New Report Will Serve as Blueprint to Conserve Streams and Rivers in the Northern Prairie Region

Minneapolis, MN – January 27, 2005 -- The native aquatic plants and animals in watersheds of the northern prairie region may be protected and restored by focusing conservation action at key sites, a new report released today by The Nature Conservancy suggests. The report comes at a critical time. More than 95 percent of the original native tallgrass prairie and savanna that once stretched across portions of the region has been lost, significantly degrading water quality and the health of aquatic life in streams and rivers.

The product represents an unprecedented effort that transcends state and international boundaries, integrating data from numerous sources. The result? A set of 27 stream and river systems reflecting the top priorities for aquatic conservation in parts of the Red River of the North, Missouri, and Upper Mississippi River watersheds.

“This report will help guide our conservation work,” said Meredith Cornett, Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy. “Working with partners, we hope to build a foundation for protecting the native plants and animals in these critical streams and rivers. Focusing our collective efforts on the most ecologically important sites will have the greatest impact for aquatic life.”

The Nature Conservancy worked with numerous partners to prioritize areas for aquatic conservation in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion, which includes parts of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, and Iowa. With the help of 36 aquatic biologists, hydrologists, and conservation experts representing 24 agencies, universities, and private organizations, stream and river systems in the ecoregion were analyzed and prioritized for conservation action.

Currently, some 29 fish and mollusk species of international, federal, state, or provincial protected status occur within the sites identified for conservation action.

“Although much of the original aquatic habitat has been altered,” said Phil Gerla, The Nature Conservancy's Conservation Hydrologist and an associate professor at the University of North Dakota, “We still have opportunities to protect and restore the region's streams and rivers for future generations.”

Several highlights emerged from the assessment as systems of exceptionally high ecological value, including the Sheyenne River, the Big Sioux and Rock Rivers, the James River, the Otter Tail/Pelican Rivers, the Pembina River, and portions of the Red River. These systems received a high rating by experts because they host examples of important animal and plant populations.

The report offers descriptions of all 27 priority conservation areas, details of the assessment process, interactive maps, and data sets. To view the entire report, please visit http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/minnesota/news/news1653.html

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 100 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.