Land Use Management

`	Land Use Management
INTRODUCTION \| Training Mission \| BACKGROUND \| Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan \| Cooperative Agreements \| Organization/Staffing \| PROGRAM SUMMARY \| SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS \| Overall Conservation Mgmt \| Ecosystem Mgmt \| Forest Mgmt \| Land Use Mgmt \| Wildlife Mgmt \| Pest Mgmt \| Conservation Education \| Community Relations \| Mission Enhancement \| Environmental Enhancement \| Natural Resource Compliance Program \| CONCLUSION \| Home
	Land use studies have dramatically increased the amount of land area available to trainers while ensuring that integrity of the natural systems is retained. Tactical Concealment Area Demonstration: Through a partnership with the US Army Environmental Center and National Guard Bureau, Camp Ripley was selected to serve as one of four demonstration sites in tactical concealment planning. A 9 square kilometer area was identified in 1997 and is currently under construction (Figure 5). Results of the project will assist the Army in developing tactical concealment guidelines.

	Tactical Vehicle Study: Through a partnership with the University of Minnesota, a two-year study was conducted to determine the effects of tactical (tracked and wheeled) vehicles on soils and vegetation. The study, completed in March 1997, provided scientific information about soil compaction and sensitivity levels of several tree species subject to high military use. The study also provided a basis for enhancing existing bivouac areas based on military trainers’ recommendations for access, cover type, and trail systems. New bivouac areas have also been created to relieve other areas from the pressure of repeated use, and will be monitored into the future to gauge success of the program.

	Wildlife Management
INTRODUCTION \| Training Mission \| BACKGROUND \| Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan \| Cooperative Agreements \| Organization/Staffing \| PROGRAM SUMMARY \| SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS \| Overall Conservation Mgmt \| Ecosystem Mgmt \| Forest Mgmt \| Land Use Mgmt \| Wildlife Mgmt \| Pest Mgmt \| Conservation Education \| Community Relations \| Mission Enhancement \| Environmental Enhancement \| Natural Resource Compliance Program \| CONCLUSION \| Home
	Inventories in 1991 and 1992 identified numerous protected plant and animal species at Camp Ripley. These surveys provided the foundation for several detailed studies about relationships between military activities and sensitive species at Camp Ripley. Federally protected species identified include the gray wolf (Figure 11) and bald eagle, and state protected species include the red-shouldered hawk, yellow rail, hooded warbler (Figure 9), Blanding’s turtle (Figure 8), snapping turtle, prairie vole, two species of mussel, two species of tiger beetle, and several plant species including butternut, bog bluegrass, and the tubercled rein-orchid. Following are details about projects completed in the past 3 years.

	*Red-shouldered Hawk Project*

	A project studying this state protected species was completed in 1996. Camp Ripley was found to contain the highest known density of this species in Minnesota. Twenty-seven nests were monitored, and a management plan was produced that included numerous recommendations for forest management on Camp Ripley. The project demonstrated excellent interagency cooperation between the University of Minnesota, the MN DNR, and the DMA. Two Master’s degrees were produced at the University of Minnesota through the project, and a detailed set of forest management recommendations have been implemented since 1997.

	*Gray Wolf Project*

	Figure 6. GPS relocations and route of an alpha female wolf at Camp Ripley, from 3/31 - 7/9/97; locations once per 4 hours.

Uses new technologies to enhance the conservation program. The project used first-of-their-kind Global Positioning Systems (GPS) radiocollars to study wolf movements. Thousands of accurate wolf locations have been viewed and analyzed through GIS. This project has been exceptionally inexpensive because of an arrangement between MN DNR and the GPS collar manufacturer, which greatly discounts equipment used at Camp Ripley as part of its product development expenses. Two sample maps show the type of data it is possible to collect with this technology. The first (Figure 6) shows a cluster of wolf locations in an area that was the wolves’ den; identifying this cluster allowed protection of the area.

	Figure 7. Dispersal route of a male wolf from Camp Ripley, from 3/2 - 7/27/98; locations once per 3 hours.

The second (Figure 7) shows the travel route of a wolf that dispersed from Camp Ripley and then returned. The path of this wolf, through agricultural and other private lands, illustrates how this technology provide a landscape context for work conducted at Camp Ripley, as well as having state- and region-wide importance. This technology has also been used at Camp Ripley for projects on white-tailed deer and black bears. Another technological development has been the use of helicopter net-gunning to capture wolves and deer. This method is quick, safe for captured animals, and inexpensive.

Integrates threatened and endangered species issues with the military mission. Data from GPS collars help understand how wolves respond to military activities. This study has clearly documented compatibility between wolves (a "sensitive" wilderness species) and a wide variety of military activities. It has also shown wolves to be much more adaptable to human activities in general than was previously thought.

	Provides protection to a Federal and State listed species. Through this study, wolf dens and rendez-vous sites have been located and protected. This protection has ensured compliance with the Endangered Species Act and survival of the Camp Ripley gray wolf population. Places Camp Ripley at the forefront of an important management issue. The Fish Wildlife Service expects to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list in Minnesota in 1999. This study provides information vital to the process of establishing new management guidelines for the State of Minnesota. Because of this study, the Camp Ripley environmental supervisor is on the roundtable committee that is currently making recommendations about gray wolf management in Minnesota to the State Department of Natural Resources. Numerous television, radio, magazine, and newspaper accounts have increased visibility of the project. There have also been several scientific papers produced, and others are in preparation as part of a Ph.D. dissertation by Camp Ripley Wildlife Biologist Sam Merrill. Demonstrates cooperation with other agencies. Partnerships with the National Biological Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University of Minnesota, and especially the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have been critical to the success of this project. Further, a local school district has contributed $8,000 to the project. In return, students are able to shadow staff biologists and learn a range of field techniques. Further, data and maps are made available to a network of connected schools in the research program.

	*Blanding’s Turtle Project*

	Provides protection to a State threatened species. This two-year study, completed in December 1997, was intended to locate and protect wetland areas critical to reproductive success of the Camp Ripley Blanding's turtle population. Biologists located and protected over 30 Blanding's turtle nest sites, and wetlands of known importance to the Blanding's turtle population have been posted as off limits to vehicular maneuvers. These protections have ensured compliance with state regulations and survival of the Camp Ripley Blanding's turtle population.

	Figure 8. Blanding’s Turtle at Camp Ripley.

Uses new technologies to enhance the conservation program. The project used over 40 radiotransmitters on turtles at Camp Ripley. Telemetry data were analyzed in a sophisticated GIS environment. This helped in creating a management plan for this species on the base. In addition, two Master’s theses were produced through this project; these documents greatly increase Camp Ripley’s ability to properly manage resident Blanding's turtles (Figure 8).

Provides context for landscape-scale management of a scarce resource. Offshoots of this project have included similar projects in adjacent land units by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and The Nature Conservancy. This team of researchers is providing a landscape scale picture of Blanding's turtle population status and relationships to human structures and activities. The combined efforts represent a progressive, integrated approach to multiple-use management strategies.

Demonstrates cooperation with other agencies. Partnerships with the University of North Dakota and the Minnesota DNR have been critical to the success of this project.

	*Black Bear Project*

	In response to a large increase in nuisance bear activity near troops in training, a research project was conducted and a management plan was developed for black bears at Camp Ripley. The bear population on the post was estimated at 20-25 bears, and through detailed radiotelemetry efforts it was found that over 80% of the nuisance activity was being caused by just two bears. Harvesting efforts were increased near the base and these two bears were harvested by hunters the following year. Since then there have been very few nuisance bear reports. Radiotelemetry on black bear has continued through 1998 and is now being supplemented with GPS and satellite radiocollars in addition to conventional collars. The combined data sets demonstrate the value of practical, applied wildlife research in management of military training lands. One Master’s degree was produced at the University of Minnesota through the project.

	*Other Projects*

	Other projects conducted by Environmental office staff or contracted out to specialists include studies on hooded warblers (Figure 9), loons, waterfowl, bitterns, rails, owls, songbirds, bats, snakes, frogs, salamanders, voles, jumping spiders, dragonflies, butterflies, mussels, fishes, and aquatic invertebrates. Many of these studies have focused exclusively on relationships between military activities and protected wildlife species.

Figure 9. A male Hooded Warbler at its nest at Camp Ripley, one of two known nesting areas in Minnesota for this state protected species.

Also, as part of a state-wide research effort through the MN DNR, a two-year study is just beginning (January 1999) on white-tailed deer habitat associations and movements at Camp Ripley. The study will dovetail with the gray wolf project and provide valuable information about this important predator-prey dynamic. The overriding message produced through these studies is compatibility and the mutual benefit wildlife and military troops and trainers receive from quality habitat.

	Figure 5. Demonstration map from the Tactical Concealment Project under construction.