CROSBY WETLAND MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (including Lake Zahl NWR) Crosby, North Dakota 1990 ANNUAL NARRATIVE USDI/Fish and Wildlife Service REVIEW AND APPROVALS CROSBY WETLANDS MANAGEMENT DISTRICT (including Lake Zahl National Wildlife Refuge) Crosby, North Dakota ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1990 ( \n a yyu _ w?' - H/v/y Refuge Operations Date Refuge Manager Date Specialist iz- Date C egional Office Approval Page TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION, A. HIGHLIGHTS 6 B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 6 C. LAND ACQUISITION 1. Fee Title 10 2. Easements 10 3. Other Nothing to Report D. PLANNING 1. Master Plan to Report 2. Management Plan to Report 3. Public Participation to Report 4. Compliance with Environmental and Cultural Resource Mandates to Report 5. Research and Investigations.., to Report 6. Other to Report E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel 12 2. Youth Program Nothing to Report 3. Other Manpower Programs Nothing to Report 4. Volunteer Program 13 5. Funding 14 6. Safety Nothing to Report 7. Technical Assistance 15 8. Other Nothing to Report F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT 1. General 18 2. Wetlands 19 3. Forests Nothing to Report 4. Croplands 22 5. Grasslands 23 6. Other Habitats.., Nothing to Report 7. Grazing 24 8. Haying 26 9. Fire Management Nothing to Report 10. Pest Control 26 11. Water Rights Nothing to Report 12. Wilderness and Special Areas Nothing to Report 13. WPA Easement Monitoring 27 14. Private Lands Enhancement 27 3 Page G. WILDLIFE 1. Wildlife Diversity Nothing to Report 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species 36 3. Waterfowl 37 4. Marsh and Water Birds Nothing to Report 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns, and Allied Species Nothing to Report 6. Raptors Nothing to Report 7. Other Migratory Birds 51 8. Game Mammals 51 9. Marine Mammals Nothing to Report 10. Other Resident Wildlife 52 11. Fisheries Resources Nothing to Report 12. Wildlife Propagation and Stocking Nothing to Report 13. Surplus Animal Disposal Nothing to Report 14. Scientific Collections Nothing to Report 15. Animal Control Nothing to Report 16. Marking and Banding Nothing to Report 17. Disease Prevention and Control Nothing to Report H. PUBLIC USE 1. General Nothing to Report 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students Nothing to Report 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers Nothing to Report 4. Interpretive Foot Trails Nothing to Report 5. Interpretive Tour Routes Nothing to Report 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations Nothing to Report 7. Other Interpretive Programs 54 8. Hunting 54 9. Fishing Nothing to Report 10. Trapping Nothing to Report 11. Wildlife Observation Nothing to Report 12. Other Wildlife-Oriented Recreation Nothing to Report 13. Camping Nothing to Report 14. Picnicking Nothing to Report 15. Off-Road Vehicling Nothing to Report 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation 55 17. Law Enforcement 55 18. Cooperating Associations Nothing to Report 19. Concessions Nothing to Report I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 1. New Construction Nothing to Report 2. Rehabilitation Nothing to Report 3. Major Maintenance Nothing to Report 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement Nothing to Report 5. Communications Systems Nothign to Report 6. Computer Systems Nothing to Report Page I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES (continued) 7. Energy Conservation Nothing to Report 8. Other Nothing to Report J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs 55 2. Other Economic Uses Nothing to Report 3. Items of Interest 55 4. Credits 56 K. FEEDBACK L. INFORMATION PACKET (inside back cover) 5 INTRODUCTION Crosby Wetlands Management District (WMD) was first staffed in 1962. On July 1, 1975, the district was combined with the Des Lacs NWR, Lostwood NWR, and Lostwood WMD and placed under administration of the Des Lacs NWR Complex. Included in the Crosby WMD are 92 Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA) with 17,602 acres and wetland easements totalling approximately 66,100 acres. The district encompasses three physiographic areas. Northern Burke and northeastern Divide Counties are drift plain. South and west of this, the Altamont Moraine Complex (Coteau du Missouri) is approximately 15-30 miles wide and crosses the WMD diagonally from northwest to southeast. South of the moraine lies the Missouri slope. Over half the district's WPAs lie in the moraine complex. Homesteaders arrived in the late 1800s and early 1900s with farming being the primary land use and livestock production secondary. The depression of the 1930s forced many ranchers to sell their livestock. The early 1940s ushered in a period of abuse and cultivation of marginal land that has continued, although the Farm Security Act of 1985 has slowed that trend. Despite the significant losses of quality habitat through the years, northwestern North Dakota remains one of the best duck producing areas in the Prairie Pothole Region. The primary objectives of the WMD are the protection, preservation, and management of wetlands and uplands for waterfowl production. 6 A. HIGHLIGHTS An extremely dry spring makes for poor waterfowl production, again(G3). Heavy rains dump as much as 12 inches of rain in early July(B, F2). Wind and water erosion common in 1990(B). B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS Table 1 shows the 1990 weather conditions obtained by Journal editor John Andrist at the Crosby weather station. 7 TABLE 1 WEATHER CONDITIONS-1990 CROSBY, ND MONTH HIGH(F) DAY LOW(F) DAY SNOW(IN) PRECIP(IN) January 45 10 -23 31 3.8 0.24 February 49 28 -32 1 0.8 0.02 March 63 30 3 23 3.8 0.71 Apri 1 85 21 14 6 1.0 0.61 May 83 31 25 1 1.42 June 96 26 35, 3 2.57 July 93 1 46 22 4.98 August 98 7 42 4 2.33 September 90 12 34 23 0.17 October 71 1 17 21 0.04 November 58 14 -13 27 4.7 0.35 December 43 5 -32 21 6.9 0.45 TOTALS 21.0 13.89 AVERAGE - 14.37 Extremely heavy rainfall in limited areas of the district in early July dumped as much as 12 inches in a one week period. Severe water erosion occurred in these areas (Photos 1 & 2). PHOTOS 1 & 2. WATER EROSION IN WESTERN DIVIDE COUNTY OCCURRED WHEN 5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN A 12-HOUR PERIOD. TK 9 Hot, dry weather both before and after the wet July week continued to cause drought conditions. Frequent windy days throughout the year caused severe wind erosion to the water depleted soils in the area (Photos 3 & 4). PHOTOS 3 & 4. FREQUENT HOT, WINDY DAYS CAUSED SIGNIFICANT SOIL LOSSES DURING 1990. TK 10 C. LAND ACQUISITION 1. Fee Title The Service has not acquired any land since 1977 in the Crosby WMD. Total acres in fee title are as follows: Burke County 3,545 acres Divide County 9,894 acres Williams County 4,163 acres Total 17,602 acres Since the fee acquisition program was reinstated in North Dakota in 1987, several possible purchases in the district have been negotiated by the Hinot Realty Office. The steep decline in land values over the last ten years has made the resulting low offers unacceptable to interested sellers. The Bjorgen WPA land exchange was approved in 1990. The district will receive a 60-acre parcel that ties into Drawbond WPA in exchange for the 60-acre Bjorgen tract. The acquired parcel is native prairie with an excellent wetland complex while a semi-permanent wetland comprises the majority of the divested unit. The divested wetland will be covered by a wetland easement as required in the exchange. The exchange should be official sometime in 1991. 2. Easements Realty purchased one wetland easement in the district in 1990. The new Divide County easement protects 93 wetland acres. Total easement (wet) acres by county are as follows: Burke County 23,575 acres Divide County 34,249 acres Williams County 8,295 acres Total 66,119 acres Interested sellers have been accepting less than half the easement offers made by realty. The low acceptance rate again is due primarily to the low land values and resulting low easement offers. PHOTO 5: CROSBY STAFF: Brad Jacobs, Toby Placek, Tim Kessler, Monte Ellingson E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel Station 1. Del Pierce, Project Leader, GS-12 Complex H.Q. PFT 2. Tedd Gutzke, Supervisory Refuge Operations Specialist, GS-11 Complex H.Q. PFT 3. Tim Kessler, Refuge Operations Specialist, GS-11 Crosby WMD PFT 4. Karen Smith, Refuge Manager, GS-9 Lostwood NWR PFT 5. Peter Finley, Refuge Operations Specialist, GS-9 Des Lacs NWR PFT 6. Dave Gillund, Refuge Operations Specialist, GS-9 Lostwood WMD PFT 7. Molly Hansen, Refuge Assistant, GS-6 Complex H.Q. PFT (Retired 8-31-90) 8. Edith Goettle, Clerk-Typist, GS-4 Complex H.Q. PPT 9. Toby Placek, Bio. Technician, GS-7 Crosby WMD PFT 10. Gerald Felch, Engineering Equipment Operator, Training Leader, WL-9 Des Lacs NWR PFT (Retired 8-31-90) 11. Dave Gins, Maintenance Worker, WG-8 Des Lacs NWR PFT 12. Lowell Vaage, Maint. Worker, WG-8 Lostwood WMD PFT 13. John Stewart, Auto Mechanic, WG-10 Lostwood NWR PFT 14. Kevin Johnson, Biological Technician (Wildlife), GS-5 Lostwood WMD TFT 15. Marty Jorgenson, Biological Aide (Wildlife), GS-3 Lostwood WMD TFT (3-12-90 to 6-15-90) p 16. Brad Jacobs, Biological Aide, GS-3 Crosby WMD TFT (5-27-90 to 9-21-90) 17. Monte Ellingson, Biological Technician, GS-5 Crosby WMD TFT 13 18. Candace Roth, Biological Aide (Wildlife), (6-18-90 to 9-28-90) Des Lacs NWR TFT 19. Dwight Nahinurk, Biological Aide (Wildlife), GS-4 Lostwood WMD TFT (4-23-90 to 8-31-90) 20. Scott Aikin, Co-op Student, GS-4 Des Lacs TFT (5-20-90 to 8-11-90) Complex 21. Daniel Peterson, Biological Aide (Wildlife), GS-4 Lostwood NWR TFT 22.