Question a da week

[Lee Borgersen]

           Question of the week

Q: Wild  's seem to be fairly common in Minnesota. Has this always been the case?

A: Historically, wild  are thought to have lived only in far southern Minnesota. By 1880, they had vanished from the state due to unregulated hunting and habitat loss.

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Attempts to re-establish wild  in Minnesota date back to the 1920s, but these efforts weren't successful until 1971, when turkeys trapped in Missouri were released into Houston County and showed strong survival.  Since then, the DNR has released wild turkeys throughout much of Minnesota to offer ample hunting opportunities. This, along with a favorable mix of agricultural and forest habitat, has allowed the species to expand well beyond its pre-settlement range.

DNR research has shown why the ag/forest habitat mix is important for year-round survival of wild  in Minnesota. Woodlands provide roosting sites and year-round cover, while forest edges and openings provide nesting and brood-rearing cover. Access to nearby farmland provides an important food source.  can survive Minnesota's cold winters as long as they can find food, which is another reason why they have successfully expanded their range to the north.

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To learn more, visit the DNR's wild  management page at www.mndnr.gov/turkey.

Nicole Davros, DNR upland game project leader

[Lee Borgersen]

                            Question of the week

Q: Herds of bison once roamed and grazed the prairie. Can cattle grazing provide similar benefits to Minnesota’s remaining prairie habitat?

A:  Yes, cattle grazing can provide many benefits to prairie landscapes and wildlife. Some bird and mammal species like prairie chickens and jackrabbits strongly benefit from the short grass habitat that grazers produce. Grazing may also increase plant diversity in some soils and allow managers to decrease the frequency of controlled burns, which benefits fire-sensitive species like pollinators.

As with any management tool, grazing can also cause problems if it is not used well. Wet to mesic soils are prone to increases of invasive species when overly disturbed by grazers. Toxic chemicals such as de-wormers can be introduced by livestock, and woody species can increase due to loss of fuel for controlled burns. Broad generalizations about the outcomes of cattle grazing don’t work very well because everything depends on management: how many animals, in how big a space, in what kind of habitat, in what kind of conditions, and for how long.

The DNR sets clear ecological goals for grazing on wildlife management areas. Those goals determine which portions get grazed, when and for how long.  We don’t have all the answers yet; DNR staff participate in multi-agency meetings every year to discuss examples of grazing management, and we need monitoring data from grazed sites to help make good decisions in the future.

Fred Harris, DNR plant ecologist