The Fergus Falls Wetland Management District was established in 1962 with the initiation of the Accelerated Small Wetlands Acquisition Program. It is located in west central Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 and includes the counties of Douglas

Douglas County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 32,821 people, 13,276 households, and 9,027 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile . There were 16,694 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...

, Grant

Grant County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,289 people, 2,534 households, and 1,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile . There were 3,098 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...

, Otter Tail

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Otter Tail County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 57,303. Its county seat is Fergus Falls.-History:...

, Wadena

Wadena County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,713 people, 5,426 households, and 3,608 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 6,334 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...

 and Wilkin

Wilkin County, Minnesota

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The mission of the district is to identify, protect, and restore the tallgrass prairie

Tallgrass prairie

The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...

/wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

 ecosystem and associated habitats and to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and environmental education. For this purpose, the district currently manages 216 waterfowl

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

 production areas totaling 44499 acres (180.1 km²), and 1,148 perpetual easement

Easement

An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...

s protecting 24015 acres (97.2 km²) of wetlands on private land. Thirty-nine perpetual wildlife habitat easements covering 4185 acres (16.9 km²) of wetland and grassland habitats on private land have also been obtained.

In addition the District manages the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center which has innovative environmental education programs and a wide array of visitor opportunities all focused on understanding prairie wetlands and grasslands.