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.

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.

Donate Today

More Private Lands Restoration Projects

• 
  Restoration Improves Forest Health, Mitigates Wildfire Risk in Northern Minnesota
  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,… Read more: Restoration Improves Forest Health, Mitigates Wildfire Risk in Northern Minnesota
• 
  A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
  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… Read more: A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
• 
  Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota
  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… Read more: Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota

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).

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.”

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.

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 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

Spring 2021 Prescribed Burn & Wetland Basin

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

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.”

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.

“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.

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.

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

More from the Rum & St. Croix River Region

• 
  A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
  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… Read more: A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
• 
  Ann Bancroft Partnership Protects Vital Metro Area Land Forever
  Bancroft, Minnesota Land Trust, and Washington County partner to protect 118 acres over two properties The Minnesota Land Trust, Washington County, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and two landowners, including polar explorer Ann Bancroft, have successfully closed on a land conservation partnership project that permanently protects approximately 118 acres over two properties in… Read more: Ann Bancroft Partnership Protects Vital Metro Area Land Forever

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.

Emerald ash borer (EAB) was first detected in northern Minnesota in 2015 in the Duluth area. The insect, originating from Southeast Asia, is an invasive pest that is expected to eventually destroy most of Minnesota’s nearly 1 billion ash trees, possibly impacting over a million acres of ash-dominated forest in Minnesota.

The proactive work of state agencies, partners and communities, and the cold winters in northern Minnesota, may have slowed the spread, but winters continue to warm due to climate change, and it’s only a matter of time before the remaining ash trees in the state are gone.

Besides their use in the urban and suburban landscape for reducing heat stress, cooling buildings, improving water and air quality, and reducing flooding risks, ash trees dominate many of Minnesota’s northern forests and hold cultural significance for Native American communities including the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Traditionally, Native American communities have had long-standing relationships with trees like the black ash (baapaagimaak) and accumulated Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) from hundreds—sometimes thousands—of years of direct contact with the trees and the local habitats in which they live. In northern Minnesota, ash trees are important for maintaining water table levels and mitigating surface water runoff to support manoomin (wild rice) in the St. Louis River Estuary.

Minnesota has more than 1 million acres of ash-dominated forest (2019), more than any other state.

A 20-year old ash tree sequesters up to 41 pounds of carbon annually. Minnesota’s ash forests store around 187 million tons of CO2, mostly in forest soil.

Warmer winters due to climate change can result in an increase in pests and insects.

Across the state, winters are warming fastest in northern Minnesota, with an average increase of 7.1° F since the 1800s and only 5.2° in the rest of the state.

The Impact of Losing Ash Trees in Minnesota

Losing 1 billion ash trees, the majority of which are concentrated in northern Minnesota forests, could result in converting one million acres of forest to non-forest ecosystems.

The detrimental impacts of this shift include less carbon sequestration capacity and changes to the landscape that would negatively impact the existing resident wildlife as well as migrating birds, like the rusty blackbird, who rely on the forested wetland habitat in the St. Louis River Estuary as a stopover point.  

While the eventual loss of most of the ash trees in Minnesota is all but certain, there is hope—and a strategy—to preserve forest habitats through planting diverse, climate change-resilient native tree species now.

Strategic Partnerships Preserve Critical Wetland Forests

Led by the Minnesota Land Trust, in partnership with the City of Duluth and the Community Action Duluth Stream Corps (DSC), planting of 25,700 trees and shrubs is now underway as part of the Coastal Wetland Forest Restoration for Birds Initiative.

The planting takes place across 32 acres which will improve the ecological integrity of 175 acres within the St. Louis River Estuary Important Bird Area, positively impacting 52 different species of migrating birds that are designated Species in Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), including the rusty blackbird, yellow warbler, and magnolia warbler.

The Duluth Stream Corps began the first round of planting in May 2022 at Chambers Grove, Rask Bay, and North Bay, all situated within the St. Louis River Estuary Important Bird Area.

The goal of the project is to mitigate the threat of EAB within this high-quality coastal habitat by planting trees that will survive even after black ash trees die off in the coming years, preserving the coastal forests for migrating birds and resident wildlife, and to help maintain the conditions necessary for manoomin to thrive.

The project will also improve species biodiversity, increasing the resiliency of Minnesota’s coastal forests in the face of climate change.

Climate Change Adaptable Northern Forests

The new trees being planted include a diverse mix of native tree species that grow in the area but are better suited to the warmer and drier conditions that are increasingly common in northern Minnesota.

These trees, including red maple, silver maple, and bur oak, can be found in the warmer regions of southern, eastern, and western Minnesota.

Northern hackberry trees will also be included as a possible replacement species for Indigenous cultural uses as suggested by Natural Resources staff at Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Tree planting will span two seasons and once completed, the City of Duluth will assume long term monitoring and maintenance through their Duluth Natural Areas program. Across the border in Wisconsin, the Lake Superior Reserve is conducting a partner project on river islands in the immediate vicinity with the same intent, increasing the positive impact to forested wetlands and migrating birds in the region.

According to Gini Breidenbach, St. Louis River Restoration Program Manager, “Important research is ongoing about how best to support the ecology of ash forests once the ash trees die off. But because EAB is here now threatening these important coastal wetland habitats, we feel strongly that action, based on the best available information we have, is also necessary. This project takes an adaptive management approach to support these forests and the birds that use them.”

Help Build More Resilient Forests in Minnesota

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Rusty blackbird populations have declined 85–95% over the last 50 years, and according to recent research by the University of Minnesota Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), the St. Louis River Estuary may have a disproportionately large impact on the wellbeing of this swamp- and water-loving bird species.  

Data shows that rusty blackbirds use the region as a stopover site longer than typical migrating birds, with 23% staying 18–24 days. The region provides vital habitat when they’re most vulnerable, during fall migration as they’re making their way from breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada down to the Midwest and southeastern United States.  

The preferred locations for rusty blackbirds in the estuary include Rask Bay and North Bay, locations that are part of the Coastal Wetland Forest Restoration for Birds project. 

Article Contributors

Website Publication Date: September 30, 2022
Originally published in the Minnesota Land Trust 2022 Fall Review.

Written by: Sarah Sullivan, Communications & Marketing Manager
Professional review by: Gini Breidenbach, St. Louis River Restoration Program Manager

More Minnesota Land Trust Restoration Projects

• 
  Restoration Improves Forest Health, Mitigates Wildfire Risk in Northern Minnesota
  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,… Read more: Restoration Improves Forest Health, Mitigates Wildfire Risk in Northern Minnesota
• 
  A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
  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… Read more: A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
• 
  Restoring Coastal Wetlands for Migrating Birds
  Emerald ash borer (EAB) was first detected in northern Minnesota in 2015 in the Duluth area. The insect, originating from Southeast Asia, is an invasive pest that is expected to eventually destroy most of Minnesota’s nearly 1 billion ash trees, possibly impacting over a million acres of ash-dominated forest in Minnesota. The proactive work of… Read more: Restoring Coastal Wetlands for Migrating Birds

Funding for the Coastal Wetland Forest Restoration for Birds project was secured through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and is also supported by Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). 

Big problems require a champion, someone with a specific mix of skills, connections, and vision, who can systematically and patiently work a process and stay connected to the larger purpose to bring the vision into reality.

In 2019, Interstate Island and its Common Tern colony needed a champion. The 6-acre dredge spoil island in the Duluth-Superior Harbor began disappearing under dramatically rising water levels starting in 2015.

Interstate Island was created in the 1930s as a dredge spoil disposal site. It has been a designated Wildlife Management Area (WMA) since 1983 and is jointly managed by both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Common Tern monitoring on the island began in 1977; a banding program was implemented in 1989 and continues today.

The increasingly submerged island meant a loss of habitat for the terns and their island co-habitants, about 20,000 Ring-billed Gulls. This put the terns and gulls in more direct competition for resources, with the terns on the losing end of things.

Common Terns in the Superior Region

The Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is a North American long-distance migrating bird that travels between wintering sites as far as 6,000 miles to the south in Argentina, and breeding sites in the northern United States and Canada. The Interstate Island population is known to overwinter on the coast of Peru.

In the Lake Superior Watershed, they return to one of only two remaining colonies. The Interstate Island colony is home to about two hundred birds representing half of the Lake Superior Common Tern population.

Historically, Common Terns were found all over the Lake Superior region and throughout the Duluth-Superior area. However, human activity, including development along the Lake Superior shoreline, displaced them from many of their traditional nesting habitats. In 1989, they were encouraged by wildlife managers to relocate to Interstate Island, which is relatively free of human interference and predation.

According to Audubon, terns are relatively resilient in the face of climate change, though if the climate warms between 1.5 and 3 degrees Celsius it will shift their summer breeding habitat further north into Canada, which could result in the loss of Minnesota’s Common Tern colonies. Terns nest on the ground and lay between one and four eggs.

A Good Turn for the Common Tern

Interstate Island and its Common Tern colony found a champion in the Minnesota Land Trust and Gini Breidenbach, Restoration Program Manager. Breidenbach and Minnesota Land Trust’s involvement was critical to launching this project by bringing much needed organizing capacity and restoration project management expertise to the initiative.

“Minnesota Land Trust was the missing piece in getting this project done,” said Breidenbach, “We had the capacity to write grant proposals and secure funding, bring together the strategic partners to design the project, work through the permitting processes in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, and manage the construction process – it was no small feat!”

Breidenbach managed a strategic coalition of partners, including the Minnesota DNR, Wisconsin DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Minnesota – Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and private design and construction firms to get the project completed in two years.

Adding Interstate Island to the larger St. Louis River Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan further elevated it as a priority initiative.

Breidenbach and partners also identified an opportunity to reduce cost, increase project scope and beneficially use 40,000 cubic yards of sand dredged from the navigation channel by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Since 2011, Minnesota Land Trust has played a key role in restoration work in the St. Louis River Estuary. A primary goal of the work being done in the region is to be able to remove the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) from the binational list of most impaired regions on the Great Lakes. Minnesota Land Trust’s estuary projects include Radio Tower Bay, Chambers Grove, wild rice restoration, Perch Lake, and Grassy Point and Kingsbury Bay. Learn more about Minnesota Land Trust’s impact in the St. Louis River Estuary.

Expanding Interstate Island

For years, wildlife managers at Minnesota DNR and Wisconsin DNR have supported the tern colony by maintaining a perimeter of chicken-wire fencing around the nesting area and a three-foot tall string grid overhead. This protects the tern nests because they can hover over the grid’s openings and land safely while gulls can’t navigate the openings as easily and tend to be deterred by the string.

Studies show that these measures have a positive impact, however, the loss of habitat due to flooding on the island made increased contact between the terns and gulls unavoidable, and that resulted in higher rates of predation on tern eggs and chicks by the gulls. In order to not just help the tern colony survive but meet recovery goals set by Wisconsin DNR, it was imperative to expand the island habitat.

The Interstate Island project includes several objectives that all support the goal of restoring the largest Common Tern nesting colony in the Lake Superior Watershed.

By fall 2020, woody vegetation had been removed from the island and the tern nesting area was raised by 3-4 feet. Additional protection was added for the vulnerable nests, including an upgraded permanent perimeter fence and rock berm.

The areas of the island subject to flooding were elevated, expanding the island from 2.5 acres to 6.7 acres of viable habitat during extreme high-water levels, and 8.7 acres during ordinary high-water periods. Expanding the island’s footprint added 900 feet of shoreline to the island.

Shorebirds Benefit too!

Bird experts suspected Interstate Island was important habitat for shorebirds, but there was no data to support their suspicion. During a 4-year pre- and post-restoration study, an impressive and previously unknown array of shorebird species were documented using the space, 25 shorebird species and 35 other migratory birds in all, including the black-bellied plover​, American golden-plover​, killdeer​, and stilt sandpiper​.

The study findings and other observations of bird behavior on the island demonstrate how important this remote habitat is for birds. According to Steve Kolbe, University of Minnesota Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) Avian Ecologist, “Birds on Minnesota Point, where there are lots of people, are always flying around, head up, alert. But on Interstate Island we see them sleeping, heads tucked under their wing, sometimes for days. It’s a safe haven.” Whether it’s a stop-over point on a thousand-mile long journey or a place to raise young, the restoration investment is already paying off.

With this new information, conservationists and biologists can raise awareness about the habitat needs of shorebirds and seek further opportunities to support them.

Adding Native Vegetation

The final phase of the restoration work began in the summer of 2022 and included planting three areas of the island with low-growing native vegetation, like beach grass, to help slow wind erosion and support the migrating shorebirds.

Keeping the island free of large woody vegetation like trees is important to protect the tern colony from predators, including owls, who would find a substantial population of easy prey on the island if given the opportunity to hunt there.

Briedenbach says, “Statewide there are less than 900 nesting pairs of the Common Tern, and with this coalition of partners working together, our hope is this threatened bird will have its place to nest and thrive into the future.”

The Common Tern found a champion in Minnesota Land Trust and the group of partners and supporters that rallied around their cause. And as tends to be the case with interdependent ecosystems and habitats, impact has a ripple effect. The sustained and intentional work done on behalf of the Common Tern also positively impacts a host of migratory shorebirds.

Funding for this restoration project was provided through Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC), the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (NOAA, USEPA, USFWS), and Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration Act.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

• 
  Protecting & Connecting the Southeast Blufflands Near Brownsville, MN 
  Located atop a beautiful and steep forested bluff overlooking Brownsville, MN, this recently protected property—a generous full donation of the conservation easement—is in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Southeast Blufflands priority conservation area.   Though small in acreage, the quality of the protected property, due in part to the landowners’ diligent restoration efforts, has an outsized impact… Read more: Protecting & Connecting the Southeast Blufflands Near Brownsville, MN 
• 
  The Elevation Effect—Climate Resiliency in Southeast Minnesota
  The Minnesota Land Trust has added 43.7 acres of permanently protected property near Winona, MN, in the Land Trust’s Southeast Blufflands priority conservation area. The protected property has a restored grassland with native plants including big bluestem, switchgrass, prairie cordgrass, lake sedge, woolgrass, tussock sedge, and bottlebrush sedge.   A deciduous forest comprised of eastern cottonwood,… Read more: The Elevation Effect—Climate Resiliency in Southeast Minnesota
• 
  Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota
  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… Read more: Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota
• 
  Restoring Bluffs in the Driftless
  Rising high above the valleys below, the bluffs of southeastern Minnesota are part of the most biodiverse region of Minnesota. Untouched by glaciers, this unique topography has been shaped by the rivers and streams carving through it. Unfortunately, development and invasive species have put this unique habitat at risk and are slowly eroding a Minnesota… Read more: Restoring Bluffs in the Driftless
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  Good Conservation – It’s also about Beer
  This article first appeared in our April 2020 Landowner Newsletter. Read more on our Publications page. While each of the Minnesota Land Trust’s nearly 600 properties protected by conservation easements are unique, there’s one property in southeastern Minnesota that also has important historic and cultural features worthy of preservation, according to the conservation easement itself.… Read more: Good Conservation – It’s also about Beer

Minnesota is renowned for its ecosystem diversity; countless wildlife, plants and insects call it home. So, it may not be surprising to learn that Minnesota is also home to America’s “Duck Factory”, one of the most productive nesting areas for waterfowl in North America. The prairie pothole region, found in western Minnesota, is a landscape of rolling grasslands punctuated by innumerable wetlands which at one time spanned as far as the eye could see.

“The area is one of the most important migratory bird flyways on the continent,” says Daryl Peterson, Restoration Director at the Minnesota Land Trust.

In the past few decades much of the land has been converted to row crop agriculture, negatively impacting the ability of ducks and migratory birds to nest and find food. Yet today, there is renewed hope to find compatible solutions for all stakeholders involved.

A strong partnership between the Minnesota Land Trust, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local landowners that originated in 2015 is protecting and restoring thousands of acres for habitat, generating economic solutions to landowners and local businesses, and is providing public benefits through clean water, flood control, land erosion and scenic beauty.

The partnership employs local businesses in 15 rural counties. Approximately $550,000 is contracted annually to small owner-operated businesses that deliver construction and hauling services. Even with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the partnership spurred employment of local businesses in rural Minnesota.

Creating a network of interconnected protected properties to benefit the migratory bird populations is “only possible through the voluntary, collaborative and coordinated efforts of multiple public and private conservation entities working on a common vision,” says Daryl Peterson.

The Minnesota Land Trust remains a committed partner in this complex and nuanced work. The Land Trust is proud of the congruent outcomes for multiple stakeholders and especially gratified that Minnesota’s “Duck Factory” remains open for business.

Preparing the site for a flow-over ditch plug. Clearing sod and debris ensures the ditch plug is built on a solid base and is able to hold back water.

A rock weir within this ditch plug was added to handle high and continuous water flow. Wetland elevations are designed based on historic elevations and current land use practices.

More from the Alexandria Moraine

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  Restoring a Landscape from the Past & Preserving it for the Future
  The Heurungs have protected over 70 acres of their property in Stearns County, mostly composed of forest and woodland, grassland, and wetlands, and 2,829 feet of shoreline that includes a portion of the Sauk River and a restored pond.   Active stewards of their land since they acquired it in 2017, the family partnered with Stearns… Read more: Restoring a Landscape from the Past & Preserving it for the Future
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  Protecting 79-acres of Critical Waterfowl Habitat in North America’s Duck Factory
  Landowners Dave and Stephanie Sanderson have enjoyed their beautiful Otter Tail County property for many years, engaging in a variety of recreation activities including hunting, hiking, bird watching, and photography. In partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust, the Sandersons have generously donated a 79-acre easement, protecting the habitat, wildlife, and opportunity to recreate in perpetuity.… Read more: Protecting 79-acres of Critical Waterfowl Habitat in North America’s Duck Factory
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  A Ducky Partnership
  Minnesota is renowned for its ecosystem diversity; countless wildlife, plants and insects call it home. So, it may not be surprising to learn that Minnesota is also home to America’s “Duck Factory”, one of the most productive nesting areas for waterfowl in North America. The prairie pothole region, found in western Minnesota, is a landscape… Read more: A Ducky Partnership

On the property that he purchased in 2010, Tom Hunter has poured his energy into restoring the row crop fields of his land back into grasslands, like those that once covered his property. A farmer, Tom has worked to balance the unique ecology of the region with low-impact farming.

“I knew from the beginning that what I wanted to do was raise 100% grass-fed beef,” said Tom. “This land is so well suited to it; it’s steep and would erode if you tried to farm it too aggressively.” In just that short time, he has seen the land begin to heal. “It’s been interesting to see the land adapt to pastures and rotational grazing; you can see the organic matter growing in the soil year over year, indicating improving soil health.”

The improved soil function is also having an impact downstream, as the land is better at retaining and filtering water after large rain events rather than washing it down the bluff and into waterways. The local watershed features a number of streams filled with trout, which depend on cold, clean water. Minimizing runoff is a vital part of keeping those fish populations healthy for anglers, but also has broader impacts for maintaining functioning ecosystems.

“Protecting and restoring lands like Tom’s not only protects water quality and an important trout stream, it also helps ensure that native plants and animals found today in southeast Minnesota withstand the impacts of climate change,” said David Ruff of The Nature Conservancy. “Restoring and connecting habitat in the region allows species to move and adapt to changing conditions. Keeping forests and grasslands on our bluffs also provides scenic beauty for residents and visitors alike, supporting our quality of life and our economy.”

“The work and care that Tom has put into his land has had a huge impact for wildlife and water,” said Nick Bancks, program manager for the Minnesota Land Trust. “His well-managed rotational grazing system has meant birds like bobolinks have returned to the area to nest in the spring, and brook trout downstream of his land will have cleaner water far into the future.”

Tom isn’t done yet either. He’s turned his energy to restoring the wooded and steep portions of the land. “We have some big oaks that were probably here even before settlers came in and began to farm it,” said Tom. “It’s going to take a lot of restoration work, but I’d like to work on it — and I’d like it to stay that way.”

“For conservation in southeastern Minnesota to succeed, it’s not sufficient to rely on only public lands,” said Kris Larson, executive director of the Minnesota Land Trust. “With most land in private hands, it’s generous landowners like Tom who are creating a legacy of conservation that all Minnesotans can be proud of.”

“It’s amazing the number of native plants I’ve found on the farm as I’ve begun this restoration process,” said Tom. “To me that says the potential is here, and the ability to really protect and restore the habitat — and have it stay that way a long time — is really exciting.”

Completed diversion outlet – photo by Leah Hall, The Nature Conservancy

The Minnesota Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, the Sauk River Watershed District, Stearns County Soil & Water Conservation District, Pheasants Forever, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources worked together with the landowners this summer to achieve a rare win-win for water quality and wildlife habitat. These partners worked together to restore the ecological integrity the Cold Spring Fen, just outside of Cold Spring, Minnesota by ensuring it has adequate water flow to sustain this rare Fen. At the same time, this Fen will filter sediment and pollutants from agricultural run-off above it before it hits the Sauk River.

Restoration in progress – photo by John Maile

Funding from Coors Seltzer will enable us to undertake the second phase of the project in 2021, focused on peat floodplain restoration. The creation of natural swales, pathways, and depressions will help store water and reduce pollution. These wetland restoration activities help clean the water as it makes its way back to the Sauk River.

The Minnesota Land Trust and our partners have protected over 968 acres and 11.8 miles of shoreline, and restored 137 acres since 2019 in the Sauk River watershed, working with local families to protect the waterways their communities rely on. Funding for the first phase of protection and restoration work was provided by the Minnesota DNR Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program, the Outdoor Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC), The Nature Conservancy, and a generous donation from the landowner.

Coors Seltzer was crafted with a mission to help save America’s rivers. For every 12-pack sold, Coors Seltzer will work with Change the Course to restore 500 gallons of clean water, and to protect and restore the waterways that provide clean water to wildlife and millions of people in communities across the country.

The Minnesota Land Trust worked hand in hand with the City of Duluth to both create the vision around the St. Louis River National Water Trail and also to pull together stakeholders to create the Water Trail plan and thus its application for its National Water Trail Designation. The Land Trust is extremely excited to see the hard work that the communities of Duluth and Superior have put into this project to re-brand the St. Louis River and restore its image as an amazing place to recreate and to live.

The National Water Trail Designation is a platform that our stakeholders and our partners can use to leverage change across a full spectrum of needs that the St. Louis River has as it is being brought back to health. Thank you to everybody that made this project happen and thank you to the stakeholders and the St. Louis River Alliance for taking on the future tasks of achieving the many goals the Water Trail Plan puts forth.

Posted back in May 2020 read about the history and importance of achieving this national recognition:

The National Water Trails System, part of the National Park Service, connects people to nature. A National Water Trail allows public access for recreation and conservation activities along routes on waterways. Minnesota currently (May 2020) has one designated National Water Trail — the 76-mile Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Water Trail.

Recognizing the potential of another great body of water — the St. Louis River Estuary — the Minnesota Land Trust helped coordinate the application to designate it as a National Water Trail. This application was submitted in April 2017 after two years of planning by dozens of stakeholder groups. If approved, it would become our nation’s 23rd National Water Trail and the second in Minnesota.

Looking at the needs of the communities of Duluth, MN and Superior, WI, as well as the opportunities that a National Water Trail would offer, the stakeholder groups came together to create a Master Plan. These stakeholders represent diverse interests, from motorized to non-motorized uses of the river, to cultural considerations and economic activities.

The St. Louis River Estuary is an ideal location for a National Water Trail. Not only is it a wonderful place to enjoy the water, it also has a unique history. Once abundant with wild rice beds and fisheries, the river became degraded due to industrial waste disposal. In recent years, the river has been brought back to life through restoration efforts that are improving its water quality and wildlife habitat. The St. Louis River Estuary needs to be re-branded as a healthy place where people can live and play and the National Water Trail designation is the perfect mechanism to make that happen.

The application for the National Water Trail designation is pending approval by the Secretary of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the St. Louis River Alliance and its National Water Trail Work Group are not sitting idly by. The Master Plan has clear guidelines of how to improve access and experiences for the various user groups that love the river. One of the first tasks being worked on is the design of an artistic map to be used both to promote and navigate the Water Trail. With support from local businesses, these free maps will be available at Duluth retailers and tourism spots in the near future.

]]> https://mnland.org/2020/10/23/establishing-the-st-louis-river-national-water-trail/feed/ 0 4018 https://mnland.org/2019/10/01/private-lands-restoration-with-the-minnesota-land-trust/ https://mnland.org/2019/10/01/private-lands-restoration-with-the-minnesota-land-trust/#respond Tue, 01 Oct 2019 03:47:41 +0000 https://mnland.org/?p=3387















Since 1991, the Minnesota Land Trust has been working with private landowners, local communities, and local partners to protect natural land across the state.

Landowner performing prescribed prairie burn

Since then, we have protected over 60,000 acres of natural land, forever. Although many of these properties come to us in great shape, many of them include retired agricultural areas, have been impacted by long-term human uses, or have been affected by non-native species. We work with landowners to conduct private land restorations on these properties, focused on returning the land to its natural state, as determined by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s (MN DNR) Native Plant Community data. This data describes and maps Minnesota’s unique Native Plant Communities which are classified as: “groups of native plants that interact with each other and with their environment in ways not greatly altered by modern human activity or by introduced organisms.” Although many vegetated areas across the state have retained their native plant community status, or have been restored to their respective native plant community over time, many existing areas are not native plant communities. These areas may be dominated by exotic or invasive species, or may have been affected by human activities.

The Minnesota Land Trust conducts three common types of restoration projects across the state: prairie restoration, wetland restoration, and woody invasives removal.

Prairie Restoration

Prairie restoration is one of our most common types of restoration. This type of restoration is focused on restoring disturbed areas that were previously prairie, or retiring agricultural areas back into their respective Native Plant Community type (most often prairie). This type of restoration is extremely important, as there is less than 1% of remaining historic prairie across the entire state.

All of our restorations begin by determining the intended Native Plant Community for the focus area. After the correct community type is determined, site preparation should ensure that there is a bare soil surface for seeding. Site preparation usually involves some combination of tilling and herbicide application, which removes existing non-native vegetation. Next, the tilled area will be planted with a custom seed mix that aligns with native species commonly occurring within the Native Plant Community type. Ideally, the seeding will occur in fall after the soil temperature is less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit and before snow, as the cold stratification improves seed germination. After seeding, the area will be shallowly rolled or packed to reduce moisture loss in the soil, and to encourage good seed-to-soil contact.

On average, three-year post-seeding maintenance is required for proper seed establishment. Mowing and prescribed burns are often required in subsequent years, in order to control invasive/aggressive species establishment, and to promote germination, and control natural succession.

Wetland Restoration

Our next most common type of restoration is wetland restoration. Oftentimes, this type of restoration is done to reverse the effects of ditching or draining for agricultural purposes. Wetland restorations begin by identifying wetland areas that no longer maintain high water levels because of human intervention. Reversing the draining most often involves building ditch plugs, removing/blocking tile, and/or removing infilled sediment. Any construction projects are designed to be resilient, so they can accommodate varying water levels, which becomes increasingly valuable as climate change will likely increase flooding events in the years to come.

At this point, the wetlands will naturally refill, and associated wetland vegetation becomes established from long-lived seeds in the soil. Sometimes this new vegetation includes reed canary grass, a MN DNR listed invasive species, and narrow-leaved cattail which can quickly crowd out other species. Large patches of established reed canary grass and narrow-leaved cattail are best managed in conjunction with fluctuations in water levels using natural changes in water levels or by water control structures. Grazing, burning, or spot treatment with herbicides can also help scale back these species to a manageable level. However, the only way to fully eradicate reed canary grass is to remove the top two feet of soil.

In Minnesota, large prairie and wetland complexes support many species of endangered and threatened wildlife. Restoring these areas helps us protect these species, and helps keep our wetlands clean, providing clean water for all Minnesotans.

Woody Vegetation

Site cleared of woody invasives

Our last common type of restoration, is woody vegetation removal. This type of restoration is focused on removing undesirable trees and shrubs (oftentimes early successional prairie species including red cedar and red pine) from native prairie areas. Similarly, this type of restoration can also involve removing noxious or invasive species (including buckthorn, Oriental bittersweet, and Siberian elm) from a variety of native plant community types. When these unwanted species are removed these areas become opened up for native species, which in turn results in higher-quality habitat for wildlife and native species. Invasive/non-native species can be removed using a variety of different methods, including: cutting and spot-treating with herbicide, mowing, fire, or grazing. Long-term management of these types of invasive species is required in the following years.

To conduct these restoration projects on private lands, the Minnesota Land Trust works with a variety of partners, including: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, the Audubon Society, and local soil and water conservation districts. Collaboration between our organizations allows us to continue conducting high-quality restorations across the state.

Learn more about our restoration work, and how you can work with the Land Trust to improve your protected property.

Watch our full webinar about private lands restoration here:

Resources List:

MN Department of Agriculture Noxious Weed List

MN DNR Invasive Non-native Plants List

University of Minnesota Extension

Minnesota Land Trust Restoration Page

Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System