Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, located in central

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, USA, was established in 1992 to preserve a large, natural

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

complex. It is an essential stop for many species of migrating birds. Located within a large

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

that includes Rice, Skunk and Mud Lakes, Platte and Skunk Rivers, Rice and Buckman Creeks, and sedge meadow wetlands, it harbors one of the largest nesting populations of

greater sandhill crane The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large Crane (bird), crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sa ...

s in Minnesota. Habitats include native tallgrass prairie,

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

and wetlands with

wild rice Wild rice, also called manoomin, Canada rice, Indian rice, or water oats, is any of four species of grasses that form the genus ''Zizania'', and the grain that can be harvested from them. The grain was historically gathered and eaten in both ...

stands. With a total authorized acquisition boundary of encompassing this important wetland complex and adjacent uplands, the refuge exists as scattered parcels totaling about . Existing ownership lies in Little Falls and Agram townships in Morrison County. The refuge is the base for the Federal Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Morrison County, which focuses on restoring drained wetlands through voluntary agreements with landowners.

References

External links

* {{authority control National Wildlife Refuges in Minnesota Protected areas of Morrison County, Minnesota Protected areas established in 1992 Wetlands of Minnesota Landforms of Morrison County, Minnesota Meadows in the United States