A new state wildlife administration place in northwest Minnesota is named for the species that will benefit from the shielded habitat.
The 955-acre Cupido Wildlife Management Location near the town of Syre, in Norman County, will get its title from the Latin designation for the bigger prairie chicken, Tympanuchus cupido.
“It’s bought a tiny over 300 acres of remnant, never ever been plowed, indigenous prairie, a person of the most imperiled habitats we have in the condition of Minnesota,” mentioned DNR Detroit Lakes location wildlife supervisor Rob Baden.
The Minnesota Prairie Rooster Modern society and Pheasants Endlessly obtained the land with the assistance of a $1.8 million grant from the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund, and donated it to the Section of Natural Assets.
The Cupido Wildlife Management Region is situated near the city of Syre in Norman County.
Courtesy Minnesota DNR
Baden claimed the project is the fruits of 50 a long time of attempts to invest in that parcel of native prairie.
“It really is been on our radar given that the ‘60s. It can be got some truly nice remnant prairie acreage, variety of the main of the prairie hen selection in the condition of Minnesota,” he claimed.
“It’s type of a keystone project in the spot, possibly a person of the biggest land acquisitions we’ve had in this aspect of Minnesota in really a extensive time. And will be a great core habitat piece for prairie chickens and lots of other wildlife species.”
In addition to the indigenous prairie, one more 500 acres of weak excellent farmland will be restored to prairie and wetlands. The new WMA provides the elaborate of community land in the region to additional than 5,000 acres and makes related prairie habitat covering nearly five miles, in accordance to Baden.
“This 955-acre block in fact has 4 various booming grounds for prairie chickens positioned on it,” stated Baden. “So it can be actually a keystone piece for prairie chickens.”
The greater prairie hen was designated as a species of special problem in Minnesota in 1984, when most remaining birds were being positioned in a little space of northwest Minnesota.
Decline of prairie habitat is regarded the biggest menace to the birds.
The prairie rooster populace has expanded and the DNR now enables confined hunting of the birds each individual slide.
Birds from Minnesota have also been relocated to Wisconsin as portion of an effort and hard work to restore the better prairie hen populace there.
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