More than 2,300 Acres of Restored Prairie and Wetlands Mark First Step for Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge

The Nature Conservancy today transferred more than 2,300 acres of native prairie and wetlands to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the first piece of the 35,000-acre Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. The country’s newest refuge, designated at a ceremony in St. Paul on October 12th, ensures public recreational access and protects important habitat for migratory waterfowl and ground nesting birds.

“ Today we celebrate Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge as both an extraordinary location and an extraordinary model of partnership in conservation,” said Robyn Thorson, Midwest Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The Service, The Nature Conservancy and the numerous other organizations and private landowners have come together impressively to make this refuge a reality and protect our dwindling native prairie.”

At a ceremony at Rydell National Wildlife Refuge in Erskine, The Nature Conservancy donated four parcels of restored native prairie and wetlands--totaling 2,320 acres--to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The donated land is a portion of the 24,140 acres the Conservancy owns within the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. Since 2000, the Conservancy and more than 30 partners have been working together to restore thousands of acres of northern tallgrass prairie and wetlands at the site. It is the largest tallgrass prairie and wetlands reconstruction project in the nation.

“ This is a great first step,” said Ron Nargang, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota. “Less than one percent of Minnesota’s original northern tallgrass prairie habitat remains. We look forward to continuing to work with U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Services, Polk County, the City of Crookston and others to restore this prairie and enroll it in the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge.”

The Nature Conservancy will donate the vast majority of its remaining acreage at Glacial Ridge to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for inclusion in the refuge as restoration is completed. In addition, the Conservancy has established an endowment fund that will ensure full property taxes continue to be paid to local governments.

When fully restored, the lands will provide habitat for moose, gray wolf, waterfowl, prairie chickens and other upland game birds, and a host of other prairie species. The prairie lands also contain several large colonies of western prairie fringed orchid – a federally listed endangered species – in this core area of the plant’s range. The property connects 11 state Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), 2 Scientific and Natural Areas (SNAs), and 3 Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs), forming a large area of contiguous prairie habitat.

The property is open to the public for a wide variety of recreational activities, including hiking, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

Partners in the Glacial Ridge project include some 30 organizations and agencies such as the Bush Foundation, the City of Crookston, Ducks Unlimited, Moorhead State University, Polk County, East Polk Soil and Water Conservation Council, Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and many others.

Glacial Ridge is Minnesota’s 13th national wildlife refuge and the 545th in the country. Refuges are a national network of lands and waters managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve, manage and restore wildlife and plant habitat for future generations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

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