PPJV
Much of the Bakken Formation of Montana and North Dakota overlaps with important breeding waterfowl, shorebird, and waterbird habitat in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region. In 2014, PPJV partners initiated a collaborative effort to investigate the potential impact of oil development and extraction in this area on breeding ducks. This collaboration included the USFWS HAPET … Read more
For more than 50 years The Nature Conservancy has been working in the Prairie Pothole Region to protect the remaining grasslands and wetlands that are critically important to the nation’s migratory waterfowl, grassland birds, and resident wildlife. Further, these grasslands have and continue to serve as the economic cornerstone for the local ranching communities all … Read more
We continue to diligently proceed as a partnership on developing the sideboards and content for the update to our 2005 PPJV Implementation Plan. This effort includes holding PPJV state-specific meetings with partners to coordinate and gather state specific information. (For more information, on the goals of the updated plan, see our Fall 2014 newsletter article.) … Read more
The HAPET office and PPJV Technical Committee teamed up with the Montana conservation partners to expand the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) throughout the state. The BBS has been active in the PPJV area since the late 1960s, providing data for estimating breeding bird population trends. In recent years, analysis of BBS data has … Read more
Our time on earth is brief, yet the land goes on forever, carrying with it the marks of each succeeding landowner. As fleeting trespassers on land that belongs to future generations, we must touch the land gently, caring for it as true stewards, so that those who assess our record will see our love and … Read more
On May 12-13, 2015, the PPJV and the South Dakota Grassland Coalition (SDGC) hosted a field tour of “Grassland Conservation on Private Lands” near Aberdeen, SD. The purpose of the tour was to expose decision-makers to landowner perspectives on grassland conservation, land change, and to provide opportunities for developing new partnerships. Approximately 50 participants from … Read more
The fall and rise of trumpeter swans in North America is an amazing story – nearly wiped out by settlers crossing the country, turning virgin prairie and wetlands into farmsteads and farm fields. These settlers exported more than 100,000 trumpeters between 1880-1920 to use in products like quill pens, powder puffs, pillows, quilts and hats. … Read more
The development of the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan 2010 (MPCP) by state, federal, and private agencies and organizations has provided strategic direction for prairie upland and wetland habitat work. A completed plan is an accomplishment on its own, but without funding for implementation, often the actions in such plans are not completed. Fortunately, with the … Read more
Welcome to spring! As we leave a winter filled with unusual weather and temperature swings, let’s hope for a spring filled with “normal” weather conditions. Weather patterns and conditions drive productivity on the prairies. We can have “wet” periods that create incredible plant and wildlife production, or “dry” periods that create stress across the landscape. … Read more
South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks (GFP) have had a long and highly successful history working with private landowners to develop wetland and grassland habitat within the PPJV. GFP private lands staff works cooperatively with farmers and ranchers to better manage wetland and grassland habitats through the department’s Wetland and Grassland Habitat Program. … Read more
Conservation partners in the Prairie Pothole Region of Montana, also referred to as the “Hi-Line”, have been delivering conservation for almost 30 years. Over the last 19 years, five NAWCA grants have been secured, and the partnership including the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, … Read more
Populations of several species of breeding shorebirds in the PPR appear to be experiencing long-term declines. Marbled godwit, long-billed curlew, willet, Wilson’s phalarope, and American avocet are all listed as priority species by Partners in Flight or the U.S. Shorebird Plan. Montana is an important state for these species so to gain a better understanding … Read more
During the spring of 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service South Dakota Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) program partnered with local landowner, Chad Heezen, to re- store 263.8 acres of marginal cropland to a 20-species mixture of native grasses and forbs. Mr. Heezen’s ultimate goal is to restore these unproductive crop acres to productive native pasture for livestock to graze.
This tract, like other marginal cropland in the area is located within the Prairie Pothole Region of South Dakota, a unique geographic area containing incredible densities of pot- hole-type wetlands and associated grasslands. The native habitats found in this region are critical to providing breeding habitat for mi- gratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and grassland birds; however, they are continually under threat of conversion to row crop agriculture.
Jesse Lisburg (PFW Biologist stationed at the South Dakota Ecological Field Office in Pierre) worked closely with Mr. Heezen to design a seed plan meeting his goal for live- stock while simultaneously meeting the mul- tiple-purpose goal for benefits to declining grassland-dependent bird species and polli- nators. The Hand County Conservation Dis- trict offers various conservation services to local landowners and was hired to complete the seeding operation.
Funding partners for this project included the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks, Prairie Pothole Joint Venture, and ConocoPhillips. The ConocoPhillips contribution of $20,000 was matched with $3,500 of state funds and $15,300 of landowner labor. In addition to the PFW prairie restoration project, Mr. Heezen further confirmed his commitment to conservation by working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Small Wetland Acquisition Program, protecting the grasslands and wetlands in perpetuity.
Partnering with local ranchers to implement grass-based conservation management practices is widely cited by conservation planners as a core strategy to maintain and enhance grassland-based landscapes throughout the Prairie Pothole Region. The South Dakota PFW program fully supports this conservation philosophy. Over the past five years, the SD PFW program has partnered with landowners to implement over 165 prairie restoration projects on over 12,200 acres throughout the PPR portion of South Dakota. These projects contribute directly to goals cited in the South Dakota PFW Strategic Plan and the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture Implementation Plan.
Photos courtesy of Jesse Lisburg
