June 17 – DEVILS LAKE, ND – During a visit earlier this month to an easement outside Devils Lake, Natural Resources Conservation Service staff praised efforts to restore the nation’s natural wetlands.
The 523 hectare Wetland Reserve Easement, owned by Paula Ramsey, includes 126.8 hectares dedicated to the management of wetland wildlife habitats. The land has been the focus of several conservation projects since 2018, mainly to improve the local ecosystem by planting native grasses and flowers, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“We have many different grasses and native flowers that the birds, bees and butterflies love,” Ramsey said in a statement. “NRCS was able to help us with the program and we can still preserve the land for future generations.”
In 2018, NRCS employees collected more than 1,200 prairie grass plugs, 150 slough sedge plants and 500 large bluestem plugs from the NRCS Plants Materials Center in Bismarck. With the help of biology students from Devils Lake High School, the plugs were planted in a zigzag pattern in anticipation of fluctuating water levels and unwanted species, the release said.
Ramsey has also made her land available to local organizations such as the Lake Region Sportsman Club, Pheasants Forever and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. The property is included in the Game and Fish Department’s Lands Open to Sportsmen program, allowing public access for activities such as the Youth Only Pheasant Hunting weekend.
“Paula was great to work with,” Dustin Brodina, supervisor of the Devils Lake NRCS Conservation Delivery Unit, said in a statement. “She has allowed the easement to be used for educational opportunities and conservation efforts, ensuring the integrity of the easement and controlling undesirable species.”
Ultimately, though, the goal is to preserve and improve the property, Brodina said.
“The benefits are significant,” Brodina said. “We have created habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, furbearers and other wetland-dependent flora and fauna, provided water storage and implemented programs to control unwanted plant species by promoting desirable plant species. This is a great example of how our programs can benefit both wildlife and nature. environment and community.”
