Conservation in Minnesota

We will submit a minimum of two manuscripts on moose movements and habitat use in Minnesota to peer-reviewed scientific journals by the end of this project. Publication of these manuscripts will serve as a measure of success. We believe it is important that the findings of this research be made available to the scientific community and that these manuscripts are peer-reviewed. By the end of the project, we will also submit a report to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Superior National Forest, Cook, Lake, and St. Louis County Forestry/Land Departments, and Tribal resource management agencies. The report will summarize the findings of the project’s research and provide science-based management recommendations. The extent to which these recommendations are adopted, after the project has ended, may be used as a measure of longer-term success. Ultimately, this project will be successful if the management recommendations provided and adopted help stabilize Minnesota’s moose population numbers or at least slow their decline. We will continue to increase Minnesotans awareness of the state’s moose populations, as well as the results of this project, by giving a minimum of three presentations to general audiences each year, providing information about the project on the Minnesota Zoo’s website, and writing at least one article per year in the Zoo’s newsletter. So far in FY12-13, we have conducted 3 presentations on moose conservation to general audiences, with a fourth presentation scheduled in February. Information on the moose conservation project is also available on the Zoo’s website and has been published in the Association of Zoo’s and Aquariums’ Connect Magazine. We will also incorporate this research project into the interpretive graphics at the Minnesota Zoo’s moose exhibit. For prairie butterflies, we have created a captive breeding program, and are developing protocols for rearing and breeding. We will be conducting genetics laboratory work to investigate which existing populations of prairie butterflies might be appropriate for eventual reintroduction of the butterflies in Minnesota. We will conduct and report upon research/field work with our partners that will lead to a better understanding of the distribution and population status of prairie butterflies in western Minnesota and the threats to their long-term survival. We will increase Minnesotans’ awareness of the importance of prairie ecosystems and prairie butterflies by giving a minimum of three presentations to general audiences each year, providing information about the project on the Minnesota Zoo’s website and writing at least one article per year in the Zoo’s newsletter. So far in FY12-13 we have given 16 presentations total, six of which were for general audiences. Information on the butterfly project is also available on the Zoo’s website, and has been reported in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. We will also incorporate information about the Zoo’s prairie butterfly conservation program into the interpretive graphics at the Minnesota Zoo.