Open Vistas for Grassland Birds - 2

Description

When the first settlers reached Minnesota's western prairies, they found a landscape without trees. Today, many conservation lands have high densities of trees. Some of these trees were planted, while others have taken advantage of the wet cycle Minnesota has been in since the 1990s. Ideally, we control trees with fire. However, many of these trees are growing in wet areas that never burn or have become so dense that they have eliminated fuels below them and are virtually fireproof. The goal is to use fire for long-term maintenance after this initial treatment. Trees provide perches for predatory birds and dens for mammals, and obstruct the horizon which inhibits many grassland birds from nesting near trees. Trees are detrimental to the waterfowl, gamebirds, and songbirds that require grassland and prairie habitat. Our goal with this project is to remove trees from public lands in an effort to increase the habitat quality for all the bird species that nest in grasslands.

Program Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program

Status Completed

Dates 11/30/2011 - 06/30/2014

Project Manager Greg Hoch

Grant Recipient Mn Prairie Chicken Society

Grant Recipient Type Non-Profit Business/Entity

Primary Funding Source(s) Outdoor Heritage Fund

Grant Amount $125,000

Expended $125,000

Statutory Reference M.L. 2016, Chp. 172, Art. 1, Sec. 2, Subd. 5(K)

Management Unit(s) Federal

Habitat(s) Prairie

Activity Type(s) Restoration/Enhancement

Primary County Clay