The Outdoors

By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist

As is part of my normal pheasant hunting’s opening weekend activities, I made the drive to the 2023 Governors Pheasant Hunting Opener event held in Owatonna. This area is not necessarily known as the hotbed of pheasant hunting opportunities in our great state, but there were about the same number of birds harvested by attendees as any other event of its kind held since 2012. So, I guess you might need to think of a quick swing through Steele County next time.

There are all kinds of interesting tours, events and all-around showcasing of the area’s attractions and things that make this community very special.  I was very impressed by their historic downtown area. The weather was pretty bad on Friday when I arrived and some of the events had been moved inside.

I went through the list of my options and landed on a special land dedication to be held on Friday afternoon. Steele County has a number of Wildlife Management Areas but the Somerset Wildlife Management Area (WMA) was pretty special in its own right.

So, what makes this one special? Bisected by the Straight River, Somerset WMA was an early part of Minnesota’s suite of public lands, dating back to the “Save the Wetlands” Program in the 1950s in Minnesota. It was created in 1957 and dubbed WMA #157. It was later named for a nearby township. Just ponder that the first of multiple transactions on this wildlife habitat complex dates all the way back to 1957. This is 66 years ago and only a few years after the Wildlife Management Area program started in the state. Piece by piece and inch by inch this complex has grown to over 440 acres. In the land of conservation, large parcels excel. Larger contiguous parcels have a larger wildlife carrying capacity than the same number of acres split into numerous parcels. This has much to do with the fact that nest predators have a harder time finding the nests and depleting the hatch in large connected spots. Strip habitat, like a buffer along a stream, are easily traversed and nesting success is much lower.

The fact that this tract is made up of several different purchases over 66 years is a testament to the folks doing the habitat work in Steele County. Building habitat complexes can take decades and the Minnesota Pheasants Incorporated, not affiliated with Pheasants Forever, along with members of the Issac Walton League get a lot of credit for the work getting done here. I just wish there were more folks willing to give of their time and talent to protect the natural resources we all cherish in Minnesota.

Many different funding sources were used over the years but each one took an active partner to “do the work” to procure the funds. There is one aspect of attending a special land acquisition that goes beyond all of the speakers and the messages they share. Why is it that when conservation has a success almost nobody normally ever hears about it? Almost all of the good work that gets done flies below the radar. How many folks would vote to renew the Land and Legacy amendment when it comes up for renewal if they had heard about all the great things that have been accomplished with these special dedicated funds?

I’m sure it would be just about everyone. Many different organizations work with either the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to acquire these important acres for the benefit of all citizens regardless if you are a hunter or not.

Every Minnesotan benefits from clean water, reduced soil erosion, decreased flooding, robust wildlife populations and let’s not forget the humble pollinators like bees and butterflies. I would love to have a special land dedication for each and every one of these gems of natural resources spread out all across the state of Minnesota.

Let’s not forget even for one minute that citizen owned lands make up less than 2% of the land base in most southern counties of Minnesota. Even with conservation successes like Somerset WMA we still have a long way to go to protect our water and the critters that live on these lands.

There is one other message I would like to share with you today and it is an important one to me. Regardless of your political persuasion, conservation needs us all. I will give Governor Walz a tip of the hat for the conservation spending in the past legislative session. The highest on record if my research is correct. He made this commitment from the podium in Worthington, the host town for 2022, that conservation, hunting and the great outdoors in Minnesota would see significant funding increases. This has absolutely happened. The Governor and I will never ever see eye to eye on many issues, but the pheasant hunting opener is one of those days where you can just enjoy for one day the lifestyle many of us cherish with a smile and an outheld hand.

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If you have any questions, reach out to me at scottarall@gmail.com.