St. Croix WMD |
District Fact Sheet
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District Facts
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Established: 1992
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Acres: 6,760 on 40 WPAs and 15 easements
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Manages Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) in seven counties
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Waterfowl Production Areas are purchased with Federal Duck Stamp receipts
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WPAs range from 22 to 485 acres in size
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District includes Burnett, Washburn, Polk, Barron, St. Croix, Dunn, Pierce and Pepin counties
Financial Impact
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Six-person staff
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11,000 visitors annually
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FY 2006 budget: $699,000
Natural History
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District lies on the eastern edge of the prairie pothole region and covers one of the most important waterfowl breeding areas of Wisconsin
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Wildlife common to the district include waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland and forest songbirds, deer, otter, mink, muskrat, and wild turkey
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WPAs are a mosaic of wetlands and grassland habitats essential to breeding waterfowl and other migratory birds.
District Objectives
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Provide high quality habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds with an emphasis on grassland birds
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Work cooperatively with all units of government, conservation organizations and private citizens to restore wildlife habitat on WPAs and private land
Management Tools
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Wetland and prairie grassland restoration on new WPAs and private land
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Prescribed burning to restore and maintain grassland habitats and reduce encroaching woody vegetation
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Mowing grasslands to control encroaching woody vegetation and reduce weed competition on newly planted native prairie
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Land acquisition to protect, restore and preserve prairie wetland habitat for waterfowl
Public Use Opportunities
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Hunting, fishing and trapping
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Wildlife observation and photography
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Environmental education and interpretation
