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The refuge encompasses 8,362 acres within the acquisition boundary, of which 4,500 acres (54%) are in Nebraska and 3,862 acres (46%) are in Iowa. Habitat types include forest, grassland, cropland, and wetlands. DeSoto Lake is a seven-mile long oxbow lake created in 1960 when the Corps of Engineers excavated a shorter channel and constructed a levee to separate the new lake from the river.

Forest

It is likely that most of what is now DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge was once covered with bottomland forest, although the continual shifting and meandering of the river channel probably removed the forest cover periodically and maintained some areas in prairie grass. Currently, approximately 3,394 acres are in forest habitat types. Cottonwood is the dominant tree, reaching 100 feet or more in height. These stands were likely established when the Missouri River was actively flooding, scouring and depositing soils in natural processes that are no longer occurring on a regular basis. Today, in the absence of flooding, proper conditions for the regeneration of cottonwood stands rarely occur. The majority of the cottonwoods are between 50-70 years of age and extensive mortality has been occurring in these stands for several years.

Old cottonwoods are currently being replaced by more shade-tolerant species that do not depend on flooding, such as silver maple, hackberry, red mulberry, and green ash, which may result in improved mast (fruit and nut) production as these species become dominant. However, at the present time, the most obvious change is a dense midstory of roughleaf dogwood, averaging 10-12 feet in height. Other common trees of DeSoto�s floodplain woodlands include black walnut, box elder, American elm, eastern red cedar, black willow, sandbar willow, and the exotic Chinese elm.

Grasslands

It has been estimated that of the original tallgrass prairie that once covered millions of acres across the midwest, as little as 1% remains. Tallgrass prairie is much more than just grasses and includes hundreds of species of shrubs, forbs, and wildflowers and a host of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects that depend upon the vegetation composition and structure, either directly or indirectly. The refuge is between bottomland forest and prairie and it is likely that both existed here in pre-settlement times. All of the current non-forested refuge ground has been used for agricultural purposes at some time in the past, therefore no remnant tallgrass prairie exists on the refuge from which to rebuild the prairie. The original vegetation composition and structure of the refuge is uncertain, however a number of prairie remnants exist in the region that are examined and used to help guide restoration.

Currently, grasslands occupy approximately 1,883 acres at DeSoto in units scattered throughout the refuge. The majority of the grassland acres (1,171 ac) are in warm-season native species while the remainder (700 ac) is in non-native cool-season species and turf (12 ac). By the end of 2007, warm-season grassland acres will increase to 1,488 acres and cool season grasses will be reduced to 380 acres. The current goal is for the refuge to have approximately 2,800 acres of restored warm-season tallgrass prairie habitat by the end of 2010. At least 14 species of native grasses can be found in refuge grasslands with the dominant species being big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, indian grass, and Canada wild rye. In addition to native grasses, the refuge began adding a diverse mix of wildflowers and forbs to prairie restorations beginning in 2001. There are at least 160 species of native forbs and wildflowers found in refuge grasslands.

Grasslands are managed using prescribed fire and mowing. Fire is a natural process in the prairie and serves to return nutrients to the soil and kills invading trees and shrubs. Typically, prescribed fires are set in the spring but fall burns are not uncommon. Burns are carefully controlled so that only the intended areas are burned at the proper time of year.

Aquatic/Wetlands

DeSoto Lake is a 7-mile long oxbow created in 1960 when the Corps of Engineers excavated a shorter channel and constructed a levee to separate the new lake from the river. The lake encompasses 875 acres and averages about 800 feet wide and depths are typically 8-12 feet with the maximum depth at 26 feet. DeSoto Lake�s normal operating level is between 988.0 and 989.0 feet mean sea level. The lake receives surface runoff from approximately 16,000 acres of surrounding agricultural land via four drainage ditches that contribute to nutrient enrichment and sedimentation of this relatively shallow, eutrophic lake. The lake supports an abundance of game and non-game fish the most popular of which are crappie, walleye and catfish.

There are currently nearly 212 ac in 11 managed wetland and moist soil units on DeSoto, not including the lake. In addition, there are approximately 178 ac of unmanaged and ephemeral wetlands, chutes, drainage ditches and marsh/emergent vegetation. Two of the managed units are designated as moist soil units and are seasonally flooded with shallow water primarily for resting and foraging by ducks and shorebirds.

Cropland

Croplands comprise less than one-fifth of the acres at DeSoto. Refuge cropland has been farmed by local farmers with crop-sharing arrangements since 1959. In 1979, Refuge management began converting cropland from a conventional crop rotation to a low-input biological rotation. Conventional crop rotation consists of corn and soybeans in a two-year sequence. Biological crop rotation includes a forage legume, usually sweet clover, in a three-year rotation with corn and soybeans.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service policy restricts pesticide use on the Refuge. No insecticides and a limited number of herbicides are permitted for weed control. Restricting herbicide options encourages more use of mechanical tillage for weed control. Managing cropland in such a manner will reduce pesticide use, limiting potential contamination of ground and surface water.

Invasive Species

Smooth Brome Grass, Musk Thistle, Canada Thistle, Bush Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, Garlic Mustard and a number of other species are present in varying densities throughout the refuge. In well-established native grassland areas, many of these non-native species are present only in small patches. In units primarily made up of smooth brome or wheatgrass, and in newly established native grassland areas, musk and Canada thistles may occur in large, dense stands.

Since 2003, the refuge has been aggressively treating thistles and other invasive species and the effort is beginning to show around the refuge. Treatment of invasive thistles in high-diversity native grassland areas must be more selective by spot treatment with herbicides, mowing, or hand removal of patches to avoid destroying established native forbs. Once native species are well-established, they will generally out-compete non-natives and only spot infestations will need attention. Honeysuckle and autumn olive in wooded areas are being cut and stumps are treated with herbicide to prevent re-growth. Smooth brome grass is being replaced with warm-season native grasses. There is currently no effective means to control garlic mustard over such a large area, as nearly all forested acres contain this plant.

Since 1987, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program has worked with private landowners, tribal interests, organizations, local communities, and corporations to restore, enhance and protect important habitats on their properties for waterfowl and other migratory birds, songbirds, plants and native fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species. Participation is completely voluntary. Technical and financial assistance is available to help the private landowner with habitat projects. Some of the habitats that are restored and enhanced include; wetlands, grasslands, riparian corridors, and in-stream improvements.

There is no single agency or organization which can keep pace with the demand for habitat restoration on private lands. That's why the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program has teamed up with hundreds of local, state and national conservation organizations, and state and Federal agencies to develop a pro-active, voluntary approach to help the private landowner restore fish and wildlife habitats on their property. These partners have contributed funds, materials, equipment, labor and time to assist in the restoration of fish and wildlife habitats throughout the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region of the Upper Midwest (including western Iowa and eastern Nebraska).

How to get started:

1) If you have property in western Iowa or eastern Nebraska contact Steve Van Riper - Private Lands Specialist at (712) 642-4121, at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge. If you have property outside of this area, contact the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service office for your state. For Iowa call the Private Lands office at (515) 994-3400.

2) Discuss your project with a wildlife biologist and arrange for a site visit to your property.

3) Restoration plans can be designed and structured to meet your goals and the needs of fish and wildlife species on your land.

4) Financial assistance is available.