By Megan Erb & Regan Meyer

Restoring Prairie in

MinnesotaUtilizing ArcGIS to Determine Proper Locations

for Reintroducing Native Prairie

Table of Contents Introduction to the Exercise Background Info/ “So

What?” Research Question Model Study Area (MAPS) Other/Future Research Bibliography Data Sources Thanks to The Nature

Conservancy

Courtesy of: www.dctc.org

Courtesy of: travelsd.com

Introduction Audience: Local councils

and policy makers, ranchers, farmers, etc.

Educate the individuals who will be directly affected by prairie protection on the topic of prairie restoration

Consider ways to reinstate native prairie: Grassbanking Conservation easements CRP Lands Straight-Up Conservation

Courtesy of the Great Plains Nature Center

Background What is Prairie?

Temperate Grassland Evolved through grazing and

fire 75% of biomass is below

ground Importance in MN

18 million acres (less than 1% remain)

Brought settlers west (soil fertility)

Provided much of Minnesota’s ecological diversity

Cultural identityCourtesy of MN DNR

CRP Background Conservation Reserve Program

Farmers convert former agricultural lands into conservation easements to encourage the regrowth of native plants

In essence: farmers get paid not to farm Pros

Stops aggressive farming, encourages conservation, and allows land to recover

Cons Farmers can convert old land, and plow new land Receive payments for CRP land and use it to sodbust Contracts are not permanent, farmers can re-plow

Images courtesy of:

www.usda.gov

Why is CRP Important? Land is already (temporarily)

protected Ranchers and farmers are

already open to the idea of conserving and reintroducing native prairie

Only stay protected for a certain period of time Able to be purchased after being in program

Health Benefits Water

The combination of less erosion and lack of fertilizer leads to fewer dead zones in the Gulf

Naturally filters groundwater

Plants & Animals Re-attracts the native

species, both plant and animal alike, that used to inhabit the area

Ex: prairie chicken, black-footed ferret, burrowing owls

Courtesy of: www.nature.org

Courtesy of: www.sdwildlife.org

Economic Benefits Hunting/Recreation

Hunters aiding in the effort Use preserved land to hunt

Property value Diverse, natural land vs. Overworked agricultural land

Cattle Ranchers can use the grazing easements to raise grass-

fed cattle, which are worth more per head than corn-fed LIHD Bioenergy

Using highly diverse, low input prairie grasses as a sustainable fuel alternative

Grass-banking Lease rangeland to

ranchers for a fixed rate

Encourage grazing No farming, and

allow native animals

Takes risk away from the farmer

Working with the rural economy and its people

Courtesy of: www.nps.gov

How does grass-banking apply?

Profitable way of conserving prairie

Allows ranching to continue, at the same time prairie is being reintroduced

Has been utilized by TNC in MT, CA, WY, OR, and NM

Possibility of permanent conservation easements Native prairie at the Matador Ranch in

Montana. This property was purchased by TNC IN 2000.Photo courtesy of Linda Poole at TNC

MN Environmental Policy “Vote Yes” Amendment

Increase state sales take 3/8 of a percent to fund conservation projects

Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council advises the legislature as to how these funds should be spent

Use state money to fund prairie restoration via various methods

Research QuestionIn what areas of Minnesota can prairie be re-introduced and of these areas, which are best?

In what ways can we accomplish our efforts in these proposed areas?

18 million acres

Less than 1% remain

Blanketed most of Southwestern MN

The Nature Conservancy owns more than 72,000 acres

Projected prairie target areas encompass more than 2.5 million acres

Federal lands that are not too protected for prairie development

Lands enrolled in CRP as of 2009

Possible lands for prairie restoration

Density of land use

Outlines areas of high urbanization within study areas

Final product of model

Best areas for prairie restoration, based on input variables

Determined by a series of physical landscape variables

Former prairie left relatively unaltered

Recommended target areas

CRP lands that will soon expire

Possible lands to purchase and convert into prairie

Possible target areas for the Nature Conservancy

Targeting Optimal Expiring CRP Lands

Incorporating three final maps

Factoring in

expiring CRP

lands

Choosing top 50%

Converting polygons to

points

Finished product

Culmination of three final maps

Overall best locations for prairie re-growth

Considered the best CRP lands to target for prairie restoration

Best CRP lands to target for prairie restoration that fall within the TNC study areas

The two TNC study areas with the heaviest concentrations of optimal CRP land

Moving Forward

Targeting areas that are specifically ranchlands

Agricultural community outreach

Making proposals for purchasing expiring CRP land

*All photos courtesy of their respective websites

Prairie Management and Involvement

LOCAL INVOLVEMENT CRP vs. Grassbanking

Good land = grassbanking Overworked land = CRP

Become familiar with current conservation efforts and all of the associated info

Contact conservation organizations or programs about how easements could benefit your land specifically

PRAIRIE MGMT. Prairie needs to be

either grazed or burned in order to remove old growth and encourage new plant life

Prairie mgmt. must be taken into account prior to embarking on any conservation efforts

Thank You Nature Conservancy

This presentation could not have been possible without the cooperation of the Nature Conservancy’s Minnesota branch

Data Sources National Land Cover Database Zone 4

0 Land Cover Layer Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey

Presettlement Vegetation Courtesy of the Minnesota DNR: Dept. of

Forestry GAP Stewardship 2008

Courtesy of Minnesota DNR: Division of Fish & Wildlife - Wildlife Unit

The Nature Conservancy: Minnesota

Sources Garrett-Davis, Josh. "The Greening of the Plains." High

Country News. 2 Aug. 2004. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. <http://www.hcn.org/issues/279/14896>.

Herring, Hal. "Fair Trade: Ranchers Bank on Conservation." The Nature Conservancy. Print.

Robbins, Jim. "Where the Cattle Herds Roam, Ideally in Harmony With Their Neighbors." New York Times. New York Times, 11 July 2006. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/11/science/11grass.html>.

Tilman, David. "Carbon-Negative Biofuels from Low-Input High-Diversity Grassland Biomass." Science Oct. 2006. Print.