of the state's wild rice acreage falls within this project work area comprised of 14 counties -- Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Otter Tail, St. Louis, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena.
Recent well-documented population and development trends pose a serious threat to wild rice habitat. This population and development boom has reduced the availability of developable shoreline on recreational lakes, resulting in shallow lakes, rivers, and shallow bays containing wild rice being increasingly targeted for shoreline development. Many of these wild rice shoreland complexes currently remain intact with good water quality, but are subject to development pressure that, if allowed, will degrade the resource.
Voluntary, incentive-based conservation protection options for shoreland landowners are few. Unlike the prairie portion of the state where state funded easement options exist for conservation-minded landowners, private land protection options are limited for wild rice shoreland in the forest due to funding constraints. Further, many easement programs are targeted for restoration and not protection. In the northern forest, lower land values allow conservation dollars to stretch further while also leveraging existing public lands. Most wild rice lakes are public waters and offer some form of public access. This proposal will continue to fill a need for shoreland protection on key water bodies supporting wild rice in the Northern Forest and Forest Prairie Transition Sections.
Utilizing permanent conservation easements the Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR) and the fourteen local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) will continue to offer permanent shoreland protection on shallow lakes, rivers and shallow bays producing wild rice. The BWSR's Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Program will acquire 660 acres through permanent conservation easements.
Through the local SWCD offices, BWSR will purchase RIM easements using rates set by the BWSR Board. Tracts will be selected based on the degree to which they help permanently protect all the land around a given wild rice water body. RIM easements will be acquired through a sign-up process similar to BWSR's other easement programs. SWCD generated landowner applications will be reviewed and parcels ranked by the project committee with guidance provided by the "Wild Rice Shoreland Protection Criteria Sheet" (attached).
$1,251,000 the first year is to the Board of Water and Soil Resources to acquire permanent conservation easements on shoreland habitat of wild-rice lakes for protecting native wild rice beds. Of this amount, up to $78,000 is for establishing a monitoring and enforcement fund as approved in the accomplishment plan and subject to Minnesota Statutes, section 97A.056, subdivision 17. A list of permanent conservation easements must be provided as part of the final report.
Forestlands are protected from development and fragmentation - Healthy populations of endangered, threatened, and special concern species as well as more common species. A summary of the total number of wetland acres and associated forest land secured under easement through this appropriation will be reported. We expect sustained populations of endangered, threatened, special concern and game species as these easements are secured. On-site inspections are performed every three years and compliance checks are performed in the other two years to ensure maintained outcomes.
Protected, restored, and enhanced nesting and migratory habitat for waterfowl, upland birds, and species of greatest conservation need - Healthy populations of endangered, threatened, and special concern species as well as more common species. A summary of the total number of wetland acres and associated forest land secured under easement through this appropriation will be reported. We expect sustained populations of endangered, threatened, special concern and game species as these easements are secured. On-site inspections are performed every three years and compliance checks are performed in the other two years to ensure maintained outcomes