Prairie Easement Enhancement in Otter Tail County

The Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club (FFFGC) would like to partner with private landowners, the MN DNR, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the CPL grant program to restore and enhance prairie and wetland habitat on four FWS habitat easements and one state WMA in Otter Tail County. The FWS recently purchased perpetual habitat easements on these four sites between 2008 and 2010. Portions of all of these sites have a past history of being enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) where many areas were planted to native grasses and forbs during initial enrollment. As such, many of these sites have been idle for at least 10 years and are being invaded by trees; in addition, the native grasses are suppressed by cool season grasses. This project will use a combination of tree and brush removal, seeding, and prescribed fire to restore and enhance 274 acres of prairie. The project will also restore 11 acres of wetlands via plugging drainage ditches.