State Wildlife Grant - T-49-HM
| Project Overview | |
|---|---|
| Project Title |
Restoration and Enhancement of Riparian Areas using the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s Save our Lakes Program
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| Target Species |
Chestnut lamprey, Silver Lamprey, Silver Chub, Northern Pearl Dace, Horneyhead Chub, Pugnose Shiner, Blacknose Dace, Carmine Shiner, Northern Redbelly Dace, Finescale Dace, Yellow Bullhead, Trout-perch, Logperch, River Darter, Largescale Stoneroller, Burbot, Threeridge, Wabash Pigtoe, Mapleleaf, Black Sandshell, Creek Heelsplitter, Pink Heelsplitter, Creeper, Snapping Turtle, Red-headed Woodpecker, Black-billed Cuckoo, Northern Long-eared Bat, Big Brown Bat, Little Brown Bat, Pygmy Shrew, River Otter, Monarch Butterfly, and Regal Fritillary.
|
| Timeline |
July 2017 - December 2021
|
| Investigators |
Scott Elstad, Aquatic Habitat Supervisor, North Dakota Game and Fish Department
|
Project Description
The North Dakota State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) lists rivers, streams, and related riparian areas as key habitat essential to roughly half of the state’s Species of Conservation Priority (SCP). However, much of this vital landscape is suffering from the harmful effects of agricultural conversion, over grazing, bank erosion and nonpoint source pollution. Riparian habitats are one of the most important habitat types in North Dakota because of the sheer number of SCPs they host. Restoring and enhancing a habitat type that is crucial to numerous species will be an imperative step in the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s implementation of its SWAP. The Department will use its Save Our Lakes Program (SOL) to work with private landowners to restore and enhance aquatic and riparian habitats. SOL is an incentive/cost share program that provides funding to private landowners to change or augment current land-use practices to improve aquatic and terrestrial habitats. A list of practices used by SOL in this grant will include land rental payments, fencing, grass and forb planting for riparian buffer strips, and alternative water sources for livestock grazing.