Guest Editorial
Profitable Ag , Abundant Wildlife , Not One Without the Other by Gary Masching
T he above headline is taken from a monument at the Chase Lake Wildlife refuge east of Medina , North Dakota .
The Chase Lake Prairie Project was dedicated back in 1989 . It was established to enhance wildlife on public and private land , provide landowner incentives for sound soil and water management and provide increased public awareness of the value of healthy land and water .
The overall philosophy was that landowners and wildlife can flourish together . Since that time , I ’ ve seen wildlife habitat diminish across our state . Accordingly , so have wildlife numbers of various species . It concerns me and at times makes my heart sad . I ’ ve learned from my travels around North Dakota , and by speaking with folks , that some things are out of balance .
For example we ’ ve lost 75 percent of our prairie grasses . We ’ ve lost 60 percent of our prairie wetlands . The state bird , the western meadowlark declines by 1 percent per year , and sage grouse are all but gone in southwest North Dakota .
Take a look at North Dakota deer tags available this year , and you ’ ll see a major decline . If all that doesn ’ t alarm you , it should . There are some areas in North Dakota where you don ’ t see meadowlarks anymore . Other areas where there was once sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chickens , today no more . That should be concerning .
So what are some solutions ? We all need to ask ourselves ... what have we done for soil health lately , and what have we done for wildlife habitat ? The ND Game & Fish Department has many habitat programs available , among them the Meadowlark Initiative . There ’ s also the Dakota Legacy Initiative , which to my understanding is a website where landowners can go for conserva-
Rick Bohn photo .
Page 8 , Dakota Country , September 2024 www . dakotacountrymagazine . com