Nongame Wildlife - Northwest Region
Christine Herwig, Nongame Wildlife Specialist
Phone: 218-308-2641
Email: christine.herwig@state.mn.us
2115 Birchmont Beach Road NE
Bemidji, MN 56601
The Northwest Region includes 23 counties and is the confluence of all four major biomes of Minnesota; the tallgrass aspen parkland, prairie parkland, the laurentian mixed forest and the eastern broadleaf forest. It includes the historic Red River Valley with its agricultural expanses and native prairie fragments, the majestic pines of the Itasca and Bemidji areas, the brush lands of the far northwest, the vast forested peatlands, as well as the scenic Red Lakes, and Lake of the Woods.
Nongame fauna includes a large number of reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, mammals, and invertebrates such as butterflies, dragonflies and mussels. Birds of note are the bald eagle, common loon, osprey, prairie chicken and sandhill crane.
Nongame services include:
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technical services for the off-highway vehicle forest classification effort
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providing endangered and nongame species information to professionals in and outside the DNR
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participation in community activities such as birding festivals and field trips
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creation of opportunities like the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail
Projects done by the Nongame staff, focus on habitat restoration and improvement for nongame species such as placement of loon and osprey platforms, and prescribed burning. Survey efforts include monitoring of endangered species, and keeping records on the more common nongame species such as bluebird and common loon. Also, included are rehabilitation of injured wildlife and administration of falconry activities.
Projects in the Northwest
Habitat Preservation in the Northwest
- Shelley Island Wildlife Management Area
- Big Sugarbush Lake Wildlife Management Area
- Carmen Borgerding Wildlife Management Area
- Dugdale Wildlife Management Area
- Angle Island Wildlife Management Area
- Big Turtle Lake Aquatic Management Area
- Shell Lake Aquatic Management Area