I MN DEPT of NATURAL Resiiurces / SK411 .P37 1980
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I MN DEPT OF NATURAL RESiiuRcES / SK411 .P37 1980 1 'ilJir1111m n11111i1111m1~1111Ii1 ~1ir~m111r lilt~ 3 0318 00018 7963 I I I I I I THIEF LA I WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA I MASTER PL N, 1980-1989 I Minnesota Department of Natural Resources I I· I I I I This document is made available electronically by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library as part of an ongoing digital archiving project. http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/lrl.asp I (Funding for document digitization was provided, in part, by a grant from the Minnesota Historical & Cultural Heritage Program.) I I I • THIEF LAKE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA • MASTER PLAN 1980-1989 •' • Prepared by Jon M. Parker, Kim R. Hennings, James L. Hansen Maps prepared by G. Forester and M. Miller • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife St. Paul, Minnesota • December, 1980 • •I Approved: ~9/,~ I Director vcon;mlssloner of Division of Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources I I I I I I I I PREFACE I Concurrent with our population growth, our natural I resources have been increasingly exploited through demands for raw materials and outdoor recreational opportunities. Recognizing Minnesota's existing and potential recreation and natural resource use I problems, the 1969 legislature requested a "Study of the Total Environment" called Project 80. The study, to guide the legislature in reviewing appropriation re quests for the acquisition, development, and main I tenance of state-owned lands used for outdoor recrea tion, was conducted by the State Planning Agency and the Department of Natural Resources. Project 80 recommendations led to the Outdoor Recreation Act of 1975. The act established an outdoor I recreation system to preserve and properly use Min nesota's natural, cultural, and historical resources. The system is composed of 11 different classes of state owned lands administered by the Department of I Natural Resources, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Department of Transportation (Appendix A). Each class within the system has an unique purpose and use. In this way, the system provides a variety of I recreational opportunities with minimal use conflicts. The Department of Natural Resources is preparing comprehensive management plans for the nine wildlife management areas in the state having resident I managers. The plans include present and projected regional perspectives, resource inventories, and de mand and use analyses, as well as acquisition and development plans, cost estimates, and resource I management programs. These are 10-year manage ment plans, and will be revised as new management practices develop, new resource philosophies evolve, and new problems are encountered. I Under a cooperative agreement with the State Plan ning Agency, the Department of Natural Resources completed plans for the Whitewater, Carlos Avery, Mille Lacs, Talcot Lake, and Lac qui Parle Wildlife I Management Areas during the 1976-77 biennium. Plans for the Roseau River, Red Lake, Hubbel Pond, and Thief Lake Wildlife Management Areas will be completed during the 1980-81 biennium. I - ii I .. TABLE OF CONTENTS •I PREFACE .............................................................................................. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... iii INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 Description ....................................................................................... 1 Legal Purpose .................................................................................... 2 •I Long-range Goals ................................................................................. 2 HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASPECTS .................................................. 2 Local History ...................................................................- ................... 2 Wildlife Management Area History .................................................................. 3 Consolidated Conservation Area .................................................................... 3 Archaeological Aspects ............................................................................ 3 • Historical Sites .................................................................................... 3 RESOURCE INVENTORY ............................................................................. 4 Abiotic Resources ................................................................................. 4 • Climate Geology Soils Mineral Potential • Underground Hydrology Surface Hydrology Biotic Resources .................................................................................. 8 Vegetation • Birds Mammals Fish • OPERATIONS ......................................................................................... 18 Administration and Fiscal ......................................................................... 18 Capital Improvements ............................................... ·............................. 19 Equipment ....................................................................................... 20 • Staff ............................................................................................ 20 LANDOWNERSHIP ......... -......................................................................... 24 • Acquisition of Wildlife Lands ....................................................................... 24 Acquisition of the Present WMA .................................................................... 24 I WMA Supplement ................................................................................ 27 LOCAL PERSPECTIVE ............................................................................... 28 General ......................................................................................... 28 Adjacent Development ............................................................................ 30 Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge ................................................................... 30 PUBLIC USE .......................................................................................... 32 Hunting ......................................................................................... 32 Trapping .................... ·.................................................................... 35 • Other Recreational Activities ....................................................................... 36 I Visitor Characteristics ............................................................................ 36 Agricultural Leases ............................................................................... 37 RECREATION DEMAND AND CAPACITY ........................................................... 38 Demand .................................... , .................................................... 38 • Capacity ......................................................................................... 38 I iii MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ........................................................................ 39 I Wetland Management ............................................................................ 39 Objectives Considerations Past and Present Programs I Future Programs Forest Management .............................................................................. 41 Objectives Considerations I Past and Present Programs Future Programs Non-forested Upland Management ................................................................. 45 Objectives I Considerations Past and Present Programs Future Programs Fire Management ................................................................................. 47 I Objectives Considerations Past and Present Programs Future Programs Canada Goose Management ...................................................................... 48 I Objectives Considerations Past and Present Programs Future Programs I Public Use Management .......................................................................... 50 Objectives Considerations Past and Present Programs I Future Programs Nongame Management ........................................................................... 52 Objectives Considerations I Past and Present Programs Future Programs Research and Surveys ............................................................................ 54 Objectives · I Considerations Past and Present Programs Future Programs Thief Lake WMA Supplement- Management, Administration, and Acquisition .......................... 55 I Objectives Considerations Past and Present Programs Future Programs I SUMMARY OF MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ....................................................... 59 IMPLEMENTATION AND COST ESTIMATES ....................................................... 60 I Land Costs ..................................................................................... .- 60 Management Programs and Costs ................................................................. 60 Management Area Funding ........................................................................ 60 I LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................. 63 APPENDIX A. The Minnesota Outdoor Recreation System ................................................ 67 I APPENDIX 8. Common and Scientific Narnes of Plants Mentioned in the Text ............................... 68 I APPENDIX C. Vegetative Composition of the Thief Lake WMA, Supplement, and Proposed Additions and Deletions .......................................................