TOWER—More than 50 volunteers put boots on the ground last weekend on Lake Vermilion’s Pine Island in what officials are calling a successful effort to provide outdoors enthusiasts more opportunity to enjoy what northern Minnesota has to offer.
As part of a unique Department of Natural Resources program called Adopt a WMA Today, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters (SFBW) teamed up with MeatEater’s Working for Wildlife Tour and local DNR wildlife officials, to make improvements at the 40-acres Pine Island Wildlife Management Area.
The Pine Island adoption is the first project of SFBW’s Stewardship and Habitat Initiative, a program SFBW is implementing in multiple spheres in and around the Boundary Waters with partnering agencies, conservation organizations, and outdoor industry leaders.
“This area of Northeast Minnesota is so meaningful to so many people, especially because of its proximity to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Pine Island WMA sits just south of the Trout Lake entrance of the BWCA and hosts a number of different wildlife species, both game and nongame,” Matthew Schultz, Development & Policy Coordinator at SFBW, said in an interview this week. “Given the chance to help improve habitat in such a special area, while also improving accessibility feels like a no-brainer for Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters.”
The work was done Saturday, Aug. 24.
Adopt a WMA Today
The DNR program was established by the 2011 Legislature to “encourage and recognize citizens to assist with maintenance of Wildlife Management Areas,” according to the DNR website. The foundation of the program is to establish informal agreements with volunteer individuals or groups to provide maintenance services on certain WMAs.
It’s driven by wildlife management needs and by groups interested in adopting specific WMAs.
In Minnesota, there are more than 1,506 public wildlife areas—divided into more than 1,800 subunits—with 1.37 million acres of habitat across the state.
There are 19 WMAs in St. Louis County alone covering more than 8,700 acres.
According to the DNR, “WMAs are part of Minnesota’s outdoor recreation system and are established to protect those lands and waters that have a high potential for wildlife production, public hunting, trapping, fishing, and other compatible recreational uses. They are the backbone to DNR’s wildlife management efforts in Minnesota and are key to protect wildlife habitat for future generations; provide citizens with opportunities for hunting, fishing and wildlife watching; and promote important wildlife-based tourism in the state.”
Minnesota’s WMA system started in 1951, when the State established its “Save the Wetlands” program to buy wetlands and other habitats from willing sellers to address the alarming loss of wildlife habitat in the state. Initiated by a handful of visionary wildlife managers, the WMA program evolved into the present-day system of WMAs.
Project Background
Pine Island WMA is just under 40 acres and sits within one mile of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, with several thousand acres of public land plots directly to its west.
The region is heavily used by deer, grouse, waterfowl, black bears, and various non-game species, according to SFBW officials.
As a part of the adoption, SFBW hopes to accomplish the following: Create access for a difficult-to-reach WMA, create and improve a series of Hunter Walking Trails, plant white spruce and red oak trees to improve White-Tailed Deer wintering habitat, clear canopy to allow for regenerating long lived conifer species to grow and thrive, replace and repair WMA signage at landing spots, install an informational Invasive Species Kiosk, install fishing line collection tubes, clear/brush/chainsaw the WMA boundary line, install boundary signs, and manage the upkeep of the WMA during the adoption.
Boots on the ground
Jessica Holmes, Tower Area Wildlife Manager for the Department of Natural Resources, said this week by email that planning for the August 24 project date had been ongoing for a long time.
“My staff assisted with every step of the way along with Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. We have been working with SFBW to develop this day for over a year,” Holmes said. “My assistant, Courtney Clark, lead the tree planting division. My technician, Jake Olson, lead wood routed sign installation, boundary posting and assisted with trail creation. Andrew Seagren, Two Harbors Wildlife assistant, lead the trail creation group. Matthew Shultz and I ensured safety, organized the whole group, and assisted on site where needed.”
Holmes said the event and volunteers were “incredible” and fully exceeded expectations.
“Volunteers showed up to work and certainly didn’t mind getting dirty,” she said.
“We were able to exceed expectations on August 24th. Within a few hours, volunteers had 1,000 trees planted, new signs pounded in the ground, boundaries cleared, and some additional access trails cleared through the heart of the unit,” Schultz said.
Holmes said one of the main objectives was planting that number of trees—a mix of white spruce and red oak.
“White spruce for long lived conifer diversity and increasing thermal shelter habitat. The oaks were selected for climate resilient species and a mast producing species for wildlife,” she said.
Additionally, new Hunter Walking Trails were established, boundary and rule signs were posted, an invasive species kiosk was installed, a wood routed sign was painted and installed on the north access and there was clearing of the north access for future development.
From the SFBW: “The project aims to improve an existing ecosystem without dramatically changing users’ impact on the landscape. One of the first things we’ll be doing on the site is thinning undergrowth, or ‘daylighting.’ This practice is vitally important, especially in areas that haven’t experienced burns in a long time, because it promotes the regeneration of the native coniferous species. Thankfully, Dutchman Tree Services out of Ely, MN, is working with us to accomplish this goal, as they are a conservation-minded business that does exemplary work.”
Why it’s important and the future
“(The) Adopt a WMA program is necessary to accomplish habitat and facility work on our Wildlife Management Areas. It’s impossible to quantify how much time it would have taken my staff of four to complete what 50 plus volunteers did in a few hours,” Holmes said. “We are truly grateful for this partnership with SFBW and excited for the future of Pine Island WMA.”
Schultz said Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters’ Stewardship and Habitat Initiative is something that they hope will expand into several arenas, ideally with a wide range of partnering agencies, companies, and groups.
“That being said, our first task at hand is maintaining the upkeep of the Pine Island WMA and seeing how our planted trees are doing in the Spring. Beyond that, we have our eyes on moose habitat, protecting our cold-water fisheries, and always ensuring pristine places for people to hunt, fish, and paddle for generations to come,” he said.
Schultz added that one thing that stood out to him was the community aspect of it all.
“Seeing the excitement created around a volunteer opportunity tells me that Minnesotans care about our precious landscapes and proves that we, as an organization, can mobilize folks for any number of conservation initiatives,” Schultz said. “Through that volunteerism, we can engage in work that benefits the outdoor community and the wildlife that we are all there to see, hunt, and/or fish for.”
He also offered a lot of thanks to those who participated and helped in the planning.
“Part of what helped us rally so many people was having Mark Kenyon from MeatEater add this project to his Working for Wildlife tour. Additionally, this project was made possible by the onX Access + Stewardship Grant, which we were awarded for the project earlier this year. From the start, the team at onX has been in full support of our efforts and even showed up last weekend to lend a hand with a few extra boots on the ground,” Schultz said. “And of course, none of this could have taken place without the Tower DNR’s Area Wildlife Manager, Jessica Holmes, and her amazing staff. We’ve had the pleasure of working with them from the inception of this project and even though we’ve jokingly referred to this project as ‘roll with the punches,’ they helped navigate the logistics over the last year with professionalism and a heavy dose of gumption.”
About those involved
Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters: Founded in 2015, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters works to conserve the land, water, and wildlife that make the BWCA an iconic place to hunt, fish, camp, and explore. The organization’s mission is to protect the integrity of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and its watersheds for huntable and fishable populations of fish and wildlife, now and forever, through advocacy and education.
onX Maps: Funding for the Pine Island WMA is provided by the onX Adventure Forever Grants program—onX believes everyone has a right to experience nature and the recreational opportunities it provides. In light of that, onX founded its Access and Stewardship program, which allows onX to leverage positive impact and drive change. This program inspires communities to pass on responsible recreation ethics, enables land access, and promotes healthy ecosystems.
MeatEater’s Working for Wildlife Tour: The Working for Wildlife Tour launched in 2023 as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the many volunteer events put on across the country by conservation organizations, bringing hunters and anglers together to volunteer their time to improve wildlife habitat, restore ecosystems, and clean up public lands and waters.
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