An aspen stand against a bright blue sky at the Wallace C. Dayton Conservation and Wildlife Area © John Gregor/Coldsnap Photography

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file The Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass

Aspen Parkland project in northwesternMinnesota and southeastern Manitobaseeks to preserve one of the most intactgrassland systems remaining in theMidwest, a significant goal consideringthat in Minnesota alone, more than 99percent of the tallgrass prairie is gone.

The unique Parkland, where most of theoriginal native species including wolves,black bear and rare plants still thrive,offers public access for hiking, birdingand hunting.

To accomplish conservation goals inthe Parkland, the Conservancy workswith partners including the MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources, theNature Conservancy of Canada, theRocky Mountain Elk Foundation andthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To protect the remarkable biodiversityof the grasslands, the Conservancyand its partners use land managementtools ranging from prescribed fire,logging and managed grazing toprairie and wetland restoration.

Tallgrass Aspen ParklandPreserving a landscape of historic proportions

he sweeping vistas of the TallgrassAspen Parkland encompass some2 million astonishingly well-pre-

served wild acres stretching from RedLake Falls in northwestern Minnesota to the town of Steinbach in southeasternManitoba. The Wisconsin glaciation andthe subsequent formation and retreat ofthe glacial Lake Agassiz 10,000 years ago created a relatively level region largelycharacterized by poor drainage. The resulting wet, rocky terrain discouragedagricultural development because it wasnot friendly to the plows of European set-tlers. Today, The Nature Conservancy isworking to preserve a landscape that looksmuch as it did more than 150 years ago.

A rich mosaic of natural communitiesPart of the Northern Tallgrass PrairieEcoregion, the Tallgrass Aspen Parklandfeatures open grasslands studded withaspen groves, dense shrub thickets, wetlands and peatlands. Marking thetransition between tallgrass prairie andforests, these systems support an impressive variety of species.

Abundant rainfall sustains big bluestemgrass, cordgrass and tufted hairgrass. The world’s largest—and Canada’s only—population of the lovely western prairiefringed orchid also blooms here. Largemammals like gray wolves, black bear, elk

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Top photo: Northern harrier chicks at Tallgrass Aspen Parkland© Russ Reisz/TNC

Aerial view of aspen stands at the Tallgrass Aspen Parkland © John Gregor/Coldsnap Photography

“The vast ocean of level prairie which lies to the west of the Red River must be seen in its extraordinary aspects, before it can be valued and rightly understood...It must be seen at sunrise, when the boundless plain suddenly flashes

with rose-coloured light as the first rays of the sun sparkle in the dew on the long rich grass, gently stirred by the unfailing morning breeze.”— Henry Hind, leader of the Canadian Red River Exploring Expedition in 1858

and moose know no boundaries—theyexperience the increasingly rare opportu-nity to roam across broad, uninterruptedranges. Maintaining connections betweenthe habitats required for elk, moose and others is but one long-range goal of the Conservancy.

The Conservancy and its partners areworking to preserve a landscape of historic proportions that is not only significant to the Great Plains but also to the world. Temperate grasslands, the most threatened major habitattype on Earth, have been significantlychanged, with some 46 percent converted to agriculture worldwide.

Challenges and StrategiesIn an area that includes six counties and seven municipalities, community-based conservation brings many groups and individuals together. TheConservancy’s partners include local governments, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Minnesota Departmentof Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the RockyMountain Elk Foundation.

Working together, the Conservancy andits partners have the opportunity to staveoff the fragmentation that has alreadyproved fatal for other grasslands. At theheart of the Conservancy’s work lies the expansive 15,000-acre Wallace C.

Dayton Conservation and Wildlife Area as well as the oak savannas andprairies of the Norway Dunes Preserve.As more and more large private parcelsare split into smaller recreational lots,conservationists have the chance to slowthis segmentation and protect tens of thousands of acres.

Once land is protected through purchaseor conservation easements, managementstrategies aim to control the encroach-ment of woody vegetation and the spread of invasive species like purpleloosestrife and reed canary grass, whilerestoring native cover. Large fires, oncecalled the “red buffalo of the prairie”because they roared across broad areas,are critical to the regeneration of grass-lands and savannas. Prescribed fire servesas an important tool for the Conservancyand its partners.

During past decades, development hasdiminished the natural rhythm of firethat is critical to the well-being of grasslands. Working with partners andprivate landowners, the Conservancy uses prescribed burns to prevent aspenand other trees from taking over andreducing open prairie. Fire also releasesnutrients that are otherwise unavailableto plant life.

Along with fire, water is an importantelement of the Tallgrass Aspen

Parkland’s health. The same roads, ditches and fields that interrupt the natural fire regime cut off the naturaldirection of surface water flow to wet-lands and wet prairie areas. Managementstrategies include filling in ditches andcarefully planning the placement orremoval of culverts and ditch plugs.

Other strategies include logging toremove trees and restore the open land-scape, as well as the implementation ofsustainable grazing practices for live-stock. Limits on gravel extraction willpreserve important habitat as well.

Preservation for future generationsThe Tallgrass Aspen Parkland, a stunning mosaic of interconnected natural communities, represents a type of vast and varied landscape that haslargely disappeared from the Earth.

Ongoing research and monitoring, strongrelationships with partners and carefulmanagement strategies all work togetherto ensure that conservation activitiescontinue to expand. Future generationswill be able to step back in time here, andstand in awe of the sheer abundance ofplant and animal life supported by theTallgrass Aspen Parkland.

Visit www.nature.org/Minnesota formore information.