Wildlife Habitat CREP

When these landowners first acquired their farm, they had the goal to restore habitat and preserve it for the future. Since 2020, the landowners have been working with the SCD to enroll parts of their family farm into a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) easement. With the conservation easement, these landowners have permanently preserved over 260 acres of high-quality habitat on marginal former ag land. This project protects a crucial habitat oasis on a landscape surrounded by row crop agriculture, while also serving as a sponge for water infiltration, improving water quality within the Sauk River Watershed.

Through a grant from the Lessard–Sams Outdoor Heritage Fund, these landowners are also working on eradicating invasive species and undergoing a total reconstruction of native prairie on the upland areas of the farm. This includes a highly diverse native seed mix consisting of 67 different species of native grasses and wildflowers. These landowners keep their tallgrass prairie on a rotational prescribed burning schedule of 3–8 years and never burn the entire prairie at a single time. This will result in a high-quality prairie reconstruction in a landscape with exceptionally little native grassland. When they first enrolled in CRP, they worked with the local US Fish & Wildlife office to construct eight wetland restorations on more than 20 acres of drained wetland. Leveraging USDA funds, these landowners were able to receive funding from the Board of Water and Soil Resources to restore another wetland in 2022 that had long been drained on a former agricultural field. This restoration resulted in a 6-acre basin that, through the engineering design, will be highly beneficial for waterfowl, shorebirds, and amphibians.

• 260+ acres of high-quality habitat permanently preserved

• 157.84 acres of marginal cropland reconstructed to native prairie

• 145 acres of prairie reconstruction interseeded with a 67-species mix of native grasses, sedges, and wildflowers

• 5.39 acres of highly diverse pollinator habitat planted

• Six USFWS wetland restorations, comprising 21.80 acres of restored wetland habitat

• One BWSR CREP wetland restoration, comprising an additional 6 acres of restored wetland habitat

• CREP wetland seeded with high-quality, 39-species wet sedge meadow mix

• 14.11 acres of native tree and shrub block plantings

• 8.62 acres of windbreak/snow fence native tree and shrub plantings

• Long-term fire regime in place for sustained habitat management

Components:

• Brome conversion

• Prairie restoration

• Invasive species control

• Wetland restoration

• Pollinator habitat

Benefits:

• Protects and improves water quality and wildlife habitat

• Assists landowners in building their legacy

• Restores critical habitat

• Provides crucial food sources for native pollinators

• Maintains scenic and rural beauty

Partners on this project included the landowners, Stearns Conservation District, West Central Technical Service Area, Board of Water and Soil Resources, USDA-FSA and NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Clean Water Fund.