This is the twenty-third diary in my Expanding the National Parks System series. if you are interested in earlier entries, links to them will be included at the bottom of this diary. This time, I'm exploring Minnesota, the land of 10000 Lakes. Minnesota has 5.6% of its land owned by the feds, which is tied with Wisconsin for 24th, slight;y ahead of Kentucky and slightly behind South Dakota. It currently has 1 national park, 2 national monuments, 2 national forests, 13 wildlife refuges, a 2 historic sites. I will be proposing new monuments to add to Minnesota's tally.
Minnesota
Total Area 86 936 sq miles
Land Area 79 627 sq miles
Water area 7 309 sq miles
Coastline 189 miles
Additional monuments-4
ADDITIONAL MONUMENTS-4
* Boundary Waters - Estimated area 2 million acres-3125 sq miles -twice the size of Rhode Island
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A map of the current Boundary Water wilderness is shown above
Would set aside roughly half of Superior National Forest, and surround the 1.1 million acre Boundary Waters wilderness area with nearly 1 million acres of further protected lands. Monument status carries stronger protections than forests do, and development in and around the forest is a concern, that monument status would address.
* Mississippi River Headwaters Estimated areas 75000 acres
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Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River, is shown above
Would incorporate parts of Itasca State park and Mississippi Headwaters state forest as a national monument preserving the area that begets the Mississippi River. while part of the area is already protected on the state level, federal protection would guarantee the areas permanent protection, as federal spending isn't limited by balanced budget requirement as state budgets are.
* Great Lakes Marine Proposed Area 39,000,000 acres or 61000 sq miles(In MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH PA and NY)
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The Lakes are shown above in a photo
Would Set aside the portions of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron Erie and Ontario within the borders of the Great Lake States (including Minnesota) as a marine Monument, protecting the lakes from being drawn off by thirsty states outside of the watersheds, and preventing drilling in the lakes themselves. this action will not apply to the Canadian portions of Superior, Huron, Ontario and Erie, as US monument designations only apply to areas owned by the US
* Mississippi Bluffs
protects the bluffs along the Mississippi in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. created during the last ice age as the Mississippi slowly cut down through the rock, the bluffs are currently at risk from sand fracking, particularly in Wisconsin. protecting the area as a monument will ensure the bluffs remain for future generations to enjoy. Estimated area 1 million acres- roughly the size of Rhode Island
EXISTING AREAS
NATIONAL PARKS-1
* Voyaguers Established 1975 Covers 218 200 acres
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Voyaguers is shown above in autumn
Located near International Falls on the US-Canadian border, the park is named after Voyaguers- the French fur traders who were the first to extensively explore the area. the park was established in 1975 and is the state's only national park to date. It was first proposed as a park in 1891 but it wasnt made a reality until legislation was signed into law in 1971. It contains 4 major lakes (Kabetogama, Namakan, Rainy, and Sand Point), three of which lie on the border. Snowmobiling is permitted during the winter on the frozen lakes. 177000 people visited the park in 2011.
NATIONAL MONUMENTS -2
* Grand Portage Established 1958 Covers 710 acres
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the Great Hall, part of the monument, is shown above
Located near the Canadian border, Portage lies on the land of the Grand Portage Ojibwe Preservation. the reconstructed depot on the celebrate celebrates the long history of trade in region, as Portage was a important trading spot where explorers would bring furs to be shipped to markets elsewhere. the area was first designated as an historic site in 1951 then elevated to monument status in 1958. it is the larger of Minnesota's 2 monuments. nearly 70000 people visited in 2007.
* Pipestone Established 1937 Covers 282 acres
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a quarry located in the Pipestone national monument is shown above
Set aside by Congress in 1937, the monument protects the pipestone, or Catlinite, quarries near the border with South Dakota. the rock was used to make ceremonial peace pipes, and pipemaking has gone on in the region for centuries, and ceremonial pipes made of pipestone have been found in burial mounds all over the country. the land making up the current monument was bought in 1893 by the government and the legislation that created the monument returned quarrying rights to the tribes, today only those of Native American ancestry are allowed to quarry for the rock in the monument. Most of the monument -260 acres- has been restored to the tallgrass prairie that once covered much of the Plains. Nearly 70000 people visited the monument in 2005.
NATIONAL FORESTS -2
* Chippewa Established 1908 Covers 666623 acres
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the area covered by Chippewa NF is shown above
The smaller and older of Minnesota two national forests, Chippewa actually has a approved boundary of 1.6 million acres, yet only two-thirds of a million acres are officially managed by the Forest Service. The forest was first established as the Minnesota Forest Reserve in 1902 then renamed as a National Forest in 1908. the Forest to renamed to honor the Chippewa whose lands originally made up the forest lands. Today 75% of the forest lies on the land of the Leech lake Indian Reservation. Some of the oldest trees in the state are located in an area of the forest called the " Lost Forty", a patch of land that was mistakenly mapped as part of a lake and thus was never logged. Less than 2% of the forests in the state are Old-growth, making the trees in the Lost Forty' an important treasure. Chippewa Forest contain Camp Rabideau, one of the last CCC camps still in existence and open to the public. The forest contained 23 CCC camps between 1933-42.
* Superior Established 1909 Covers 3,900,000 acres
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Eagle Mountain, the highest point in the state, is located in Superior NF and is shown above
The Larger and younger of Minnesota's NFs, Superior is one of the most visited national forests in the country, largely due to the Boundary Waters Wilderness area. Superior is also the 4th largest in the country in area (Only Tongass, Humboldt-Toiyable and Chugach are bigger). Much of the forest was shaped by glaciers during the last ice Age, many of the depressions left filled with water and formed lakes. The forest has over 2000 lakes, and also contains Eagle Mountain the tallest point in Minnesota at 2301 feet.
WILDLIFE REFUGES-13
* Agassiz Established 1937 Covers 61500 acres
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Marshes and woodlands within the refuge are shown above
The largest refuge in the state, and the largest entirely within Minnesota, Agassiz was originally established as Mud Lake WR and was host to a CCC camp during the Depression. 4000 acres was set aside as wilderness in 1976, and 20000 people visit the refuge annually.
* Big Stone Established 1975 Covers 11521 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
the Minnesota River flows through the refuge in the above picture
Located near the South Dakota border, Big Stone preserves some of the last remaining tallgrass prairie in the country. Big Stone manages Northern Tallgrass Prairie WR, and has 30000 visitors a year.
* Crane Meadows Established 1992 Covers 13540 acres
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Sherbrune complex, a part of the Crane Meadows refuge, is shown Above
Set aside to protect a rare sand plain wetland, Crane meadows, covers a wide variety of areas, from wetland to meadow to forest. it is one of the largest intact sedge meadow wetlands in the state. Currently covers over 2000 acres, plans call for it to grow to nearly 14000 acres.
* Glacial Ridge Established 2004 Covers 37756 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Part of the Glacial Ridge refuge is shown above
The youngest refuge in the state, Glacial Ridge is an effort to restore northern tallgrass prairie to areas where it existed before human development. the refuge currently covers over 2000 acres although plans call for it to reach nearly 38000.
* Hamden Slough Established 1989 Covers 5944 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
A Sign near the boundary of the refuge is shown above
set aside to preserve habitat for species such as the greater prairie chicken, Hamden Slough, is located near Audubon, a town named for famed conservationist and painter John James Audubon. When at its full size the refuge will cover nearly 6000 acres.
* Mille Lacs Established 1915 Covers 0.6 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Part of Mille Lacs refuge is shown above
The Oldest and by far the smallest refuge in the state, Mille Lac is also the smallest refuge in the entire Wildlife Refuge System. Established to provide habitat for common terns, a state endangered species, the refuge consists of two small islands, Hennepin and Spirit. To protect the birds and their habitat, the refuge is closed to the public.
* Minnesota Valley Established 1976 Covers 11012 acres
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a map of the refuge is shown above
One of just 4 refuges located in urban areas, Minnesota Valley is split into 8 units(Black Dog,Bloomington Ferry, Chaska, Long Meadow Lake, Louisville Swamp, Rapids Lake, Upgrala, and Wilkie) Ranging from 400 acres to 2600 acres in size. lands have since been added raising the refuges area to over 14000 acres.
* Northern Tallgrass Prairie Established 2000 Covers 1800 acres (in IA and MN)
http://www.fws.gov/...
Part of the prairie in the refuge is shown above
Established in 2000 to protect the remaining tracts of Tallgrass prairie in both Iowa and Minnesota, the refuges goal is to protect about a quarter of the 300000 remaining acres of tallgrass prairie in those 2 states. currently the refuge covers over 5000 acres, most of it in Minnesota, with more land being bought each year. It will be likely decades before the refuge reaches its full size. the refuge is managed by Big Stone WR.
* Rice Lake Established 1935 Covers 18208 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Birds take flight from a spot near the Kettle River inside the refuge
The Third-oldest refuge in the state, the refuge is considered a Globally Important birding Area due to the large concentrations of ring-necked ducks who call the lake within the refuge home. the refuges has expanded since its creation to cover more than 18000 acres. Rick Lake also manages Mille Lacs WR.
* Rydell Established 1992 Covers 2120 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Birds swim in the bog inside Rydell Wildlife Refuge
Home to nearly 200 species of birds, Lydell is located in the northwestern corner of the state. split between forests and bogs, the refuge receives about 8000 visitors each year and is home to species like trumpeter swans, bald eagles and ospreys.
* Sherburne Established 1965 Covers 30700 acres
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The St Francis River, part of the refuge, is shown above
Long inhabited by native tribes, what is now Sherburne was first developed by Europeans in the 1870s . Logging and development altrered the topography of the area, and efforts to conserve and restore the area were first undertaken by Minnesota's department of Conservation in the 1940s, but the state found it did not have the money needed to buy up and restore the land. the state asked the FWS to step in in 1960 and in 1965 FWS agreed and established the refugee, which has since grown to over 30000 acres, making it currently the 4th largest refuge in the state.
* Tamarac Established 1938 Covers 42724 acres
http://www.fws.gov/...
Birds swim on one of the lakes in Tamarac refuge in the above picture
The Second largest refuge in the state and the 4th oldest. Tamarac was established bt President Roosevelt in 1938 as a preserve for wildlife. the CCC was instrumental in establishimg much of the refuges early infrastructure, including trails. a small portion of the refuge is classed as wilderness, near the refuges northern-most border.
* Upper Mississippi River Established 1924 Covers 240000 acres (In IA IL MN and WI)
http://www.fws.gov/...
Part of the Mississippi River flows through the refuge in the above picture
One of only two refuges to extend into 4 states (Silvio O Conte in New England is the other), Upper Mississippi River is the second oldest refuge in Minnesota and was declared a Ramsar Wetland in 2010. Minnesota has the third-most land in the refuge, 34000 acres, behind Wisconsin and Iowa and slightly ahead of Illinois in acreage. Efforts are ongoing to conserve more land in the 4 states and the area covered by the refuge is expected to grow in the future.
HISTORIC SITES AND OTHER NPS UNITS-2
* Mississippi River RA Established 1988 Covers 53775 acres
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Saint Anthony Falls, part of the RA, is shown above
Established to preserve portions of the upper Mississippi, MRRA is different from other kinds of parks in that it does not own much of the land within the boundaries of the park, or have control over development within the park. Tee NPS works with state and other asgencies as well as private landowners to maintain the area as close to its current state as possible. nearly 100000 people visited the area in 2011.
* Saint Croix NSR Established 1968 Covers 92738 acres (in MN and WI)
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The Saint Croix River is shown above flowing through Taylor Falls Minnesota
One of the first National Wild and Scenic Rivers established by Congress, it protects over 250 miles of river on the St Croix (on the MN/WI border) and Namekagon (in WI) rivers. Most of the land within the riverway lies in Wisconsin, Minnesota's portions lie within 3 counties on its side of the river. more than half million vistors visited the riverway in 2005.
Thus concludes my journeys in Minnesota. next time I'll be down in the Deep South visiting Mississippi, with places like Vicksburg, the Gulf and Theodore Roosevelt NF on my to-see list . As Always, Comments and input are welcome.For those interested in prior diaries the Links are below.
Prior Diaries
1.Alabama
2 Alaska
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3 Arizona
http://www.dailykos.com/....
4 Arkansas
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5 California
6 Colorado
7 Connecticut
.
8 Delaware
9 Florida
10 Georgia
11 Hawaii
12 Idaho
13 Illinois
14 Indiana
15 Iowa
16 Kansas
17 Kentucky
18 Louisiana
19 Maine
20 Maryland
21 Massachusetts
22 Michigan
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