Twin Cites Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society

MINNESOTA
RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY
MAPS & SPECIAL PROJECT REPORT
August , 2001

Overview:
The first Management Area Project (MAP) in Minnesota was initiated 14 years ago, in 1987. Since that time the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) has funded 94 MAP projects statewide at a cost of $437,291. These funds have helped enhance ruffed grouse and woodcock habitat on 127,324 acres in the state. Projects have covered the spectrum from building road accesses to allow cost-effective harvesting of smaller blocks of timber, to constructing drumming logs. The attached map shows the distribution of projects by county. The bulk of the projects are located in counties with substantial quantities of public land, resource managers concerned about grouse habitat and very active RGS chapters.
The most recent MAP projects involve mowing a decadent 20-acre upland alder stand in Beltrami County and assisting with 225 acres of oak forest regeneration after a blowdown on the Whitewater WMA in Wabasha and Winona Counties.
In addition to MAPs, RGS funds Special Projects that typically involve education projects, research or indirect management assistance. To date we have spent $93,762 on Special Projects ranging from youth Upland Bird Camp scholarships to funding the Gordon Gullion Memorial Endowed Chair at the University of Minnesota. As you can see, education is critical to achieving the goals of RGS in Minnesota.

Future Projects:
Several MAPs and special projects are proposed or are in line for funding at this time. These include, but are not limited to the following:

Cass County, Bull Moose Alder Shearing– 10 acres

St. Louis County, NE Minnesota Brushland Management – A cooperative project involving LL Bean, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, RGS, the Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa and the Minnesota DNR – Total cost: $62,000

Cook County, Dale Honer Memorial Ruffed Grouse Management Project

Fillmore County, Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center - shooting center supplies

Cass County, Mud Goose WMA - road improvement

Roseau County, Lost River Hydroaxe Project – brush management

Crow Wing County, Meadowbrook WMA - road development

MINNESOTA (MAP)
MANAGEMENT AREA PROJECTS
1987 - 2001

$437,291

Marshall Co.
2 Projects
140 Acres
Roseau Co.
6 Projects
8,273 Acres
Beltrami Co.
5 Projects
8,470 Acres
Lake of the Woods Co.
1 Project
2,480 Acres
Koochiching Co.
7 Projects
14,484 Acres
St. Louis Co.
10 Projects
11,260 Acres
Lake Co.
5 Projects
5,585 Acres
Cook Co.
2 Projects
1,588 Acres
Wabasha Co.
2 Projects
65Acres
Pine Co.
2 Projects
200 Acres
Aitkin Co.
13 Projects
11,627 Acres
Cass Co.
5 Projects
11,496 Acres
HSPACE=4>
Itasca Co.
13 Projects
37,076 Acres
Kanabec Co.
1 Project
4,150 Acres
Mille Lacs Co.
3 Projects
2,650 Acres
Crow Wing Co.
1 Project
2,500 Acres
Winona Co.
1 Project
700 Acres
Isanti Co.
1 Project
1,360 Acres
Clearwater Co.
1 Project
200 Acres
Ottertail Co.
1 Project
Tamarac NWR
Hubbard Co.
4 Projects
2,400 Acres
Polk Co.
1 Project
50 Acres
Becker Co.
1 Project
500 Acres

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MAP Projects for Minnesota

Project Name	County	Nearest City	Year	Owner	Acres	Principal Activities
Burman Creek	Aitkin	Pliny	1989	MN DNR	2600	Logging road construction
Seavey Road		Malmo	1989	Aitin County	600	Road Construction
Holy Water Lake		Hill City	1989	Aitkin County	567	Logging Road Construction
Wagner Road		McGrath	1990	Aitkin County	1200	Road Construction
Solana Road		Solana	1990	MN DNR	1200	Road Construction
Timberdoodle		Aitkin	1991	MN DNR	400	Upland Shrub Maintenance
Ripple River		Aitkin	1991	MN DNR	200	Upland Shrub Maintenance
Aitkin Lake Trail		McGregor	1991	MN DNR	700	Road construction and culvert placement
Esquagamah Road		Aitkin	1992	Aitkin County	400	1 mile of road construction
Sandy Lake District			1993	Aitkin County	600	Culvert supply for various small spur access roads in Sandy Lake district
Glen Road		Glen	1993	Aitkin County	360	Road construction
Idun Road		McGrath	1994	Aitkin County	700	Road construction to facilitate timber harvest.
Shovel Lake		Swatara	1995	Aitkin county	2100	Road construction and reconstruction
Tamarac	Becker	Detroit Lakes	1990	USFWS	500	Set back several portions of a large 20-year-old stand of Aspen to increase age diversity.
Three Island	Beltrami	Bemidji	1988	Beltrami County	2400	Logging road construction.
Tower Lake		Cass Lake	1989	Chippewa NF	1670	Set back 3 10-acre stands of 12-14 year old Aspen with a rotary mower. Placed drumming logs within several of the treated stands and left others with no logs.
Shotley/Saum areas		Kelliher	1995	MN DNR	4280	9 miles of road reconstruction and trail maintenance.
Norris Alder Mowing		Williams	1998	MN DNR	100	Shear over-mature Alder to regenerate
Egg Lake	Cass	Backus	1987	Cass County	1443	Timber harvest access construction. 1998 contribution for hunter access in memory of Mr. Joel Burke.
Johnson Lake		Deer River	1987	Chippewa NF	3793	Timber harvest access construction.
Old Grade		Longville	1987	Cass County	1443	Timber harvest
Little Thunder Lake		Remer	1995	Cass County	1500	Purchase of a temporary bridge span for $10,000 and 10 metal gates for $5,000. Temporary bridge would allow access to numerous parcels, yet eliminate need for DNR waters permits. Pay for bridge in 1995 and gates in 1996 (if needed).
Daggett Brook		Outing	1997	Cass County	2200	Purchase culvert to replace one that washed out so that management access can be restored.
Cass county GIS			2000	County		Document forest management patterns across ownerships using GIS technology.
Clearwater Trails	Clearwater	Zerkel	1997	County	200	Provide assistance for restoration of new logging roads constructed to access storm-damaged timber, primarily seeding costs.
Wills Lake	Cook	Tofte	1988	Superier NF	1360	Timber harvest access construction.
Otter Lake		Grand Marais	1994	MN DNR	228	Shear scattered mature aspen within a stand killed by spruce budworm to regenerate the aspen.
Blueberry Bog	Crow Wing	Pine River	1993	County	2500	Road construction.
Bunker Hills	Hubbard	Park Rapids	1994	County	400	Road construction for timber harvest access. 1999 funds for seeder purchase (E. Johnson).
Badoura		Akeley	1996	MN DNR	800	Mechanically regenerate existing upland shrub communities.
Crow Wing Chain WMA		Nevis	1999	DNR	200	Hunter walking trail developement.
Crow Wing Chain WMA		Nevis	1999	DNR	1000	Trail construction.
Dalbo	Isanti	Dalbo	1989	MN DNR	1360	Regenerate inoperable aspen via shearing.
Alder Pond	Itasca	Grand Rapids	1990	Itasca County	608	Road construction.
Cowhorn		Grand Rapids	1985	Itasca County	1700	Promote Aspen regeneration.
Third River		Alvwood	1987	MN DNR	1400	Timber harvest access construction.
Jingo Lake		Marcell	1987	Chippewa NF	6000	Technical Assistance
Upper Hanson Lake		Coleraine	1987	MN DNR	800	Timber harvest access construction.
Fly Lake		Marcell	1987	Chippewa NF	4500	Technical assistance.
Figure Eight		Grand Rapids	1989	Itasca County	5168	Logging road construction.
Fiske Lake		Blackduck	1990	Chippewa NF	1100	Thin a stand of precommercial Aspen to increase incremental growth and, therefore, enable an early harvest of the thinned portions.
Spur Lake		Marcell	1990	Chippewa NF	1000	Set back Aspen was 18-20 years old, treated winter of 1989-90 (no frost) by simply pushing over, slash was windrowed, this caused substantial root disturbance and poor regeneration. Hydro-Axe used winter 1991-92, excellent regeneration.
Stoney Ridge		Nashwauk	1991	Itasca County	3000	Road contruction.
Goodland Area		Grand Rapids	1994	Blandin	1200	Timber harvest access construction. 1994 check for $25,000 came from Mellon Family Foundation.
Carlson Lake		Grand Rapids	1994	Blandin	700	Timber harvest access construction.
Snake River	Kanabec	McGrath	1989	MN DNR	4150	Logging road construction.
Reilly Brook	Koochiching	Effie	1993	County	5138	Road construction. 1998 (3500) funds for Aspen thinning.
Johnson Road		Littlefork	1992	County	3566	1.75 miles of road construction, including approximately $3000 for culvert purchase.
Franklin Lake		Cook	1992	MN DNR	300	1 mile of road reconstruction.
Pine Island		Wildwood	1993	MN DNR	1200	Timber harvest access construction.
Pine Island Access Trail		Big Falls	1993	MN DNR	1200	Construct 6 miles of timber harvest access.
Koochiching Aspen Thinning		Int'l Falls	1998	County	80	Individual tree thinning within 12 year old Aspen stands to break up large stands and decrease rotation length.
Lofgren Spur		Effie	1999	County	3000	Road construction.
Dumbell River	Lake	Isabella	1989	Superior NF	3485	Logging road reconstruction.
Glipi Road		Ely	1994	Lake County	1500	Timber harvest access construction.
Caribou Springs Road		Silver Bay	1994	Lake County	500	Timber harvest access construction.
Fry Creek		Finland	1995	MN DNR	100	Aerial photography to identify opportunities for woodcock habitat developement in Alder cover type. 1997 funds for upland brush inventory ($2500-spring) and for snowmobile purchase ($3225 fall).
Lax Lake Road		Silver Bay	1997	Lake County		Road construction.
Carp Area	Lake of the Woods	Baudette	1991	MN DNR	2480	Road reconstruction and Aspen set backs.
Thief Lake	Marshall	Middle River	1995	MN DNR	100	Maintain roadbed integrity through seeding of existing access roads.
Thief Lake WMA		Middle River	1995	DNR	40	Establish vegetative cover on existing skid trails to provide forage and protect road.
Dose Forest Road	Mille Lacs	Ogilvie	1997	MN DNR	1000	Road construction (.5 miles) across a wetland.
Dailey Road		Onamia	1997	MN DNR	1650	Road construction (1.5 miles) and reconstruction (2.0 miles).
Mille Lacs WMA			2000	MN DNR		Planting of spruce trees (year 2000).
Mielke Tract	Otter Tail	Henning	1993			Land Acquistion.
New Dosey	Pine	Duxbury	1989	Pine County	100	Shear inoperable Aspen stands.
Arna		Markville	1989	Pine County	100	Shear inoperable Aspen stands.
Polk Regeneration	Polk	Erskine	1996	MN DNR	50	Noncommercial Aspen regeneration through hand felling.
Thompson Shear	Roseau	Warroad	1993	DNR	200	Aspen Shearing.
Morehouse Alder		Warroad	1993	DNR	200	Alder shearing. 1996 funds to be used in Beltrami County.
Lost River		Warroad	1993	MN DNR	473	Aspen shearing.
Cole/Swartz Grades	Roseau	Roosevelt	1995	MN DNR	2000	6 miles of road reconstruction.
Grygla Forest Road		Warroad	1995	MN DNNR	5400	17 miles of road.
Tamarack Bog		Badger	1999	DNR	70	Alder shearing
MN Forest Stewardship	Scattered	St Cloud	1995	USFWS		Cooperatively fund a position (Dave Pauly) to work as stewardship liason between DNR, USFWS and private landowners to facilitate woodcock habitat.
Cloquet River	St. Louis	Canyon	1988	Minnesota Power	600	Technical Assistance.
Boulder Lake		Island Lake	1989	St. Louis County	280	Logging road construction.
St Louis River		Hoyt Lakes	1989	Superior NF	1040	Alder and Aspen shearing
Echo Lake		Buyck	1989	Superior NF	3500	Timber harvest access construction.
Jenkins Creek		Aurora	1989	Superior NF	2200	Upland Alder regeneration.
Shannon Lake		Chisholm	1992	MN DNR	600	Road construction.
Gheen Hill		Orr	1992	MN DNR	640	Reconstruct 7 miles of skid.
Wilson Lake (Morcom-Washusks)		Melrude	1992	St. Louis County	800	3 miles of road construction.
St. Louis MN Stewardship		Virginia	1995	Private		Financial assistance for a stewardship resource manager to develop management plans for NIPF landowners.
St Louis Alder			1996	St Louis County		Disturb sod layer on old field to attempt to promote Alder establishment.
Rainy River		International Falls	1996	Boise Cascade	600	Timber sale design and layout-technical assistance.
Big Creek Trail		Cook	1997	Superior NF	300	Aspen timber sale preparation and administration.
Chalberg Creek		Duluth	1998	Potlatch	500	Technical assistance.
Upland Shrub		Ely	199	Mn DNR	15	Noncommercial clear cut 10-15 acres of mature Aspen to facilitate regeneration.
Dorer Forest	Wabasha	Lake City	1995	MN DNR	15	Noncommercial clear cut 10-15 acres of mature Aspen to facilitate regeneration.
Whitewater	Winona	Elba	1989	Mn DNR	700	Supply infra-red aerial photography to identify Aspen forest stands. Regenerate Aspen stands via noncommercial felling. 1993 funds for purchase of aerial photography mosaic and working copy of prints. 1995 funds used for soft mast plantings.

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Management Area Program (MAP) allows the Society to help directly implement forest wildlife habitat improvement on public lands. Economic harvesting of timber is a major consideration of many managers of public forests. Because the benefit to grouse and woodcock is in small-block timber harvesting, (while most timber harvesters prefer to harvest in large blocks) the Society assists public land managers in several ways through MAP. Assistance includes: providing funding to build roads through public forest areas as a means of reducing cost to the timber harvesters and promoting small-block cutting; providing technical assistance (professional trained personnel) to help implement small block cutting; helping to maintain timber access roads in readiness for future cutting by financing seeding to minimize erosion; and giving financial support to alder shearing projects to promote the growth of habitat suitable for ruffed grouse and woodcock. By helping a public agency meet the costs of preparing a site for timbering, RGS is able to influence large areas of wildlife habitat. Public areas on which MAP projects are found include: county lands, state lands, national forests' national wildlife refuges, BLM lands; DoD lands and Indian lands.