SHERBURN– After years of work, volunteers and nonprofits have restored hundreds of acres of drained wetlands habitat north of Sherburn for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This new habitat is an expansion of the Seymour Lake and Rooney Run Wildlife Management Area Complex located between Sherburn and Trimont.

With a combined area of 785 acres or roughly 1.2 square miles the complex is one of the largest wilderness areas in both Martin County and south central Minnesota as a whole.

While eventually maintained and administered by the DNR, many habitat restorations such as the expansion to Rooney Run have relied on volunteers and nonprofits to acquire and restore these habitat areas. This acquisition and restoration was conducted by the national nonprofit Ducks Unlimited.

Jon Schneider, Minnesota Manager of Conservation Programs, said, “Our organizational mission is to protect, restore and enhance wetlands and other associated habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife. … We do that for waterfowl and we also do that for people.”

Crucial assistance was also provided by the Sherburn-based Fox Lake Conservation League (FLCL). Doug Hartke, a board member who helped volunteer with restoration efforts, said the League was started around the 30s.

“We’re a local conservation club which was established by local conservationists around Fox Lake,” Hartke said.

The restoration process began with identifying tracts of land which would be eligible for restoration and be accepted by the DNR. After parcels are identified they’re purchased and workers and volunteers remove artificial obstructions while reintroducing native plant and animal species. Once restoration is completed the areas are then managed and maintained by DNR biologists and conservation workers.

South Central Minnesota was once covered in wetlands and grasslands but during the late 19th and 20th century most were drained and repurposed for agriculture.

“Frankly I don’t know how (settlers) navigated through some parts Martin and Jackson county because there were so many wetlands on the landscape,” said Schneider. “In Southern Minnesota we’ve lost 90 percent of our prairie wetlands and 99 percent of prairie grasslands.”

As he puts it; “the landscape was transformed into almost an exclusively agricultural landscape, which drives the economy and is really important for everyone who lives in Minnesota and in Martin County, but we recognize as society that not everything should not be cultivated and there are some spots that are worth restoring to have more of a balance.”

Projects like this are critical to improving and maintaining local waterfowl populations.

“During the breeding season ducks use small wetlands … that the average person may not think are very important, but they’re tremendously important to breeding waterfowl. They’re shallow and they warm up early in the spring. That’s where the aquatic invertebrates are produced that female ducks need in the spring to develop eggs and successfully nest. Medium sized wetlands (are needed for) the ducklings as they first hatch, and then they move to larger wetlands as (ducklings) start to grow and fly. …

Ducks need about 40 percent of a four square mile area to be idle wetland or grassland habitat in order to reproduce at a level that exceeds predation.”

The benefits of wildlife areas also extend beyond waterfowl. Wetlands are also used by wild turkeys and non-game birds, along with butterflies and other pollinators.

“When we restore the grasslands we often seed about twenty species of grasses but often up to eighty species of wild flowers as well,” said Schneider.

While these areas are largely designed to provide a habitat for wildlife, by law all WMAs are open to the public for hunting, wildlife observation, and other outdoor activities.

“It’s important for society and especially for youth to have a place to go recreate and run around like in the old days. Many people who live in Fairmont may remember growing up on a farm and having a place to go run around, hunt, or fish,” said Schneider.

Before visiting visitors should review relevant Minnesota statutes and DNR regulations. Benefits for humans also extend beyond the wetlands themselves; as Schneider puts it, “we all eat food, drink water, and breathe air.”

Wetlands provide space for natural pollinators which can both pollinate the crops eaten by humans or livestock while also preying on nuisance insects such as aphids.

“Wildlife areas tend to benefit cropland areas nearby, there’s very strong science in that regard. Having a monotypic landscape of just crops and concrete is not a healthy environment for any of us to live in. This area will retain floodwaters during heavy rain events, … these areas benefit the aquifer, they benefit clean water that runs off into streams and lakes, … even if you live in the city and don’t leave, (you may) have a backyard birdfeeder and enjoy seeing birds. … Those birds breed in wildlife areas.”

These benefit can also be achieved by converting a relatively small portion of land. When describing the operations of the FLCL Hartke said, “we’re not trying to add a whole bunch of new areas, we’re just trying to add to the existing WMAs in Martin County.”

For Ducks Unlimited, Schneider said their goal isn’t to buy and restore all the land in Martin County, but to be strategic and restore key parcels of habitat and make them as optimal as they can be because that’s the only place where wildlife can go.

In other words, “We’re seeking some key areas that maybe aren’t the best farmland that could be restored back to habitat … not only for wildlife but also for (improved) water quality and all the other things that come with natural areas.”

Funding for the project came from a combination of public and private sources. The expansion was funded in large part from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund which in turn was funded by the state’s Clean Water, Land and Legacy amendment. Other public funding came from the federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and was also supported by private philanthropic donations to Ducks Unlimited.

Schneider also wanted to highlight the contributions of the FLCL to the restoration project.

“They were gracious enough to help us clean up an old building site that included an old concrete silo, a bunch of tires, and other junk. They took several dumptruck loads off that property for us at their expense. It was really a true partnership. … Acquiring that parcel was the result of the FLCL making contact with the landowner and opening the door for a conversation about buying and restoring that land.”

Schneider cites the FLCL as a reason why Martin County has many of its WMAs.

“Part of the reason we’re working in Martin County is … because of the strong support of the FLCL. Every land acquisition and restoration we’ve done in Martin County is the result of the FLCL opening doors with people for us. … I wish we had a FLCL in every county.”

A series of events will be held on Friday June 24 and Saturday June 25. A tribute and fundraiser will be held on Friday at the Best Western in Fairmont with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.. A single ticket costs $50 and a couples ticket costs $80. On Saturday a dedication will be held at the Roonye Run WMA at 1 p.m., members of the public are welcome to attend. To get to the complex head north from Sherburn on MN 4/70th Ave for 1.75 miles, turn right onto 140th street and continue for 2 miles, turn left onto 90th Ave and continue for 1 mile, and then turn right onto 150th St and drive for about 0.2 miles.