umr Projects

Tallgrass Aspen Parkland Restoration

Our Goals
Conserving and managing critical bird and wildlife habitat of the Tallgrass Aspen Parklands and Prairie Parklands ecoregions in Minnesota to create a more diverse, resilient, and productive habitat for grassland birds and endemic prairie species.
What We’re Doing
We work with federal and state partners to manage permanently protected critical bird and wildlife habitat of the Tallgrass Aspen Parklands and Prairie Parklands ecoregions in northwest Minnesota.
Tallgrass Aspen Parklands

The Tallgrass Aspen Parklands (TAP) is a globally unique transition zone between the eastern forests and the western prairies—northwest Minnesota is the only area in the country in which this type of habitat is found. 

Grassland birds are in steep decline nationally including the Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater Prairie Chicken, and American Bittern depend on the grassland and wetland habitat present in the TAP to maintain stable populations.  

We work closely with partners to help manage prairie and wetland habitats on public lands. We have also worked with landowners and Minnesota Land Trust to protect high quality habitat with permanent conservation easements on 921 acres since 2018!

Funding is also available for habitat restoration or management on lands with permanent conservation easements or on public lands. This program strives to give landowners another land conservation option to preserve the integrity of their land for the future in addition to a financial incentive.
Project Lead
Alex Wardwell

Alex Wardwell

Prairie Project Specialist

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