Private Lands Restoration – The Minnesota Land Trust https://mnland.org Your partner in protecting and restoring Minnesota's lands and waters. Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:53:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://mnland.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-MLT-Logo-Stack-Square-Green-512-32x32.png Private Lands Restoration – The Minnesota Land Trust https://mnland.org 32 32 151989673 Restoration Improves Forest Health, Mitigates Wildfire Risk in Northern Minnesota https://mnland.org/2024/02/27/old-growth-forest-restoration/ Tue, 27 Feb 2024 18:21:46 +0000 https://mnland.org/?p=18664 People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky People wearing hard hats work on a forest clearing under blue sky

The buzz of chainsaws is punctuated by a crack of wood. Though it may seem counterintuitive, even jarring, this is the sound of forest restoration—specifically, restoration of 115 acres in Lake County, Minnesota.

The owners of the property, situated directly between Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls State Parks, acquired a conservation easement in 2019, permanently protecting 950 acres dominated by forest and wetlands. Prior to the Land Trust’s involvement, they had been actively restoring the landscape, adding 2,000 new trees over the course of several years.

According to Haley Golz, Minnesota Land Trust Restoration Program Manager, “The increasing prevalence and scale of climate change-related wildfires puts forest restoration front and center, especially in the Arrowhead region where there are large sections of previously harvested forest that are often at a higher risk for fueling fires.”

Haley has been working with the landowners to address their concerns about low species diversity and a large number of dead and dying balsams due to a budworm infestation on their property. “After a disturbance, like clearcutting, infestation, or fire, aspens are one of the first trees to establish, followed closely by balsams.

Without effective management, dense, low diversity forests comprised entirely of these early establishing trees can become an incredible fuel source for fire.”

Forest Restoration Cycle

This forest restoration project cycles through three phases: cutting forest gaps to allow enough sunlight to support new trees; removing brush around recently planted trees to support them as they try to establish; and planting long-lived trees like white pine, white cedar, and red pine.

These trees’ lifespans are 200 to 800 years, and the pines’ thick, protective bark makes them naturally resistant to moderately intense fires.

Helping establish old-growth forests is part of the Minnesota Land Trust’s climate-forward restoration agenda.

Balsam skeletons along the edge of a forested portion of the protected property

According to the US Forest Service, 15–40% of Minnesota’s forested acres contained old growth trees prior to European settlement. Today, it’s only about 2%.

“Forests have the potential to offset around one-third of global emissions—as a natural climate solution they’re pretty unrivaled,” said Haley. “This permanently protected forest will benefit generations to come by helping reduce the spread of fire, preserve air quality, and sequester more carbon over the lifetime of the trees.” Learn more about the Land Trust’s habitat restoration work across Minnesota.

Article Contributors

Written by: Sarah Sullivan—Communications & Marketing Manager
Professional review by: Haley Golz—Restoration Program Manager

As Seen in the 2023 Fall Review

This restoration project was featured in the Minnesota Land Trust’s 2023 Fall Review print newsletter, highlighting the importance of preserving clean air and forests.

Thank you for your continued support of habitat conservation, restoration, and nature engagement in Minnesota.

Cover of the Fall Review depicts a young boy sitting on tree roots in a forest
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More Private Lands Restoration Projects

This permanent conservation easement was made possible thanks to the members of the Minnesota Land Trust and Hennepin County with funding from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC).

]]> 18664 A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet https://mnland.org/2023/03/17/preserving-the-family-farm-for-the-future/ Fri, 17 Mar 2023 17:20:53 +0000 https://mnland.org/?p=4585 A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground A red barn in the distance under a blue sky, with a water body and prairie full of yellow flowers in the foreground
A side by side before and after image showing a barren, plowed farm field with a red barn in the background beside a prairie teeming with yellow flowers and a small pond

The property in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Rum and St. Croix River Conservation Priority area includes the forested northern shore of Rock Lake and is situated between a Walmart Supercenter, golf course, and two residential developments near the growing community of Pine City, Minnesota.  

The most obvious and, likely lucrative, opportunity for retired farmer Dave Odendahl would have been to sell off his working lands to a real estate developer once he was done farming them. The developer would subdivide the 154 acres to maximize profit on exclusive residential parcels on the golf course and along the Rock Lake shoreline. Perhaps some more commercial development, a strip mall and a coffee shop franchise.

The result would have been fragmented habitat, the loss of mature white pine and northern red oak trees, more localized pollution for the remaining habitat to try to filter, and a lot more impervious surface directing pollutants towards the St. Croix River. It would have also resulted in the loss of habitat for a number of species, including wood ducks and trumpeter swans.   

Dave made a different choice.  

Instead, he has worked tirelessly for the last decade to restore previously drained wetlands and convert a majority of his agricultural fields to prairie. “It’s been a good home for my family and me,” says Dave. “There were eight of us children raised here, and we had a good, sustainable life with strong feelings for conservation.”

154.8 Acres Protected

  • Wetland: 31.7 acres
  • Forest: 31.3 acres
  • Grassland: 29.7 acres
  • Restored Prairie: 40 acres
  • Working land: 18 acres
  • Open water: 4.1 acres
  • 1,405 feet shoreline on Rock Lake & 5,531 feet on unnamed ponds

Wildlife Supported by the Property

  • American badger
  • Trumpeter swan
  • Franklin’s ground squirrel
  • Wood duck
  • Sandhill crane
  • Fisher
  • River otter
  • Pine marten
A four photo array depicts a wood duck in flight, white pines on an esker, a river otter swimming, and two monarch butterflies feeding on a purple blazing star

Inspiration and Land Defragmentation

The protected property includes 154 permanently protected acres that buffer the shoreline and waters of neighboring Rock Lake, helping preserve the safety of the lake’s water for the fish that live there, including walleye, as well as the people who recreate on the lake. It also helps protect water further downstream. Water flowing from Rock Lake into the Snake River eventually finds its way into the lower St. Croix River and ultimately the Mississippi River.

According to Ruurd Schoolderman, Minnesota Land Trust Conservation Program Manager, “By keeping the shoreline in its natural state and protecting it from future development, Dave is reducing runoff pollution and filtering the water that the local community relies on. The work private landowners like Dave are doing with U.S. Fish and Wildlife to restore natural lands in the St. Croix watershed is part of a bigger partnership effort that will reap benefits for the whole community as these lands are healed.”

Dave’s property, along with three other conservation easements, protects 430 acres around Rock Lake, creating an even more ecologically significant matrix of connected habitat. It demonstrates that when individuals do their part on behalf of the environment it can inspire others and together big changes are possible! Community members motivated by seeing the farm’s transformation into a vibrant, living landscape are now exploring restoration options for their properties, and the Minnesota Land Trust will be commencing restoration work on the property on the south side of Rock Lake in the fall of 2023.

Lake shoreline with fall foliage trees, yellow, red, and green
Surface of water with slight ripples

Help Protect More Land & Water in Communities Across Minnesota

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Want to protect your property in Aitkin, Benton, Carlton, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, or Pine County? Learn more about protection opportunities in this region, like the Anoka Sand Plain Protection Program and the Twin Cities Region Land Protection Program.

After Farming—Preserving the Multi-Generational Land Legacy

Dave grew up on the family farm, eventually taking it over and working the fields himself. And now, as he transitions out of that work, he’s making sure that the legacy his family created on the land lives on forever through a conservation easement with the Minnesota Land Trust. 

The farm has been in Dave’s family for nearly 100 years and during that time a lot has changed on and around the land. The property was first purchased by his grandfather in 1920. Over the years, the family raised sheep, poultry, a dairy herd and also maintained a vineyard and orchard with grapes, plums, and apples.

A man wearing a hat standing in front of a large tree smiles into the camera
Landowner Dave Odendahl

A lifelong conservationist, Dave has worked to restore balance to the natural systems on the land by converting agricultural fields to prairie and restoring wetlands. “I enjoy nature to a great degree, and somehow I could never see this property being developed,” says Dave. “It’s unique—the lakeshore, the glacial esker along the lake—all of it.” Dave first partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to perform restoration work on the wetlands. “Dave has had a conservation mindset throughout his life and career. We’ve done a number of wetland restoration and prairie enhancements on his property, and this summer we are restoring three more wetlands on the property,” said John Riens of the USFWS.  

Long term, Dave hopes the land he has so carefully stewarded and enriched through his restoration work will continue to benefit not just the local community and wildlife that depend on it but contribute to cleaner water and carbon storage that benefits all of us. The conservation easement and the restoration efforts fit hand-in-glove with Dave’s ethics and the Land Trust’s goals. “This has been the perfect home for me. I can roam the hills, do a little hunting, go down to the lake and go fishing,” says Dave. “And I’ll be helped now with the Land Trust here.”

A Prairie Restoration Blooms

Fall 2020 Initial Seeding

Dave and the Minnesota Land Trust are approaching the end of a multi-season prairie restoration spanning about four years on his property. The project converted 40 acres of agricultural fields to vibrant, colorful prairie.

The initial seeding took place in fall 2020 over an early layer of snow, which helped ensure thorough coverage of the fields. Seeding in late fall allows the native seeds to undergo winter stratification, which is necessary for many native species before then can germinate in the spring. Later snows cover the seeds and protect them throughout the winter until spring arrives.

Spring 2021 Prescribed Burn & Wetland Basin

In spring 2021 a prescribed burn and ditch plug construction were completed, restoring a previously drained wetland basin.

A fire converts green turf grass to a charred area in a controlled burn

According to Haley Golz, Minnesota Land Trust Restoration Program Manager, “The fun part about this project is working with Dave who is smart, thoughtful about the process, and actively engaged.”

A small pond with rocks in the foreground

Fall 2021 Second Seeding

A second seeding took place in fall 2021 to ensure robust native plant cover, then the project entered an active management phase. From 2022 to 2024, active monitoring and maintenance of the fledgling prairie will continue to ensure it properly establishes.

Now that the planting and two seasons of growth are complete, what were once fields of row crops between the farmhouse and Rock Lake provide a continuous wildlife habitat and tantalizing pollinator prairie with species like wild lupine, prairie phlox, and blazing star. The wetland basins in the prairie landscape include swamp milkweed and lake sedge.

Person driving a John Deere tractor over an empty field
Before and after image showing a barren, plowed farm field with a red barn in the background beside a prairie teeming with yellow flowers and a small pond

“Projects like the Odendahl farm restoration really underline the impact local families can have on the overall natural health of their communities,” said Haley. “Without Dave’s dedication and love for this place, we wouldn’t be able to connect these parcels for the benefit of wildlife and people.” For Dave, restoring the waters and land that his family have relied on for over a century is a way to give back to the region he has called home for decades.

Protected Property Photo Gallery

Click or tap on the photos to view full sized images of this beautiful, protected and restored property and related wildlife and habitats.

Cattails in the foreground, a wetland and a red barn in the background under a blue sky.
Lake with trees along the shoreline in fall colors, yellow and red
Pine and deciduous trees on a raised portion of land along the shore of a lake
Two trumpeter swans swimming side by side
Orange and yellow oak and maple trees in the fall
Birch trees with yellow fall foliage in a forest landscape
Close up of an American badger
Infographic with a map, map key, and four photos of habitat restoration activities that have taken place at the locations on the map
Grass extends from the foreground to the background with crop fields, a red barn, and a stand of large oak trees
Wild, colorful prairie expanse with red barn and oak tree stand in the background
Two sandhill cranes hunt in a grassland
Two monarch butterflies feed on a purple wildflower (blazing star)
Yellow native prairie flowers
Small pond surrounded by wetland grasses under a blue sky
Male wood duck swimming
A wild tangle of yellow prairie flowers

Article Contributors

Original Website Publication Date: August 5, 2020
Last updated: March 17, 2023

Written by: Sarah Sullivan–Communications & Marketing Manager
Professional review by: Haley Golz–Restoration Program Manager and Ruurd Schoolderman–Conservation Program Manager

As Seen in the 2023 Spring Review

This property and landowner were featured in the Minnesota Land Trust’s 2023 Spring Review publication, focusing on the importance of protecting Minnesota’s clean and fresh water.

Signup to receive these beautiful publications directly to your mailbox.

Thank you for your continued support of habitat conservation, restoration, and nature engagement in Minnesota.

Cover of 2023 Spring Review

More from the Rum & St. Croix River Region

Funding for the acquisition of the Easement was provided by Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Specifically, the Easement was funded through the St. Croix Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration Phase I program.

]]> 4585 Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota https://mnland.org/2022/01/24/goats-restore-resilient-lands-southeastern-minnesota/ https://mnland.org/2022/01/24/goats-restore-resilient-lands-southeastern-minnesota/#respond Mon, 24 Jan 2022 18:31:25 +0000 https://mnland.org/?p=6236 An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset An oak tree perched atop a bluff with goat image inset
Oak trees perched atop a bluff overlook the valley below. Goat photo inset.
Oak trees perched atop a bluff overlook the valley below. Goats helped remove woody vegetation and invasive buckthorn from this Oak Savanna habitat.

Goats are known for all kinds of antics, including yelling, fainting, and of course, climbing into everything from delivery trucks to trees.

In Southeastern Minnesota, on a Winona County property permanently protected by a Minnesota Land conservation easement, these functionally majestic animals are being leveraged for another one of their innate talents-their ability to destroy everything of a certain size in their path!

In this case, they’re helping property owners address invasive common buckthorn in the oak forest and woodland, which are key habitat for a variety of Species in Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Minnesota, such as the western rat snake, five-lined skink, and Eastern pipistrelle.

Protecting the wooded areas from becoming an invasive species monoculture is also critical for maintaining the native biodiversity that helps preserve the cool, clean river water for the region’s iconic cold-water trout streams.

According to the University of Minnesota, buckthorn is “one of Minnesota’s most damaging invasive plants.” It spreads throughout wooded forests, outcompeting native vegetation and degrading wildlife habitat.

Goats are an extremely effective non-herbicidal option for clearing established vegetation quickly, and for this property, they are a key component of their habitat restoration plan.

The goats’ sure-footedness means that they are often able to access areas that would be difficult for people, and they can reduce the need to use heavy equipment which could further disturb soil and plants. Being the inquisitive and hungry creatures that they are, goats can even reach leaves up to 10-12 feet high by standing on the stems to bend them down.

For this restoration project, the goats will be deployed a couple of times over a 12-month period and will be followed by controlled burning and hand cutting of larger Buckthorn stands. Managing buckthorn and other invasive plant species is an ongoing process that often requires continuous maintenance.

Even the most thorough and aggressive approach tends to leave seeds behind that allows plants to re-establish, so it’s necessary to devise a proactive and sustainable method to mitigate invasive species. Is it worth it? Absolutely! Habitat restoration is important to sustain key regions and habitats like native prairies, waterfowl migration pathways and oak forests that are increasingly threatened by encroaching development, pollution, and climate change.

Invasive buckthorn is no match for these hungry goats. Photo: Haley Golz

Restoration in Resilient Lands Amplifies Impact

The impact of restoration work in Minnesota’s Blufflands is amplified because the region is considered part of a network of Resilient Lands due to the unique karst topography that forms an overall cooler habitat and microclimates.

According to the Nature Conservancy, resilient lands contain unique topographies, geologies or other characteristics that help plant and animal species withstand climate change by providing natural “highways” to facilitate movement, and numerous microclimate “neighborhoods” which increases their chances of finding suitable habitat.

With the spring-fed cold-water streams and waterfalls, underground caves and Algific talus slopes, this area is of critical importance for climate change resiliency.

Did you know?

Studies show that plants and animals are moving on average 11 miles north and 36 feet higher in elevation each decade in a response to Climate Change, which is causing warmer temperatures, increased flooding, and otherwise altering and threatening their existing habitat.

Protecting Native Prairie and Cleaning Water

Native Prairie

The property where the forest restoration is taking place also includes five distinct “goat prairies” (completely unrelated to the Buckthorn busting goats). These are more technically referred to as “bluff,” “hill” or “dry” prairies and are found on the south-to-southwest facing slopes of the iconic bluffs.

Native prairie regions are critical because only 1-2% of these native, untouched prairies remain, and they are one of the most endangered habitats in the state. In addition to being a home to wildlife and supporting pollinators, prairies ground massive amounts of atmospheric carbon in the soil.

Close up of native prairie grasses
Photo: Haley Golz

Cleaning Water

The property also includes an undeveloped shoreline along an intermittent stream that drains to Money Creek, which helps maintain ecological integrity and provides near-shore aquatic habitat for a variety of plants and animals.

The undisturbed habitat of forested uplands, grasslands and wetlands help maintain the ecological integrity of the Money Creek watershed, allowing the natural landscape to reuptake and retain more of the water, improving water filtration and mitigating erosion.

A man-made pond also serves as a sediment catch basin and stormwater retention area before draining towards Money Creek, which is a state-designated trout stream. Having natural and man-made water-cleaning capabilities is critical as runoff from surrounding agriculture has imperiled the cold-water streams, a major outdoor recreation draw and one of many options for Minnesotans and visitors to the region to build connections to nature.

A colorful brook trout
Brook trout. Photo: Hansi Johnson

Before European Settlement in the Blufflands

This region of the state is the ancestral homeland and territory of the Wahpeton and Wahpekute tribes. The land now known as Mni Sota (Minnesota) is the birthplace of the Dakota People, a group that is part of the Seven Council Fires or Oceti Ŝakowiŋ.

Prior to European settlement of the area, the landscape was comprised of tall grass prairie and bur oak savanna situated on ridge tops; red and white oak, shagbark hickory and basswood forests on moister slopes; and red oak, basswood and black walnut forests in the protected valleys.

The signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851 effectively expelled the Dakota people from around 24 million acres of land primarily in southern and western Minnesota, opening it to European settlement.

A stream with fall colored trees atop a bluff in the background

Visit the Southeast Minnesota Blufflands

Southeastern Minnesota offers plenty of opportunities to experience the breathtaking natural landscape and unique ecological habitats that make the region special.

Visit one of the Blufflands state parks to take in panoramic scenic beauty and become immersed in the natural landscape:

Other recreational opportunities include trout fishing in the iconic cold-water streams or visiting Winona’s Ice Climbing Park during the winter months.

Support Habitat Conservation and Restoration in Southeastern Minnesota

There are several impactful ways to help continue to protect and restore the unique and wild places in Southeastern Minnesota that are especially critical in the face of climate change. Consider giving a financial gift or becoming a volunteer with the Minnesota Land Trust.

If you reside in the Southeast Blufflands region, including the counties of Houston, Fillmore, Winona, Olmstead, Wabasha and Goodhue and have an interest in protecting your property through a conservation easement, you can learn more about the process and benefits to you as a property owner.

More Restoration & Protection in the Southeast Blufflands

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