Martin SWCD received some exciting news over the weekend....Our project, Recovery of Declining At-Risk Native Species that we had applied for a couple of months ago, has been recommended for approval through the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, LCCMR.  If approved by the State Legislature we will start receiving funds for this very important project in July 2011.  This project will allow us to concentrate on locating, collecting and reseeding on Native Buffers and CRP/RIM sites local ecotype native prairie and woodland species that are in decline.  We want to increase their populations in order to keep them off the endangered and threatened species list.  We will once again be requesting permission to collect seed from native prairie remnants.  Martin County residents made our Prairie Ecosystem Restoration Project such a huge success and I know we will have another successful project to start in 2011.

Kristy DuBois

LCCMR Project Updates

as released in the Fairmont Photo Press Editions

LCCMR Project Update June 2010

By Kristy DuBois

            The last six months have just flown by! We successfully collected seed from 104 different native prairie species in support of the Prairie Ecosystem Restoration Project. Since our last update we finished up the seed cleaning and cataloguing on to spreadsheets.  We then proceeded to mail out letters to landowners who had protected easements on their property inviting them to participate in this project.  Our letter invited qualified landowners to partner with us and allow us to plant all those native seeds on their easements. We had a wonderful response from Martin County residents. Thank you to all who wanted to partner with us and to keep our native prairie heritage alive.

            In order to determine suitable planting sites Rich Perrine, Sandy Roberts, and myself went out to the permanent easements and walked the property identifying the native species that had been planted.  We then looked for niches in the site that would be appropriate for the soil type and amount of sunshine that the seeds and plants would be exposed to. Minnesota Crop Improvement Association was used once again to verify what plants were out on the site. After determining what was already located on these sites a seed mix was put together that would enhance the diversity of the site.  It just so happened, almost every site needed splashes of color and that seemed to be the main criterion we used in the seed mixtures.  The seeding process itself took very little time considering the hours put into the site selection and determination.

            My fingers will be crossed in spring 2011, hoping that every seed will germinate.  I know, I know, not every seed will germinate but hopefully we will have a high success rate.  Native seeds can be tricky; it seems they won’t grow unless they have perfect conditions, whatever that is for each species! It will take from one to three years or more to see which seeds germinated so please be patient.  We tend to want instant gratification and to see instant beauty but Mother Nature takes her time.

            Martin County’s prairie remnants are hidden jewels in the landscape that are very much appreciated by its residents. We are so lucky that there are so many people who want to keep our native prairie heritage alive and growing.

            Thank you again to prairie remnant owners for showing us your beautiful sites and for allowing us to collect seed.  Thank you again to landowners who put some of their property into permanent easements and allowed us to plant our native seeds.  I’d also like to thank Sandy Roberts, James Hatch, and Eileen Boesch for all their help in the successful completion of this ambitious project.

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).

LCCMR Project Update - January 2010

            By Kristy DuBois           

        The Prairie Ecosystem Restoration Project is just the start to rebuilding our native plant populations. The sources for this project are the small, very beautiful and diverse prairie remnants scattered about Martin County. Walking along a ditch off of County Road 32 in Center Creek Township one can view Canada Anemone, Prairie Phlox, Ground Cherries, and Porcupine Grass in the space of about thirty feet. At other sites around the county move into the fields in mid to late summer and watch the bright, purple swaying spikes of Blazing Star or catch the nodding flowers of the Maximillian Sunflower that can stretch seven feet into the sky. In late summer catch the iridescent blue of the Bottle or Fringe Gentian or walk through fields of Big Blue Stem, Little Blue Stem, and Indian Grass. Late summer’s drought allows one to investigate shallow wetlands to find Big Burr Reed with their knobby, spike-tipped balls, walk through tall River Bulrush that towers over 6 feet, or smell the sugary fragrance of Sweet Flag. These are a few of the eighty-seven species which were found this past summer, and they are about half of the species that have the potential to grow here again. Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).

On June 8, 2009, four interns joined us to continue the work plan for the Prairie Ecosystem Restoration Project which began in July 2008. Before the interns could collect seeds and plant or transplant native forbs and grasses, they had to take a crash course in plant identification. Rich Perrine began their education by walking them through ditches and properties of program participants looking for plant species of interest. Leah Rode-Mulder returned to help again and Blake Bents, Dustin Anderson, and Kristy DuBois were the new additions to our team.  Sandy Roberts came aboard to help out after the interns went back to school.  They learned the plants’ distinct physical characteristics in order to distinguish between the different species. The interns were also lucky to have State Biologist Nancy Sather teaching them plant identification when she was in Martin County conducting inventory of Minnesota’s Native Plant populations.

Many species have similar leaf or stem structures in the juvenile stage and one has to wait until the plants mature to see distinct physical characteristics such as flower shape or color, plant height, or even smell. At times it took all four interns to figure out what type of plant they had found. By the end of June they were quite adept at identifying twenty different species.

The early spring plants were past their blooms by June so the interns had to rely solely on plant structure to correctly identify what they were looking at. Some of these petite beauties were Yellow-Star Grass, Blue-Eyed Grass, and Prairie Violets. Interns had to search carefully under the tall grasses and forbs to find these smaller native plants that average six to eight inches in height.  This process was time consuming, and when they located plants, interns inserted waypoints into the ever-present GPS unit.

GPS technology is a must-have tool in locating the various native populations. The interns covered twenty-five different locations around Martin County. Some sites were more diverse than others and it would be impractical to memorize the locations of the different species. We transferred these waypoints to a GIS map which will aid in the location of these plant populations in the future.

Martin SWCD was very lucky to have Jim Anderson of Wild Prairie Nursery and David Stubbe of the Flower Market in Jackson partner with us. They provided nursery space for the 2,000 seed tubes of Blazing Star, Ground Plums, and Pasque Flower. Thank you Jim and Dave!  The crew watered and nurtured the plants until late fall when we let the plants go dormant to be housed in the SWCD shed.  In the spring they will be planted on RIM easements.

Martin Larson, Minnesota Crop Improvement Association, verified the eighty-seven different plant species on the collection sites. Verification is crucial to maintaining Yellow Tag eligibility for future commercial producers of native seed.

We have had many volunteers helping us collect, shell, and clean seeds in preparation for planting in the spring. Thank you to 4-H club members, Martin County West High School students, Cathy Jobe, Jim Hatch, Pat Murphy, and Eileen Boesch. Spring is fast approaching and we will continue with seed tray and soil preparation, planting, and site monitoring. Volunteers will be needed with the planting and any help that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.

LCCMR Project -January 2009

by Rich Perrine 

The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) has recommended a Martin County project proposal for funding.   

The “Prairie Ecosystem Restoration Project” proposal would work to establish local ecotype native plants on land protected by perpetual conservation easements.  The work plan includes collecting plant materials from remaining prairie remnants, propagating them, and planting them on RIM easements. 

The intent of the project is to provide a protected home for declining native prairie species that are losing their habitat due to continued land use changes.   The project is also geared toward establishing a source of local ecotype native plant materials for potential future use on habitat restoration projects.

The next step in the funding process is for the state legislature to enact the legislation proposed to fund this project and all of the other projects recommended by the Commission.  The funding for these projects comes from the portion of the state lottery proceeds that is designated for projects to protect and enhance our Natural Resources and the Environment.

You can help make this project a success.  Contact your state legislators and urge them to support the passage of funding for this local project.  Martin SWCD will also be accepting matching funding and in-kind help for the project.   If you have some time and enjoy working with plants, we would be happy to receive your help with the project.

The LCCMR is recommending $80,000 in state funding for the project with a $20,000 cash and in-kind match provided locally.

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