Trust Buys 417 Minn. Acres To Preserve Grasslands

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A land trust says it has acquired two parcels of grassland in northwestern Minnesota spanning 417 acres.

The Nature Conservancy said Monday it will set aside the land for hiking, birding and hunting.

One parcel in Polk County covers 320 acres, and the other in Clay County measures 97 acres. The parcels link the Conservancy's 5,820-acre Bluestem Prairie Preserve and its 480-acre Margherita Preserve-Audubon Prairie.

The lands are home to prairie chickens and other grassland birds, as well as game species such as deer and pheasants.

Peggy Ladner is the director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota. She says Minnesota's remaining prairies must be protected because they provide wildlife habitat and opportunities for outdoor recreation.

The Nature Conservancy works to protect ecologically sensitive lands and waters around the world.

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