New Wildlife Refuge to Conserve Minnesota Tallgrass Prairie

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, October 13, 2004 (ENS) - Acquisition of 35,000 acres of wetlands and tallgrass prairie habitat in northwest Minnesota for America's newest national wildlife refuge was authorized Tuesday, to mark National Wildlife Refuge Week 2004.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced the authorization of the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul after flying over the new refuge earlier in the day with Governor Tim Pawlenty, a Republican.

They saw a landscape shaped by the giant glaciers of the Ice Age which left hundreds of lakes and rolling hills as they retreated.

Norton said the refuge, which encompasses 55 square miles, will allow more outdoor enthusiasts "to enjoy the unique landscape Glacial Ridge has to offer."

Nature Conservancy volunteers walk the tallgrass prairie that is expected to become part of the reserve. (Photo courtesy The Nature Conservancy)

Located 12 miles east of Crookston along State Highway 2, the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge will be formally established later this month, when The Nature Conservancy donates 2,000 acres of land that will become the first parcel within the new refuge.

The Nature Conservancy will formally transfer the land on October 26 at an event in Crookston. Of the 35,000 acres that will eventually make up the refuge, 24,140 acres are currently owned by The Nature Conservancy.

The remaining acres are owned by private landowners and/or managed by the state of Minnesota. Land acquisition from private landowners will occur on a willing-seller-only basis, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

After donating the initial 2,000 acres, The Nature Conservancy will donate the majority of its property to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The organization has established an endowment fund that will allow local governments continue to receive the full value of property taxes currently paid on the private property.

Funding for additions to the refuge, estimated to be between $3 million and $4 million over the next decade, will come from fees generated through the Federal Duck Stamp Program.

Before it was cleared for farmland, this area contained many productive small wetlands and large tracts of uplands used by waterfowl, furbearering animals, upland game birds and many non-game birds and mammals, the Service said. Less than one percent of Minnesota's original prairie habitat is still in existence.

Over the last 30 years, much of the proposed refuge area has been drained or converted for agricultural purposes. One of the goals of this refuge is to restore up to 12,000 acres of wetlands and 14,000 acres of tallgrass prairie upland habitat.

Sunflowers on Glacial Ridge in the area soon to become a wildlife refuge (Photo courtesy USDA)

In addition, the Service has partnered with Ducks Unlimited to provide a total of $75,000 in North American Wetlands Conservation Act funding to support the Glacial Ridge restoration efforts.

When restoration is complete, the refuge is expected to provide critical habitat for declining grassland birds, greater prairie chickens, sandhill cranes and other wildlife, as well as the endangered western prairie fringed orchid.

"It's been a great pleasure to see this project come to fruition," said Ron Nargang, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota. "It has been one of the finest examples of partnership I've ever been associated with. More than 30 entities have contributed to its success. This is a classic example of cooperative conservation."

The federally threatened Western prairie fringed orchid on Nature Conservancy land (Photo courtesy The Nature Conservancy)

Crookston city officials have expressed support for the proposed refuge, which is adjacent to the city's drinking water wells. The establishment of the refuge will protect the city's water quality.

Both the Red Lake Watershed District and the Sand Hill River Watershed District support the project for its contribution to flood control along the Red River.

Glacial Ridge becomes the 545th refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System. At first, the new refuge will be managed by staff from the Rydell National Wildlife Refuge, located eight miles south of Glacial Ridge, in Erskine, Minnesota.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the 95 million acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses the 545 national wildlife refuges, plus thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.