News Feature                                                            9/26/2007

100,000 Acres and Counting

Habitat Conservation Partnership Announces Milestone

Minnesota’s Habitat Conservation Partnership (HCP), an Environmental Trust Fund supported effort, announced on Friday, September 21^st  that it has surpassed a significant milestone for the restoration, management and protection of Minnesota wildlife habitats.  A crowd of 50 people gathered at the Henry Lake restoration in Wright County to celebrate and dedicate the 100,000^th acre accomplishment. 

The mission of Minnesota’s Habitat Conservation Partnership is to restore, enhance, and conserve habitat for the purpose of sustaining fish, wildlife and native plant communities for all generations.

"The Henry Lake restoration project is representative of how this Partnership works,” said Matt Holland, projector coordinator for the partnership and senior field coordinator for Pheasants Forever.  Multiple groups, doing habitat restoration in a focused area that builds upon existing conservation investments made by the state.  By working together and bringing additional funding to bear on Minnesota resources, we are making a difference for wildlife, fish, plants and the citizens of Minnesota."

The Partnership currently reports 102,659 acres in over 650 wildlife habitat restoration, enhancement and protection projects for Minnesota.  Total expenditures to date exceed $85 million dollars.  A total of $19.4 million came from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and the remainder, $65.7 million, has come from the project partners. 

Ducks Unlimited (DU) and NRCS have partnered in this effort.  DU has received funding through this project to hire 9 Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) contract technicians and NRCS has focused WRP easements into HCP Project Areas.  “NRCS is able to commit to restoring habitat through WRP resources in HCP corridors, with the understanding the State through DU support assists with implementing the WRP,” said William Hunt, MN NRCS State Conservationist.  This is truly a partnership-not only with the DU/NRCS relationship but with the overall HCP.

The Partnership was formed and funded by the 2001 Minnesota Legislature, as recommended by the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, to work to restore fragmented landscapes and connect high quality habitat for the purpose of sustaining fish, wildlife and plant populations. Funding is provided by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and the participating partners.  The Partnership provides for a statewide coordination of existing federal, state and private land and water conservation programs. The project focuses these programs and resources on identified project focus areas that have high potential for restoring and enhancing functional habitats benefiting Minnesota.   The Partnership is one of the largest and most unique conservation collaborations in the country.        

Member Organizations

Ducks Unlimited * Fond du Lac Reservation * Friends of the Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe * Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources * Minnesota Deer Hunters Association * Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Land Trust * Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc. * National Wild Turkey Federation * Pheasants Forever * Red Lake Band of Chippewa * The Nature Conservancy * Trust for Public Land * U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service * U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service

 For more information about this event, please contact Matt Holland at (320)354-4377 or at MHolland@pheasantsforever.org

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