The Outdoors

Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist

I just read the 2022 state of bird report and for an outdoor enthusiast it is totally disheartening. The report concludes that “Grassland birds have suffered the biggest bird declines of any terrestrial biome since 1970… due to habitat conversion, tree and shrub encroachment and pesticide applications.” About two-thirds of grass land species have experienced population declines, and one-fourth are considered “tipping point species,” which are those having lost at least half of their breeding population since 1970.

I understand folks who don’t hunt pheasants probably don’t really care about how many pheasants are present across their range. Much the same as I couldn’t care less about who is in the World Series or which team won Monday night in the NFL. The difference is that wildlife is our responsibility to manage and care for. This means every human that occupies the planet. Taking care of the planet is obviously important for every generation of grandkids you will ever have.

You may not be a hunter but who doesn’t appreciate listening to a meadow lark melody while sitting on a fence post? I have tried really hard to learn the names and the songs of the birds that call grass lands their home. My favorite is a bobolink. Brown thrashers are pretty darn cool to.

As more and more grass lands and range lands go under the plow there is just less space for Gods’ creatures. As a side job I plant native grasses for different United State Department of Agricultures’ conservation programs, acres for those who know that there are some acres not suitable for farming and others who enroll in these programs out a desire to benefit wildlife and clean water along with pollinators and the list goes on and on.

Each time I plant one of these spots for a landowner who “gets it,” I always drive back past those spots a year or two later and see what birds and animals have made this new habitat haven their home. 

About the only sports analogy I know had to do with the baseball movie called The Field of Dreams.  There was a line in there that said if you build it, they will come. Wildlife habitat is exactly the same. I can plant grass 5 miles from the nearest other habitat and in a very short time nature will have filled it with all the right stuff.  I have no idea how a pheasant or meadowlark can find this spot when it takes an expedition over habitat empty ground to locate it.

How can we sit back and watch as our human activities fundamentally change the world around us. There are big, no make that giant, issues like climate change that needs addressing but I think these giant issues can only be solved by doing tons of little things in many, many places. Grasslands store carbon and we all know how bad carbon is. Grasslands help pollinators, we cannot eat without pollinators. Grasslands help songbirds and other wildlife. Grasslands help protect water resources. Grasslands reduce the effects of flooding. Grasslands absorb chemicals and pollution, natures filters really. Grasslands also offer opportunity to enjoy nature and maybe harvest a pheasant or a deer.

Since we invented fire, humans have been hunters and gatherers There is a chance to stem this tide. A bright spot really. There has been a bill introduced called the North American Grasslands Conservation Act.  This is similar to the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, which has been credited with saving America’s waterfowl species, which by the way, are doing very well.

I was very pleased to see that Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar is a co-sponsor of this bill. If passed, we might be able to turn the tide and not end up eliminating most of North America’s grassland bird species. Grasslands are the most endangered ecosystem in the planet. Everyone used to be worried about the rain forests. Grasslands, today, are in even greater peril then rain forests currently are.

Take a minute and Google the National Grasslands Conservation Act and become familiar with what is currently happening to America’s grasslands. Consider enrolling some of your acres, if you have acres, or try to convince others you might know to enroll in a CRP program and plant some grass. Want to save America’s grassland songbirds? Plant some native grass species. Seems pretty easy, but even easy is pretty hard to achieve when folks are unaware of what is happening on the landscape. One more time for good measure, please go plant some native grass. It’s good for you, good for the planet and certainly good for the grassland birds whose populations have declined over 50% in the past 50 years. 

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