The Outdoors

By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist

Every once in a while something happens in your life that you feel might actually make a difference in the long term. Much of the time effort and energy expended seems like sort of a flash in the pan. Good work was completed but the results of that effort is of short-term benefit. You work hard and raise some money for whatever cause you feel strongly about and when the funds are expended, value was received but a year later there are no lasting effects of that effort.

I was on a wildlife ride up with my Polaris Ranger a few years back north of the metro area and came across a sign on a public hunting area that indicated that this parcel of public land had been adopted by the local Pheasants Forever chapter. I had never seen a sign like this one before.

Upon my return I started to make some inquiries about what this was and who was in charge of it. My research led me to a program that was authorized by the Minnesota legislature back in 2006 called the Adopt a Wildlife Management Area. This plan at that time was 17 years old and had resulted in 12 WMA’s being adopted. After digging up the specifics my local chapter of Pheasants Forever adopted all of the WMAs in our county.  They totaled 46 in number at that time.

We worked for a few years with higher level MN DNR personnel to ultimately sign a contract with them to do many different functions on the public lands in our area. This is a no-fee contract so all of the work is done on a volunteer basis. The contract was 12 pages long and was packed full of legalese stuff.

I wanted the ability to do more than just pick up trash. In order for us to be productive we needed a contact that allowed the use of chemicals, chainsaws, tractor mounted equipment and motorized transportation. This was big stretch for the department and it took about four different attempts to make this a reality. Things we could not do included the mowing of burn breaks for prescribed fires the department would complete the following spring. We also mow all the parking areas on those units. We completed a project with 25 volunteers this late spring that removed all of the wire, posts and debris on over four miles of fence. This project was completed with 175 volunteer hours.

These are free hours to the department and efficiently completes projects the limited staff at the area wildlife office would have no chance of getting to. If I could get a crew of 25 volunteers and we worked for 12 straight 40-hour weeks we still would not be able to complete all of the work there is to do. In addition to work of this nature we also utilize herbicide chemicals to remove invasive trees that if left unattended would transition all of the prairie grassland acres in county into forests in about 10 years. Trees in grassland areas reduce the nesting success rate of ducks and pheasants dramatically.

As a result of the Nobles County chapters behind the scenes work the Adopt a WMA program has been rejuvenated. And in a very big way. Two years after we brought this program back into play approximately 250 WMAs have been adopted. This is just the start. As more organizations learn about this desperately needed program it only has one possible direction to go and that is straight up. You do not need to be a conservation organization to adopt a WMA. A business can do so. An individual can do so. Any youth group or church group could go out and complete community service projects by adopting a WMA. We partnered with the area Future Farmers of America chapter and plan to work together on particularly large wildlife unit.

If you are an Eagle Scout looking for a project to complete your Eagle Scout certification, adopting a WMA would be a great way to do so. I tow an ATV trailer on every outing I take and just pick up the junk the low lifes decide they should throw there instead of disposing of it properly. Working outside in the fresh air and getting some much-needed exercise is just one of the many side benefits of doing this type of work. It is my goal to continue to spread the word about this program until all of the WMAs in all of southwest Minnesota have a sign on them indicating there is a person, group or business that cares about our wildlife and the habitats they need to survive and thrive. This is one effort that I think can, and will, leave a lasting impression and make a long-term difference you will be able to see on the landscape 50 years from now. I know I will get a small sense of satisfaction for now.

Feel free to reach out to me at scottarall@gmail.com or by calling 507-360-6027. I will get you pointed in the right direction with the contacts you need to do your part.

The primary hatching season for pheasants is just about over. I am seeing broods and tons of fawns. A white tail deer fawn averages 210 spots on them when they are born. There is nothing cuter than that. Engaging in the nature world is missing in so many people’s lives. Give this Adopt a WMA program a try and then I can count you not among them.

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