Classic, south-facing rock outcroppings provide perfect habitat for timber rattlesnakes

Protecting the tract protects important habitat for several rare species including timber rattlesnakes, the six-lined racerunner lizard and a number of native prairie plants.  The landowner is actively restoring the property by removing the cedars and other woody plants that have overrun the steep slopes.

Part of the work that continues today is the periodic monitoring by our state’s citizens to make sure these investments are being properly made and live up to the expectations of our citizenry.  In short, we must continually examine the central question, “Is the Legacy Amendment money going to projects and programs as voters expected?”

To help answer that question, and to keep legislators, policy-makers and stakeholders informed and conversing, a broad array of conservation groups have annually held a Legacy Stakeholders’ Forum at the beginning of each calendar year.

We are pleased to announce that this year’s Forum will be held from 1 – 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 5 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Saint Paul. The Forum will include panel discussions by legislators, conservation leaders, Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council members, and others on the status of Legacy projects, challenges encountered, and prospects for the future. The Forum will also provide participants the opportunity to ask questions of panel members and to meet and interact with the key leaders working to shape the Amendment’s destiny. Together, we will “follow the money” and tell the stories of how and where these investments are being made and what the public is getting for their dollars.

Participation is free, refreshments will be provided, but space is limited. To help us better plan for a successful afternoon, we request that you pre-register soon. Simply send an email with your name and email address to Noreen Tyler at ikes@minnesotaikes.org.

This event is open to the public, and we invite you to forward this invitation to others who may be interested.

Live Video Stream!  There will also be a live video stream providing coverage of the Forum for those who cannot attend.  Click here to access the stream, no log-in required.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission was incorporated in April 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance to operate a land trust accreditation program to build and recognize strong land trusts, foster public confidence in land conservation and help ensure the long-term protection of land.

Anne will join fellow Minnesotan, Tom Duffus, who is the Upper Midwest Director of The Conservation Fund, in serving on the Commission board which is comprised of land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country.

We’re proud – but certainly not surprised – to have Anne selected to serve at the national level. It’s a great indicator of the respect that national land trust leaders have for the quality of Minnesota’s conservation community.

I’ll have to admit, that there are not a lot of military veterans working in the conservation world, at least as far as I know.  And even rarer, are Marine Corps veterans working in the conservation arena.  Now being that I am both a Marine and am also working in conservation, I am proud to point out a few little known facts about the military and conservation, an idea that isn’t as far-fetched as you might imagine.

It’s only fitting that this week in November we salute our veterans on Veterans Day and help celebrate a special anniversary that any Marine never forgets: November 10^th, the birthday of the United States Marine Corps.  This year is number 236…now that’s old!

Did you realize that there are Natural Resource Departments within the military?  I will focus on where my loyalties are, but every branch of service has similar programs.  So here are a few, little known facts about natural resource conservation in the Marine Corps.

The USMC actually has a U.S. Marine Corps Conservation Program Section.  The primary role is to assure proper management of sensitive natural and cultural resources under USMC stewardship.

The USMC serves as custodian and environmental steward of approximately 3 million acres of some of the most ecologically sensitive areas of the country and the world, including portions of the Sonoran Desert, some of the last remaining sub-tropical rain forest in Asia, and numerous fresh and saltwater waters and wetlands.  These areas provide habitat for an abundance of wildlife species including 56 federally listed plant and animal species.

These species and other natural resources are managed through “Integrated Plans” that, while supporting the installation’s military mission, also include plans for best management practices (BMPs) for wildlife, forest & range, erosion control, invasive species and other resource management measures.

By engaging in cooperative ecosystem and adaptive management approaches for sustained use, the Marine Corps preserves the land, water, and airspace needed to sustain military readiness while maximizing environmental protection.  Stewardship is done in coordination and partnership with numerous outside agencies and organizations both governmental and non-governmental.

From Cherry Point, North Carolina to Camp Pendleton, California, and beyond,  some of the threatened and endangered species protected include: American Alligator, Wood Stork, Sonoran Pronghorn, Flat-Tailed Horned Lizard, Desert Tortoise, Bald Eagle, West Indian Manatee, Bottlenose Dolphin, Hawaiian Duck, Humpback Whale, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Coastal California Flycatcher, and so on and so on!

So next time you thank a vet for serving his country, don’t forget to thank him for protecting the natural resources of our country!

Semper Fi,

Fitz Fitzgerald

P. S. If you’re really curious, you can follow this link to read more about the USMC's role in conservation.

The City of Rushford Community Center (located off Highway 30, just west of Rushford at 1108 Miller Circle).

Please call the Land Trust's Red Wing office, 651-388-5978, to register for the free event or for more information.

Click here for the informational brochure.

“I want people to be able to enjoy the lake as I have”, said landowner Dr. Carl Smith, who has owned the island since 1978.  “I grew up in New York City but had many great outdoor experiences in the Adirondacks and in Maine.  After settling in St. Louis where my wife and I raised our family, we wanted to find a summer place where we could have similar experiences to the ones I had in Maine – and northern Minnesota was a lot closer to Missouri than Maine”.

Anglers have been casting their lures along the rocky shoreline of Miller Island for generations.  A local boat tour stops at one end of the island to let visitors admire a pair of eagles that return each year to nest in a tall pine. “I think the island should be named ‘Eagle Island’” says Smith, adding “Most people know this as the island with the eagles”. The conservation easement guarantees that the rocky shoreline will remain healthy for fish and the island’s forested interior will remain wild.

The Land Trust has been active in the Burntside Lake area for several years and has protected seven other properties on the lake including Listening Point, the historic and inspirational home of wilderness advocate Sigurd F. Olson.  Burntside is one of the great gems of Minnesota lakes, serving as an entry point to the Boundary Waters as well as a source of drinking water for the City of Ely.

Holen property with Mississippi River valley in backgroundLocated about six miles north of the Root River, the 244-acre property is characteristic of the scenic southeast; limestone bluffs poke through the forest canopy and intermittent streams flow to the Root River.  The Land Trust was eager to work with the Holens to protect their property as it contains rare dry bluff prairie, a unique and disappearing habitat type.

This part of Minnesota is the only place in the state that contains dry bluff prairie, which is crucial for a variety of wildlife as well as the larger bluffland ecosystem. The Holens have really helped save an important piece of this natural asset by protecting their own land.