HCP VI - Prairie Landscape Restoration: Oak Savanna, Grasslands, and Wetlands (2o)
Overall Project Outcome and Results
This project restored approximately 40 acres of oak savanna on Kruger Waterfowl Production Area. Oak savanna is even rarer in Minnesota than tallgrass prairie and there are numerous plant and wildlife species that depend on this habitat. We removed invasive trees from these areas, restored an open, park-like structure to the vegetation, and created enough light gaps in the tree canopy to support a herbaceous understory. The biomass we removed was stacked and is drying. This fall the biomass will be chipped, hauled to the biomass burning plant in Benson, and converted to electrical power. This was a significant savings. Money that would have been spent burning or removing the biomass from the site was used for additional habitat work. After all the equipment is done at the site, FWS staff will overseed the areas where the trees were removed and any place equipment damaged the soil with a diverse mix of local ecotype grass and forb seed. The long-term maintenance of the site will be done through the FWS's fire management program.1
Originally we planned to do both wetland and oak savanna restoration at the site. However, with the persistent rains over the period of this grant, we were not able to get heavy equipment into the wetlands to restore them. Therefore, we requested and were granted an amendment to spend the wetland funds on additional oak savanna work at the site.
$3,375,000 is from the trust fund to the commissioner of natural resources for the sixth appropriation for acceleration of agency programs and cooperative agreements. Of this appropriation, $770,000 is for the Department of Natural Resources agency programs and $2,605,000 is for agreements as follows: $450,000 with Pheasants Forever; $50,000 with Minnesota Deer Hunters Association; $895,000 with Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; $85,000 with National Wild Turkey Federation; $365,000 with the Nature Conservancy; $210,000 with Minnesota Land Trust; $350,000 with the Trust for Public Land; $100,000 with Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc.; $50,000 with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and $50,000 with Friends of Detroit Lakes Watershed Management District to plan, restore, and acquire fragmented landscape corridors that connect areas of quality habitat to sustain fish, wildlife, and plants. The United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service is a cooperating partner in the appropriation. Expenditures are limited to the project corridor areas as defined in the work program. Land acquired with this appropriation must be sufficiently improved to meet at least minimum habitat and facility management standards as determined by the commissioner of natural resources. This appropriation may not be used for the purchase of residential structures, unless expressly approved in the work program. All conservation easements must be perpetual and have a natural resource management plan. Any land acquired in fee title by the commissioner of natural resources with money from this appropriation must be designated as an outdoor recreation unit under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.07. The commissioner may similarly designate any lands acquired in less than fee title. A list of proposed restorations and fee title and easement acquisitions must be provided as part of the required work program. All funding for conservation easements must include a long-term stewardship plan and funding for monitoring and enforcing the agreement. To the maximum extent practical, consistent with contractual easement or fee acquisition obligations, the recipients shall utilize staff resources to identify future projects and shall maximize the implementation of biodiverse, quality restoration projects in the project proposal into the first half of the 2010 fiscal year.
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".