2011 Annual Narrative

REVIEW AND APPROVALS MORRIS WETLAND MANAGEMENT DISTRICT Morris, Minnesota ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT October 1, 2010 – December 31, 2011 ________________________ _______ _______________________ ________ Wetland Manager Date Refuge Supervisor, Area 3 Date ______________________________ __________ Regional Chief, NWRS Date 2 INTRODUCTION The Morris Wetland Management District (WMD), originally established in 1964 as the Benson WMD, includes 245 waterfowl production areas (WPAs) totaling 51,789 acres in fee title ownership. In addition, the Morris office administers approximately 21,968 wetland acres of waterfowl management easement lands, 1,237 acres of FmHA easements, and 8,501 acres of wildlife habitat protection easements. The Morris WMD also administers fee and easement units of the newly created Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. We have now acquired 24 prairie easement tracts totaling 1,415 acres. All fee and easement areas are scattered throughout Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Pope, Stevens, Swift, Traverse and Yellow Medicine Counties. The headquarters is located four miles east of Morris, Minnesota on the 861 acre Long Lake-Edwards WPA. The topography of west-central Minnesota is diverse, ranging from the granite outcrops of the Minnesota River bottoms to the rolling hills of Pope County. The flat agricultural land of the Red River Valley of the north blends into the transition zone between the tallgrass prairie and eastern deciduous forest. Soils of the region are generally productive which contributed to the historically high concentrations of breeding waterfowl. With the advent of modern agriculture, over 60 percent of the original wetlands were drained and nearly 100 percent of the native grasslands were converted to cropland. The primary objective of this District is to acquire, develop, and manage habitat for waterfowl production. Waterfowl species that commonly breed in this area include blue-winged teal, mallard, gadwall, wood duck, redhead, canvasback, ruddy duck, and Canada geese. The District also contains good populations of ring-necked pheasant and white-tailed deer, and an expanding wild turkey population. Another high priority objective is to provide habitat for native plants and animals. Private land habitat improvement for waterfowl and other wildlife is an important habitat restoration tool. Waterfowl production areas are open to public hunting and a variety of other wildlife oriented uses. The WPAs receive their highest public use on opening days of waterfowl, pheasant, and deer hunting seasons. The 51,982 acres of fee-title WPAs that we manage includes 18,129 acres of wetland, 7,129 acres of native prairie, 10,305 acres of re-seeded natives, 12,528 acres of other grasslands, 2,264 acres of woody cover, 877 acres of cropland, and 750 acres of other habitat (roads, rivers, and other miscellaneous habitat types). 3 INTRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENTS Page HIGHLIGHTS ............................................................................................................. 1 CLIMATIC CONDITIONS .............................................................................. 2 MONITORING AND STUDIES 1a. Surveys and Censuses ....................................................................................... 7 1b. Studies and Investigations .............................................................................. 14 1c. General Wildlife Observations ........................................................................ 18 HABITAT RESTORATION 2a. Wetland Restorations: On/Off Refuge ........................................................... 20 2b. Upland Restorations: On/Off Refuge ............................................................. 23 HABITAT MANAGEMENT 3a. Water Level Management ............................................................................... 35 3b. Haying ............................................................................................................. 37 3c. Grazing ............................................................................................................ 40 3d. Farming ........................................................................................................... 43 3f. Fire Management ............................................................................................ 45 3g. Pest Plant Control ............................................................................................ 50 FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT Page 4a. Bird Banding ................................................................................................... 65 4b. Disease Monitoring and Treatment ........................................ Nothing to Report 4c. Reintroductions ............................................................................................... 65 4d. Nest Structures ................................................................................................ 66 4e. Pest, Predator, and Exotic Animal Control ..................................................... 67 4 COORDINATION ACTIVITIES Page 5a. Interagency Coordination ................................................................................ 68 5c. Private Land Activities .................................................................................... 68 RESOURCE PROTECTION 6a. Law Enforcement ............................................................................................ 77 6b. Permits and Economic Use Management ....................................................... 79 6c. Contaminant Investigations .................................................... Nothing to Report 6g. Land Acquisition Support ............................................................................... 79 PUBLIC EDUCATION AND RECREATION 7a. Provide Visitor Services .................................................................................. 87 7b. Outreach .......................................................................................................... 91 7c. Friends of Morris WMD ................................................................................. 93 PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION 8b. General Administration .............................................................................................. 94 ITEMS OF INTEREST ................................................................... 100 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................ 101 5 HIGHLIGHTS 1. Extreme weather again this year. The first half of the year saw a record snow pack and significant spring rains. The last half of the year was extreme drought and no snow. Total precipitation levels for the year were considered “average”, but annual distribution was certainly not average. (Climatic Conditions) 2. The first wetland pumping station on the District was installed on Wiley WPA which will allow water level management and control of invasive carp on a 90 acre wetland. Ducks Unlimited obtained Lessard/Samms funding for the project which cost approximately $200,000. (Section 3a) 3. Our Partners, Fire, and Habitat Easement Programs collaborated with the state CPL Funding Program, and the Friends of the Morris WMD to conduct one of our largest habitat restoration and management projects to date on a habitat easement. As a result, two wetlands were restored, trees removed from native prairie, and a prescribed fire conducted on the 320 acre Stadsvold habitat easement in the “Sunburg Hills” of Pope County. (Section 5c) 4. A record number and acreage of easements were acquired for the District. A total of 3 wetland easements and 14 habitat/Northern Tallgrass Prairie easements were acquired, protecting 1,458 acres of grasslands and wetlands. Habitat easements are becoming an increasingly important strategy to restore and protect waterfowl habitat. There are currently 90 habitat easements totaling 8,500 acres in the District. (Section 6g) Habitat easements are purchased to preserve prairie and grassland. 2011-1 6 CLIMATIC CONDITIONS The following weather information was compiled and provided to us by West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, Minnesota. October 2010: The mean temperature for October was 48.8ºF, which was 1.9ºF above normal. On the 9th of the month a new daily record high of 87ºF was set, surpassing 86ºF in 2003. That was also the month’s high temperature. The low temperature was 26ºF on the 29th. Precipitation for the month was 2.11 inches, which was 0.33 inches above normal. A new daily record rainfall of 0.75 inches occurred on the 24th, the previous record for that date was 0.73 inches in 1975. Year to date precipitation total was 29.05 inches, 6.52 inches above normal. Record Low Pressure Hits Minnesota Oct 26 – 27, 2010 One of the strongest non-tropical storms on record for lowest minimum pressure in the United States occurred October 26. The lowest pressure was 28.21 in. at 5:13 pm at Bigfork in Itasca County. This shattered Minnesota’s lowest record of 28.43 in. that was set during a storm at Austin and Albert Lea on November 10, 1998. This storm intensified over the course of 24 hours. Aided by a strong jet stream, the strong low pressure system organized over central South Dakota on October 25, moved northeast, and by noon on October 26, the center was over Hibbing, Minnesota. The strongest wind gust in Minnesota was 65 mph at Georgeville (Stearns County) and Mehurin Township (Lac qui Parle County). This storm (28.21 inches of pressure) was equivalent

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