PF partners with DNR to
Accelerate Management on State Lands
Minnesota's wildlife areas
benefiting from heritage funding
St. Paul,
Minn. – August 24, 2004
– As hunters step out onto Minnesota's wildlife management areas (WMA's)
this fall, they may notice a few changes. Perhaps the cover is
more diverse and tougher to walk through. Perhaps it has been
replanted, or some undesirable trees encroaching on grassland
nesting cover have been removed. While it may look somewhat
different, hunters should be pleased with the increased management
on WMA's. Why? Because managed lands produce more wildlife.
The Heritage
Enhancement Grant Program, administered by the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (DNR), provides funding to
conservation groups in an effort to accelerate habitat management
on public lands. "That's what our chapter wants to do; take a
project or two off of the DNR manager's plate each year and get
more management done on our precious state lands," stated Gary
Duncomb, president of the Meeker County Pheasants Forever
Chapter. "Each year, we plan to assist in the management of our
WMA's here in Meeker County because we know that proper management
produces more birds for everyone to enjoy."
The goals of
Minnesota's WMA system are wildlife production, public recreation,
and habitat protection. Since May of 2002, PF has worked on 124
WMA's through the heritage program, restoring or managing 9,266
acres. Overall, DNR's Heritage Enhancement Grant Program has
funded work on 238 WMA's, impacting over 52,000 acres. The grants
are funded from state lottery proceeds deposited in the Heritage
Enhancement Account within the Game and Fish Fund.
Management
activities completed through Pheasants Forever chapters include
grassland restoration, grassland conversion, prescribed burning,
and nesting cover enhancement. "This partnership has
significantly accelerated management on our WMA's," said John
Guenther, DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife director, "Without the
heritage funding and local partnerships, our state lands would be
less productive."
Pheasants
Forever's effort has been focused on nesting cover management.
Due to Minnesota's climate and productive soils, grasslands that
are not managed become degraded and less productive over time. "DNR
Wildlife staff cannot do it all, so we work on sites that have not
seen management activity for some time," said Eran Sandquist, PF
regional biologist. "Old, unmanaged grass stands lose
productivity for wildlife and are often taken over by undesirable
trees. The heritage account has allowed partners to be proactive
in the management of WMA's to make our state lands as productive
as possible for wildlife."
Pheasants
Forever is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the
protection and enhancement of pheasant and other wildlife
populations in North America through habitat improvement, land
management, public awareness, and education. Such efforts benefit
landowners and wildlife alike. There are more than 108,000 PF
members in over 600 local chapters across the United States and
Canada.
A list of
projects completed by Pheasants Forever through the Heritage
Program is available upon request.
