If you have been out to the Orwell Property in recent weeks, you might be wondering what on earth is going on. The answer to your question is: LOTS! Trees are coming down, ground is being moved, and habitat is being restored to its original condition. Keep reading for all the nitty gritty details!
Pictured: North entrance gate to Orwell property, with habitat restoration in progress.
Prior to the 1930s, the Orwell property was once an area of wide open plains, shallow wet potholes, and native prairie with very few trees in sight. Then, in the 1970s the land was excavated for gravel and not reclaimed when the pits were abandoned. This resulted in many tall invasive trees moving into the disturbed areas and altering the landscape.
Luckily, the Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club acquired the property and is now restoring it to its original condition. As you can see in the picture above, the place is looking quite different after cutting down many of the invasive cottonwood trees, which will all be gone by the time the project is completed. Nothing is being wasted: the larger logs are sold as saw logs and the smaller trees and branches are chipped and sold for energy production.
The native sandbar willow, on the other hand, will not be removed. These are short willows that will form thick, dense stands in the wet meadow areas, providing winter habitat for pheasants and deer. The tall trees that were cut down were not good for native habitat since they served as perches for predation by raptors such as owls and hawks.
In addition to removing invasive trees, other restoration work being completed includes leveling and covering spoil piles from the old gravel mining operation with topsoil to reclaim the land. A mix of native grasses and wildflowers will be planted there this summer or fall. The restoration of several shallow wetlands on the property will also take place later this summer or fall as site conditions permit.
The conservation and rehabilitation of the Orwell property will provide essential habitat in an ecologically unique area. According to Jim Piehl, Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club Land Manager:
"Once these areas are seeded, they will provide a vital link in the corridor of grassland habitat along the historic Lake Agassiz beach ridge. This includes Waterfowl Production Areas, Wildlife Management Areas, Nature Conservancy properties and privately owned sites. These grasslands are very important for native birds such as greater prairie chicken, grasshopper sparrows, meadowlarks, bobolinks, upland sandpipers and many more. The native wildflowers will be very important for insect pollinators which have become species of concern. Many acres of grassland in this area have recently been taken out of CRP making these restored grasslands even more important."
A technical description of the habitat restoration project can be found on the following map. The black circled areas show locations where tree removal and ground shaping/leveling will be completed. Additionally, the blue shaded areas show scrapes which will provide excellent shallow wetland habitat for wading waterfowl.
For more information about this project, please email info@fffgcmn.org or join us for a monthly meeting. This is one of many conservation projects currently managed by the FFFGC; contact us today to get involved!
Pictured: North entrance gate to Orwell property, with habitat restoration in progress.
Prior to the 1930s, the Orwell property was once an area of wide open plains, shallow wet potholes, and native prairie with very few trees in sight. Then, in the 1970s the land was excavated for gravel and not reclaimed when the pits were abandoned. This resulted in many tall invasive trees moving into the disturbed areas and altering the landscape.
Luckily, the Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club acquired the property and is now restoring it to its original condition. As you can see in the picture above, the place is looking quite different after cutting down many of the invasive cottonwood trees, which will all be gone by the time the project is completed. Nothing is being wasted: the larger logs are sold as saw logs and the smaller trees and branches are chipped and sold for energy production.
The native sandbar willow, on the other hand, will not be removed. These are short willows that will form thick, dense stands in the wet meadow areas, providing winter habitat for pheasants and deer. The tall trees that were cut down were not good for native habitat since they served as perches for predation by raptors such as owls and hawks.
In addition to removing invasive trees, other restoration work being completed includes leveling and covering spoil piles from the old gravel mining operation with topsoil to reclaim the land. A mix of native grasses and wildflowers will be planted there this summer or fall. The restoration of several shallow wetlands on the property will also take place later this summer or fall as site conditions permit.
The conservation and rehabilitation of the Orwell property will provide essential habitat in an ecologically unique area. According to Jim Piehl, Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club Land Manager:
"Once these areas are seeded, they will provide a vital link in the corridor of grassland habitat along the historic Lake Agassiz beach ridge. This includes Waterfowl Production Areas, Wildlife Management Areas, Nature Conservancy properties and privately owned sites. These grasslands are very important for native birds such as greater prairie chicken, grasshopper sparrows, meadowlarks, bobolinks, upland sandpipers and many more. The native wildflowers will be very important for insect pollinators which have become species of concern. Many acres of grassland in this area have recently been taken out of CRP making these restored grasslands even more important."
A technical description of the habitat restoration project can be found on the following map. The black circled areas show locations where tree removal and ground shaping/leveling will be completed. Additionally, the blue shaded areas show scrapes which will provide excellent shallow wetland habitat for wading waterfowl.
For more information about this project, please email info@fffgcmn.org or join us for a monthly meeting. This is one of many conservation projects currently managed by the FFFGC; contact us today to get involved!