Prairie Potholes

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Prairie Potholes

• Kendra Audilett
• Tracey Hill
• Brandon L

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Location

• Various parts of North America..
• Three Distinct Provinces
• Minnesota
• Canada
• Iowa

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Americas Duck Factory

• Potholes are critical for the resting, feeding,
  and nesting habitats of migratory waterfowl.
• Prairie Potholes produce more than half of the
  U.S. waterfowl population giving the region the
  name..

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Schaefer Prairie, Minnesota

• History
• Land purchased in 1881
• Land purchased in 1967

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Importance???

• 160 acres- least disturbed.
• Who uses the land now?

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• Researchers have tested the soil in the area
  surrounding this area and suggest that the area
  was once forested with Spruce and Larch trees
  some 10,000-12,000 years ago.
• Pine and deciduous trees dominated the next 2,000
  years.
• The remaining 8,000 years, researchers determined
  that prairie plants began to occupy the area.
• Thus, Prairie Potholes in Schaefer Prairie can be
  said to have been in existence for approximately
  8,000 years.

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What can you find at this location?

• Over 275 plant species
• ex. Cattails, Ladys slipper
• Many animals
• Northern Leopard frogs
• Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, American Bittern and
  many more..

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Schaefer Prairie Restoration

• The land is divided into different sections and
  every four to five years, one section is burned
  and new seedlings are planted.
• A showcase section is presented for visitors for
  educational purposes.

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Manitoba, Canada
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History

• Native American tribes were the first inhabitants
  of Manitoba. As the European immigrants
  continued to move westward they continued their
  travel north. When the settlers first arrived
  they set up camps to teach the natives,
  Christianity.
• Initially the settlers had no interest in the
  potholes because they deemed them as the holes
  of evil. They then realized that if they
  covered up the potholes they would be excellent
  for harvesting crops. Since the settlers were so
  successful in destroying the Prairie Potholes
  there was plenty of food. This of course enticed
  more and more to settle in Manitoba.

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• Before the settlers arrived, the potholes were
  used by Native Americans for medicine, hunting,
  and picking berries in the summer time.
• After the settlers arrived, they destroyed
  everything that was natural to the land including
  animal life, such as buffalo. This ended the way
  of life for the native tribes
• Prairie Potholes now cover only 41 of the
  acreage in Manitoba

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Manitoba Restoration

• North American Waterfowl Mgmt Plan
• Canadian Council

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Okoboji, Iowa

• History
• At one time 80 of Iowa was prairie land which
  was approximately 7.6 million acres.
• Today, approximately .01 exists
• What happened??
• Potholes were drained to gain cropland as well as
  to make new roads, towns, cities, and industries.
• Soybean and corn fields now replace most of these
  Prairie Potholes.

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• The Prairie Pothole region lies in the upper
  Midwest portion of the state.
• In 1850-1860 the federal government passed the
  Federal Swampland Acts
• This act led to the numerous accounts of wetland
  drainage. The land was then sold by the state
  for 25-75 cents per acre.
• The Consequences..
• Vast drainage greatly affected the Giant Canadian
  Geese population that frequented the lands.
• The young were captured, their nests robbed for
  the eggs and the adults killed.
• It was thought that these animals were to be
  extinct until 1960, when a biologist found
  private stocks among farmers in the area

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What can you find at this location?

• Plants
• Cattails, Bulrushes, Bur reeds, Arrowheads,
  Wollfia, etc.
• Animals
• Muskrat, mink, ducks, geese shorebirds, fish,
  salamanders, turtles, and much more.

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Okoboji Restoration

• Adopted two programs
• Ducks Unlimited
• One-dollar duck stamp
• Five-dollar duck stamp

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What is Ducks Unlimited?

• Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores and manages
  wetlands and associated habitats for North
  Americas Waterfowl. These habitats also benefit
  other wildlife and people.

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Where is Ducks Unlimited?