Indian Lake dedication in Minnesota celebrates a decade of public-lands conservation

Winthrop, Minn. — More than 100 residents, conservationists, and project partners attended a dedication June 21 at Minnesota’s Indian Lake Wildlife Management Area to commemorate more than a decade of wetland and grassland restoration.

The conservation work at Indian Lake WMA exemplifies how strong partnerships result in improved habitat for wildlife, increased hunting access, and more recreational opportunities on public land.

The event near Winthrop celebrated more than $4 million in conservation investments at the complex. The project is a major accomplishment for Ducks Unlimited’s Living Lakes Initiative, which has targeted the restoration of shallow lakes and wetlands in Minnesota and Iowa since 2004.

“Over 10 years ago, a landowner, Dave Muchow, contacted the Minnesota DNR about selling some of his land that bordered an access trail at Indian Lake,” said John Lindstrom, DU manager of conservation programs. “That first purchase led to four more from other landowners. We have restored wetland and upland habitats across many of these parcels, and it looks fantastic. The restored habitat helps buffer Indian Lake, too.

“There are all kinds of wildlife using the lake and the restored properties,” Lindstrom said. “We have heard a lot of good things from hunters and birdwatchers about the current state of the WMA.”

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Historically, Indian Lake, a state-designated wildlife management lake, once hosted many waterfowl, particularly diving ducks. However, conditions deteriorated over time due to high water levels, watershed changes, and undesirable fish, including carp.

Ducks Unlimited, the Minnesota DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, private landowners, and many other organizations and foundations worked to restore Indian Lake WMA. With funding from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, a new water-control structure and outlet pipeline were constructed so that DNR site managers could perform temporary water-level drawdowns of Indian Lake.

Drawdowns allow sediments to consolidate and native plants to grow, which waterfowl use as a food source when the shallow lake and surrounding wetlands return to full pool. Drawdowns can also help remove carp and other undesirable fish.

“When my father and I acquired the land (bordering Indian Lake), we farmed it for years, but in the back of my mind I knew that somehow I would restore it to prairie one day,” said Muchow, who grew up hunting ducks and pheasants on the WMA. “As a scientist, my life’s work was research and medicine. Farming was a nice second job, but hunting and the outdoors were my passions. I feel privileged and grateful to have succeeded in initiating the restoration of Indian Lake.

“All the organizations that worked, planned, and contributed vast efforts and money have surpassed anything I, or my family, would have thought possible,” he said.

Starting in 2017, DU acquired five separate properties that have been added to Indian Lake WMA, expanding the site to more than 600 acres. Each tract was restored and enhanced, providing nesting habitat for waterfowl and other grassland-dependent birds. The restored wetlands are also critical for ducks during the migration, providing habitat in the fall and also in spring, on their return flight to the breeding grounds.

“DU and the DNR took a small WMA on an unmanaged lake and turned it into a premier shallow lake surrounded by a prairie pothole complex full of quality wetlands,” said Joe Stengel, the DNR’s acting wildlife regional manager. “It only took us a decade to transform Indian Lake WMA, which probably seems prolonged to most, but in the world of wetland conservation, that’s a fast turnaround. We would not have been able to do that without the help of the landowners and the many agencies and organizations that partnered with us.”