DU Landholdings in South Dakota

By Randy Meidinger
Manager of Conservation Programs - SD Land Management

Ducks Unlimited currently owns and manages about 17,300 acres of land in South Dakota. These landholdings, comprised of 10 different parcels, are scattered throughout the Missouri Coteau in McPherson (10,420 acres), Edmunds (4,420 acres), Hyde (2,060 acres), and Sandborn (400 acres) Counties. Many of these acres only will be in DU ownership for a short period of time; typically between one and six years, depending upon the amount of restoration work that needs to be done.

One special tract of land will remain under DU ownership for long-term management and research purposes: DU’s flagship property, the 9,455-acre Goebel Ranch. Straddling the McPherson-Edmunds County line and located in the heart of the Missouri Coteau, this property is a breeding waterfowl’s paradise. Goebel Duck Banding totals (02-05).pdf Nearly one thousand wetlands on the Goebel Ranch, surrounded by grasslands stretching from horizon to horizon, welcome migrating waterfowl as they make their return trip to the breeding grounds each spring. Nesting Research Update

Through DU’s Grassland for Tomorrow Initiative, DU buys, restores, and then protects land with permanent easements that prevent wetlands and grasslands from future drainage and tillage. DU only purchases, from willing owners, land considered critical breeding waterfowl habit, typically attracting more than 80 breeding pairs each year. Once the land has been restored and the easements are in place, some of the land will be sold back into private ownership or to a public agency.

Unlike funding for traditional DU projects, all of the dollars used to acquire properties are obtained from gifts specified for land purchase. Additionally, dollars generated from each land sale are then used to purchase other critical breeding waterfowl habitat on the market that is deemed to be under threat.

Most parcels of land owned by DU are open to the public for hunting access while in DU ownership. Hundreds of hunters from South Dakota and many other states take the opportunity each year to enjoy recreating on DU properties. Recreational opportunities on DU-owned properties may range from a misty morning duck hunt on a secluded pond, to an afternoon walk through a cattail marsh for pheasants, to a carefully planed evening stalk of a bedded white-tailed buck, or a casual hike across the hills of the prairie in pursuit of the elusive sharp-tailed grouse.

DU has conducted fall banding operations for the past four years to help understand where some of the ducks raised on the Goebel Ranch are spending their winters, and what routes they are taking to get there. Hunter recoveries from ducks banded at the Goebel Ranch indicate birds were harvested in all four flyways, 23 states, and five Central and South American countries. The data retrieved from this banding effort exemplifies the national and international importance to waterfowl of the Goebel Ranch and all of the remaining prairie grasslands in the Dakotas. (Show side bar of Band Recovery Map).

While under DU ownership, the various tracts of land are managed to benefit waterfowl including restoring any drained wetlands and reseeding any grassland that has been converted to cropland. In the first five years of managing DU-owned lands, 40 drained basins have been restored and enhanced (141 total wetland acres) and 645 acres of cropland have been seeded to perennial grasses and forbs. In the next two years, an additional 900 acres of cropland will be seeded back to a native plant community. Ducks Unlimited uses a combination of biological, chemical, and mechanical methods to keep weeds in control and to maintain healthy native prairie plant and wildlife populations.

DU manages these acres with a balanced approach of rotational grazing, haying, season-long idling of the land, and prescribed burning. The over two dozen local ranchers who rent DU-owned land, follow DU’s management guidelines to ensure that healthy and favorable habitat conditions exist for both waterfowl and livestock production. In a typical year, only about 15 percent of DU lands managed by grazing livestock are being impacted at any given time throughout the growing season. Additionally, less than 50 percent of the managed rangelands are grazed during the duck-nesting season from April through July, and any haying activities are not conducted until late July or August.

Resting, or idling, of land is also a beneficial practice used to manage grassland acres. Nearly 15 percent of all grazing lands and over 60 percent of all haylands managed by DU remain idle each year. Resting land promotes a healthy ecosystem by allowing the flora and fauna to complete an entire annual cycle without any major disturbance. However, allowing grasslands to remain idle for a prolonged period of time actually contributes to a decline in the health and productivity of these diverse communities. Ducks and other plant and animal species evolved with habitat disturbance on the prairie, be it from immense herds of nomadic grazing bison, or from wildfires that raced across the vast prairie grasslands. These natural disturbances rejuvenated grasslands and helped maintain the health and balance of the prairie ecosystem.

Prescribed burns are another land management option DU has chosen to use to improve and maintain many acres of native grasslands in DU ownership. Generally, about three prescribed fires affecting no more than 640 total acres are conducted a year on DU properties.

The purchase, management, and protection of critical waterfowl breeding habitat and the eventual sale of these properties is just one of the promising methods DU is employing to help ensure some of the best remaining prairie grasslands, that are so critical for waterfowl and beef production, are preserved for many generations of wildlife, sportsmen, and ranchers alike.