AGASSIZ NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Middle River, Minnesota ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1983 AGASSIZ NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Middle River, Minnesota ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1983 U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM 3 5 8 2 1 4 7 PERSONNEL 1. Joseph Kotok .... Project Leader GS 12/8 . PET 2. Ronald L. Bell . Principal Assistant Refuge Manager . GS 11/5 . PET 3. James P. Mattsson . Refuge Biologist GS 11/4 . PET 4. Larry E. Lewis . Assistant Refuge Manager GS 9/2 . PET 5. Beulah J. Wikstrom . Administrative Technician GS 5/5 . PET 6. Donald F. Schultz . Wildlife Biologist (General) GS 7/1 . Temp 7. Virgil D. Erickson . Maintenance Mechanic WG 9/5 . PET 8. Conrad 0. Burrell . Engineering Equipment Operator . WG 8/5 . PET 9. George Severts . Tractor Operator . WG 6/4 . CSFT 10. Roy Ruud Tractor Operator WG 6/4 . CSFT 11. Melvin N. Hagen . Dragline Operator WG 8/1 . Temp REVIEW AND APPROVALS GOVERNOR'S YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM (GYEP) 1. Paul Polansky . 6-13-83 to 8-16-83 2. Susan Olson . 6-13-83 to 8-09-83 3. Charlene Fillmore 6-13-83 to 8-03-83 4. Todd Garfve . 6-13-83 to 7-28-83 SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM (SYEP) 5. David Larson 6-13-83 to 8-05-83 VOLUNTEERS 6. Jeff DiMatteo 3-22-83 to 9-25-83 7. Dan Narverud 6-13-83 to 8-17-83 8. James R. Berquist, Jr 5-16-83 to 9-02-83 9. Donald F. Schultz 10-04-83 to 12-31-83 INTRODUCTION Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge occupies 61,449 acres in eastern Marshall County in the northwest corner of Minnesota (Figure 1). The refuge is situated within the prairie, aspen parkland and northern forest ecotone, an area of interspersed habitat types that attracts a great diversity of resident and migratory wildlife. The primary objective of the refuge is waterfowl production and maintenance. Before white men came, the area abounded with wildlife. The lakes and marshes teemed with waterfowl and shorebirds. In 1909, the first drainage district was organized in the area to convert the marshes to arable land. The drainage system earned the distinction of being the largest single public drainage project in the United States. By 1933, approximately 1 million dollars had been expended on the drainage system to no avail. High tax assessments on drainage costs seriously effected landowners, and ultimately the financial condition of Marshall County. To save the County from bankruptcy, the State legislature passed an act absorbing the drainage taxes and authorized the lands to be purchased for the development of Mud Lake Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. Mud Lake (later renamed Agassiz) was established by Executive Order 7583 on March 23, 1937 and was purchased at a cost of $6.14 an acre. The flat terrain varies only 1-2 feet per mile. The watershed ultimately empties into the Red River of the North. The climate is characterized by wide variation in temperatures and late spring or early fall frosts. The average annual precipitation is about 21 inches and includes an average snowfall of 39 inches. Temperature extremes range from -470 to 108°F. The average frost free period is 115 days. Refuge habitat acreages occur as follows: wetland 40,000, grasslands 4,000, brushland 10,000, woodland 7,000, and cropland 449. The dominant wetland vegetation is cattail. Brushland and woodlands are primarily willow and aspen. The area contains a 4,000-acre wilderness inter­ spersed with black spruce and tamarac and two bog lakes. A diversity of wildlife species inhabit the refuge including more than 247 species of birds and 38 species of manmals. Agassiz has the distinction of having the only known resident pack of Eastern gray wolves on any refuge in the lower 48 states. • Figure 1. Map of Agassiz NWR and general location. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page A. HIGHLIGHTS 1 B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 1 C. LAND ACQUISITION 1. Fee Title Nothing to report 2. Easements Nothing to report 3. Other 3 D. PLANNING 1. Master Plan Nothing to report 2. Management Plan Nothing to report 3. Public Participation Nothing to report 4. Compliance with Environmental Mandates 3 5. Research and Investigations 3 E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel 11 2. Youth Programs Nothing to report 3. Other Manpower Programs 11 4. Volunteers Program 12 5. Funding 12 6. Safety 12 7. Technicial Assistance 14 8. Other Items 15 F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT 1. General Nothing to report 2. Wetlands 18 3. Forests 23 4. Croplands 23 5. Grasslands Nothing to report 6. Other Habitats Nothing to report 7. Grazing Nothing to report 8. Haying Nothing to report 9. Fire Management 24 10. Pest Control 25 11. Water Rights Nothing to report 12. Wilderness and Special Areas Nothing to report 13. WPA Easement Monitoring Nothing to report Page G. WILDLIFE 1. Wildlife Diversity 25 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species 25 3. Waterfowl 29 4. Marsh and Water Birds 36 5. Shorebirds» Gulls, Terns and Allied Species 40 6. Raptors 40 7. Other Migratory Birds 40 8. Game Mammals 40 9. Marine Mammals Nothing to report 10. Other Resident Wildlife 44 11. Fisheries Resources Nothing to report 12. Wildlife Propogation and Stocking Nothing to report 13. Surplus Animal Disposal Nothing to report 14. Scientific Collections Nothing to report 15. Animal Control 45 16. Marking and Banding 45 17. Disease Prevention and Control 45 H. PUBLIC USE 1. General 47 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students 48 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers Nothing to report 4. Interpretive Foot Trails 48 5. Interpretive Tour Routes 48 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations 48 7. Other Interpretive Programs 49 8. Hunting 50 9. Fishing Nothing to report 10. Trapping 55 11. Wildlife Observation 56 12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation 56 13. Camping Nothing to report 14. Picnicking Nothing to report 15. Off-Road Vehicling Nothing to report 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation Nothing to report 17. Law Enforcement 57 18. Cooperating Associations Nothing to report 19. Concessions Nothing to report I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 1. New Construction 59 2. Rehabilitation 60 3. Major Maintenance 60 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement 5. Communications Systems Nothing to report 6. Energy Conservation 7. Other 62 Page J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs 62 2. Items of Interest 63 3. Credits 64 K. FEEDBACK 65 A. HIGHLIGHTS The second field season of a Canvasback and Redhead productivity study was completed. Forty-two canvasback and 131 redhead nests were located. (Section D.5) The third and final season of a graduate study to evaluate the response of Agassiz Pool to a drawdown was completed. (Section D.5) The Eastern gray wolf pack produced 6 pups in 1983. (Section G.2) Botulism occurred for the second consecutive year killing an estimated 500 ducks and 300 shorebirds. (Section G.17) Hunter success during the deer season was estimated to be near 50 percent Thirty-six parties of moose hunters harvested 35 moose. (Section H.8) A new control structure was built on Northwest Pool. (Section 1.1) B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS The weather in 1983 was anything but normal. Temperatures were above normal at the beginning of the year and below normal at the end. Precipitation was above normal, snowfall below. Snowpack in early 1983 was significantly below normal. January, February and March temperatures were 13, 11 and 70F above normal respectively, whereas snowfall during the same period totalled 14 inches. The maximum snowpack of 6 in. was 10 in. below the 16-year average. On 13 February, the thermometer reached a high of 54° and the early stage of spring break-up were evident. Precipitation in the form of rain fell on 26 February and 5 March. Water began flowing in the Mud River, Kelly and Arches spillways, Webster Creek and Ditch 11 on 6 March. Snow had completely disappeared by 12 March. Sub-freezing temperatures through the rest of March slowed water move­ ment until 4 April when water began flowing in Ditch 11 and the Arches spillway. The last sub-freezing temperature was recorded on 25 May. Although temperatures were near normal in June and July, precipitation was well above the 16-year average, evidenced by 5.65 in. recorded in June. Most pools remained at or above approved levels throughout the summer. August was hot and humid. The 1983 high of 980F was recorded on 7 August. About 4.8 in. of rain fell during the same month, nearly 2 inches above normal. Rain 1n September and October provided continuous runoff, recharging all pools and completely saturating soils. Precipitation fell on 12 of the first 16 days in October. The first sub-freezing temperatures occurred on 22 September and the first snowfall on 12 November. A warming trend melted this snow, but another storm brought a blanket of snow 10 days later. All pools froze up near or at the proposed levels for 1984. In mid-December a record-breaking cold spell brought 9 consecutive days of sub-zero weather and the coldest day of the year, 19 December, when the temperature dipped to -310F. The National Weather Service records show that this December was the coldest in 100 years! A summary of 1983 temperatures and precipitation is found in Table 1. Table 1. Temperatures and precipitation for 1983 Temperatures 0F Month Max Min Snowfall (in.) Precipitation (in.) January 40 -25 5.2 0.28 February 54 -30 3.6 0.70 March 53 3 2.7 2.40 April 73 17 2.5 0.56 May 76 22 0 1.72 June 89 35 0 5.65 July 95 38 0 3.26 August 98 46 0 4.74 September 94 25 0 3.14 October 66 18 0 2.85 November 60 5 9.2 1.19 December 26 -31 7.0 0.39 Totals 30.2 26.88 3 C.