Clebrating 75 years of WMAs
The timeline below highlights key milestones in the evolution of Minnesota's wildlife management areas.
1940s
State and federal farm policies are initiated, encouraging landowners to drain wetlands to boost crop production. These policies affect vital wildlife habitat and the land’s ability to filter runoff, reduce flooding and support wildlife.
From 1945-50, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that marshes in Minnesota's farming region were being drained at the rate of 3% per year.
Conservationists, concerned about the devastating loss of wetlands occurring in Minnesota, began to raise awareness of growing issues these losses were causing on the landscape.
Sept. 17, 1951
The Save the Wetlands program begins with an initial budget of $50,000. The progam would evolve to include all types of habitats and become today's 1.3 million acre Wildlife Management Area system.
Save the Wetlands allowed the state to purchase wetlands from willing sellers using state funds and federal excise taxes from the sale of firearms and ammunition. Each purchase permanently protected the land and opened it for public use.
The original project submitted for federal funding was estimated to cost $6.5 million ($82 million in today's dollars). It targeted privately owned prairie potholes, marshes, bogs and non-meandered lakes varying in size from 5 to 1,000 acres. The acquisition goal was 209,000 acres of wetlands in 900 townships in 65 agricultural counties.
Richard J. Dorer, then supervisor of the state’s Bureau of Game within the Minnesota Department of Conservation and one of Minnesota’s great conservationists, led the program.
Jan. 12, 1954
Dorer establishes the Save Minnesota's Wetlands Fund, which allowed private donations to finance wetland purchases.
As part of the effort, the North Shore Game and Fish Club of Long Lake promoted the sale of lapel buttons and arm patches to raise funds.
By June 14, 1956, outside sources had contributed $9,784 to Save the Wetlands, spreading awareness about the drainage of wetlands and the importance of saving them.
July 15, 1954
The Department of Conservation purchases or options for purchase 11,325 acres of desirable wetland areas in 25 agricultural counties of Minnesota at a cost of $340,000.
A portion of the funding came from the Bureau of Game's contingency fund. After initial rejection of the proposal, the Legislative Advisory Committee approved a $100,000 allocation for the sole purpose of wetland purchases.
June 1, 1956
Save the Wetlands achieves 11.5% of its 209,000-acre goal with the purchase of 24,136 acres of privately owned wetlands. Acquisition costs total $716,493 across 40 counties.
Funds for wetland purchases came from federal excise taxes on firearms and ammunition and state revenue from the sale of hunting licenses.
Aerial inventories showed that wetland loss had accelerated to a rate of 5% per year via a huge system of an estimated 16,400 miles of open ditches and 10,000 miles of farm field drainage tile lines.
Acquisition efforts were concentrated in most of southern and all of western Minnesota (see dotted line on map below), where intensified draining of surface waters was a critical problem.
1957
The Legislature requires a $1 surcharge be added to each small game hunting license to speed up wetland acquisition.
Through 1970, the Legislature appropriated $342,000 in additional funding for acquisition of WMAs. Additionally, from 1957-1963, about $200,000 per year of Pittman-Robinson funds from federal excise taxes on firearms and ammunition were available for acquisition.
Sometime in the late 1950s, the program's goal was adjusted upward to 250,000 acres of wetland tracts 5 to 1,000 acres in size.
1964
131,402 acres of habitat had been acquired or optioned for purchase throughout the state, in 73 of Minnesota’s 87 counties. By the 1960s, the program had expanded to include upland habitat.
1971
Rising land prices and continued drainage prompted the Legislature to raise the surcharge to $2 and increase the annual appropriation for WMAs to $550,000.
1975
Approximately 450,000 acres of WMA lands had been acquired, and the annual appropriation was increased to $615,000 per year. The long-range WMA acquisition plan was developed under Resource 2000, a program authorized by Minnesota Legislature to accelerate natural resource land acquisition. The goal established in the plan was to acquire 1 million acres of wildlife habitat by the year 2000.
1981
Legislature recognized the urgency of saving wildlife habitat and appropriated $4.5 million under the Resource 2000 program for the 1981-1983 biennium to acquire WMAs. They also increased the surcharge on small game hunting licenses from $2 to $4, providing about $1.3 million annually for acquisition and restoration of wildlife lands.
1983
By this time, the WMA program had evolved well beyond wetlands. From the fields and marshlands of southern Minnesota to the forests of the north, the WMA program was supporting habitats for all types of Minnesota wildlife, including nongame species. In all, 520,000 acres had been acquired, with 950 WMAs in 84 of Minnesota’s 87 counties.
2001
By the 50th anniversary of the WMA program, 1.1 million acres of land had been added to Minnesota’s public land base, focused on wildlife habitat protection and public hunting, fishing and trapping — making it one of the best and largest WMA systems in the country. The lands made up 1,355 WMAs across 86 of Minnesota’s 87 counties. Seven of these WMAs are known as “major units” and total more than 228,000 acres, averaging 32,000 acres each, compared to the 1,348 WMAs that average 400 acres in size each.
2008
Minnesota voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which increased the state sales tax by 3/8 of 1% beginning on July 1, 2009 through 2034. Thirty-three percent of the additional sales tax revenue is routed through the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which must be spent to restore, protect and enhance habitat for fish, game and wildlife. The OHF has allowed for an increase in restoration, enhancement and protection of wildlife habitat, including WMAs. Since 2009, over 50,000 acres of land have been added to the WMA system with use of OHF.
2026
Today, marking the 75th anniversary of Minnesota’s WMA program, the DNR manages more than 1,500 WMAs across the state, encompassing almost 1.4 million acres of public land. Through this program, we are proud to:
- Protect wildlife habitat for future generations.
- Provide opportunities for hunting, fishing and wildlife watching.
- Promote important wildlife-based tourism in the state.
Continued management efforts on existing WMA lands and acquisition of new parcels will be critical to maintaining quality wildlife habitat in Minnesota. The DNR’s Adopt-A-WMA program and other programs like it, partnerships with local conservation clubs, and efforts like the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment all play a role in sharing these important resources with the people of Minnesota and visitors alike.
To be able to manage and maintain these units and continue to make acquisitions across the state, DNR staff enjoy partnering with individuals, groups, organizations and agencies. We reflect on our history of successful partnerships as we begin our next round of long-range planning and set new goals. If our past is any indication, we know that together, we will exceed our expectations.
Timeline sources
- Citizen's Advisory Committee: Minnesota's Wildlife Management Area Acquisition - The Next 50 Years, 2002.
- Kim Hennings: Goal: One Million Acres for Wildlife, The Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, 1983.
- Minnesota Waterfowl Research Group: Waterfowl in Minnesota, 1964.
- Online archives, The Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, multiple years.