2700 Freeway Blvd #1000
Brooklyn Center, MN
55430-1779
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Minnesota Conservation Projects

	WILDLIFE FOREVER HELPS INVESTIGATE MOOSE MYSTERY In the mid-nineties, the moose population in northwestern Minnesota declined sharply, causing great concern for wildlife biologists. In Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge alone, moose numbers dropped from approximately 250 to 70. With support from Wildlife Forever, a four-year effort was launched to determine the cause of this decline. The first part of the project involved the capture and tagging of 60 female moose. A helicopter crew later captured 20 calves in several study areas. All moose were fitted with ear tags or radio collars, which signal if there is a prolonged period of inactivity. As the study progressed, biologists were able to eliminate some possibilities, such as bear and wolf predation. "Early on many people assumed moose numbers were declining due to increased predation," noted Agassiz NWR manager Anderson. "But the mortality analysis just doesn't support that." Instead, a disease/parasite complex was isolated as being the most common cause of death. Refuge biologists continue to analyze blood and tissue samples for more information on the disease and parasites and for ways in which to prevent it from causing further moose deaths.
	BIRDHOUSE PROJECT SPURS FUTURE CONSERVATIONISTS Eight civic and sportsmen’s groups in Minnesota sponsored “Partners in Conservation” events in their areas thanks to the support of Wildlife Forever. These events offered the opportunity for youth groups to build wood duck boxes, bluebird houses and bat houses. The young people then placed the new wildlife habitat structures in their neighborhoods. The project sent more than 400 wood duck boxes, 240 bluebird houses, and 240 bat houses into woodlands and wetlands across the state.
	120 ACRES ADDED TO PUBLIC LANDS Your support was part of a $10,000 matching grant that added more than 120 acres to an expanding wildlife habitat project in southern Minnesota. The additional land joined a 1,000 acre unit to create a unique roadless bluffland landscape. This tract was Minnesota’s first Resource Management Unit, a special designation that focuses on comprehensive system-wide land and water management. The parcel is open to the public for hunting and other outdoor recreational activities and is adjacent to Long Creek, a designated trout stream. Wildlife Forever partners on this project included the Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, the Ruffed Grouse Society plus local governments and sportsmen’s organizations. Since completion, private landowners in the area have expressed interest in joining the conservation effort.
	66 MORE ACRES OF PRIME AND PUBLIC HABITAT Minnesota has 66 more acres of prime and public upland habitat thanks in part to your support. John Murtaugh was an avid 32-year-old sportsman who was struck and killed by a hit and run driver while walking his hunting dog near his home. Family members decided the best way to preserve his memory would be to provide the public with property they could hunt. Your donations were a part of a $6,000 grant made to acquire the land. The newly acquired parcel was then donated to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and became a Wildlife Management Area. After the dedication, wild turkeys were released and are using the area. Next turkey season, put in for a tag that covers the public hunting land you helped create. It is in Goodhue County, near Hay Creek, on south Highway 58 between County Roads 3 and 4.