by megan erb & regan meyer
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Restoring Prairie in Minnesota. Utilizing ArcGIS to Determine Proper Locations for Reintroducing Native Prairie. By Megan Erb & Regan Meyer. Table of Contents. Introduction to the Exercise Background Info/ “So What?” Research Question Model Study Area (MAPS) Other/Future Research - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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By Megan Erb & Regan Meyer
Restoring Prairie in
MinnesotaUtilizing ArcGIS to Determine Proper Locations
for Reintroducing Native Prairie
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Table of Contents Introduction to the Exercise Background Info/ “So
What?” Research Question Model Study Area (MAPS) Other/Future Research Bibliography Data Sources Thanks to The Nature
Conservancy
Courtesy of: www.dctc.org
Courtesy of: travelsd.com
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Introduction Audience: Local councils
and policy makers, ranchers, farmers, etc.
Educate the individuals who will be directly affected by prairie protection on the topic of prairie restoration
Consider ways to reinstate native prairie: Grassbanking Conservation easements CRP Lands Straight-Up Conservation
Courtesy of the Great Plains Nature Center
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Background What is Prairie?
Temperate Grassland Evolved through grazing and
fire 75% of biomass is below
ground Importance in MN
18 million acres (less than 1% remain)
Brought settlers west (soil fertility)
Provided much of Minnesota’s ecological diversity
Cultural identityCourtesy of MN DNR
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CRP Background Conservation Reserve Program
Farmers convert former agricultural lands into conservation easements to encourage the regrowth of native plants
In essence: farmers get paid not to farm Pros
Stops aggressive farming, encourages conservation, and allows land to recover
Cons Farmers can convert old land, and plow new land Receive payments for CRP land and use it to sodbust Contracts are not permanent, farmers can re-plow
Images courtesy of:
www.usda.gov
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Why is CRP Important? Land is already (temporarily)
protected Ranchers and farmers are
already open to the idea of conserving and reintroducing native prairie
Only stay protected for a certain period of time Able to be purchased after being in program
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Health Benefits Water
The combination of less erosion and lack of fertilizer leads to fewer dead zones in the Gulf
Naturally filters groundwater
Plants & Animals Re-attracts the native
species, both plant and animal alike, that used to inhabit the area
Ex: prairie chicken, black-footed ferret, burrowing owls
Courtesy of: www.nature.org
Courtesy of: www.sdwildlife.org
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Economic Benefits Hunting/Recreation
Hunters aiding in the effort Use preserved land to hunt
Property value Diverse, natural land vs. Overworked agricultural land
Cattle Ranchers can use the grazing easements to raise grass-
fed cattle, which are worth more per head than corn-fed LIHD Bioenergy
Using highly diverse, low input prairie grasses as a sustainable fuel alternative
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Grass-banking Lease rangeland to
ranchers for a fixed rate
Encourage grazing No farming, and
allow native animals
Takes risk away from the farmer
Working with the rural economy and its people
Courtesy of: www.nps.gov
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How does grass-banking apply?
Profitable way of conserving prairie
Allows ranching to continue, at the same time prairie is being reintroduced
Has been utilized by TNC in MT, CA, WY, OR, and NM
Possibility of permanent conservation easements Native prairie at the Matador Ranch in
Montana. This property was purchased by TNC IN 2000.Photo courtesy of Linda Poole at TNC
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MN Environmental Policy “Vote Yes” Amendment
Increase state sales take 3/8 of a percent to fund conservation projects
Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council advises the legislature as to how these funds should be spent
Use state money to fund prairie restoration via various methods
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Research QuestionIn what areas of Minnesota can prairie be re-introduced and of these areas, which are best?
In what ways can we accomplish our efforts in these proposed areas?
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18 million acres
Less than 1% remain
Blanketed most of Southwestern MN
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The Nature Conservancy owns more than 72,000 acres
Projected prairie target areas encompass more than 2.5 million acres
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Federal lands that are not too protected for prairie development
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Lands enrolled in CRP as of 2009
Possible lands for prairie restoration
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Density of land use
Outlines areas of high urbanization within study areas
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Final product of model
Best areas for prairie restoration, based on input variables
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Determined by a series of physical landscape variables
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Former prairie left relatively unaltered
Recommended target areas
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CRP lands that will soon expire
Possible lands to purchase and convert into prairie
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Possible target areas for the Nature Conservancy
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Targeting Optimal Expiring CRP Lands
Incorporating three final maps
Factoring in
expiring CRP
lands
Choosing top 50%
Converting polygons to
points
Finished product
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Culmination of three final maps
Overall best locations for prairie re-growth
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Considered the best CRP lands to target for prairie restoration
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Best CRP lands to target for prairie restoration that fall within the TNC study areas
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The two TNC study areas with the heaviest concentrations of optimal CRP land
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Moving Forward
Targeting areas that are specifically ranchlands
Agricultural community outreach
Making proposals for purchasing expiring CRP land
*All photos courtesy of their respective websites
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Prairie Management and Involvement
LOCAL INVOLVEMENT CRP vs. Grassbanking
Good land = grassbanking Overworked land = CRP
Become familiar with current conservation efforts and all of the associated info
Contact conservation organizations or programs about how easements could benefit your land specifically
PRAIRIE MGMT. Prairie needs to be
either grazed or burned in order to remove old growth and encourage new plant life
Prairie mgmt. must be taken into account prior to embarking on any conservation efforts
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Thank You Nature Conservancy
This presentation could not have been possible without the cooperation of the Nature Conservancy’s Minnesota branch
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Data Sources National Land Cover Database Zone 4
0 Land Cover Layer Courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey
Presettlement Vegetation Courtesy of the Minnesota DNR: Dept. of
Forestry GAP Stewardship 2008
Courtesy of Minnesota DNR: Division of Fish & Wildlife - Wildlife Unit
The Nature Conservancy: Minnesota
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Sources Garrett-Davis, Josh. "The Greening of the Plains." High
Country News. 2 Aug. 2004. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. <http://www.hcn.org/issues/279/14896>.
Herring, Hal. "Fair Trade: Ranchers Bank on Conservation." The Nature Conservancy. Print.
Robbins, Jim. "Where the Cattle Herds Roam, Ideally in Harmony With Their Neighbors." New York Times. New York Times, 11 July 2006. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/11/science/11grass.html>.
Tilman, David. "Carbon-Negative Biofuels from Low-Input High-Diversity Grassland Biomass." Science Oct. 2006. Print.