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 .......................................................