Floral and Faunal Colonization of Restored Wetlands in West-Central Minnesota and Northeastern South Dakota

The recent plight of the North American waterfowl population, duration and extent of drought conditions, the USDA’s Farm Security Act provisions and the implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (USFWS-CWS 1986) have together made wetland restoration a priority management activity for natural resource managers. A paucity of knowledge exists about the temporal capability of restored basins to attain attributes comparable to natural wetlands. The objective of this study was to determine trends in species abundance and richness of waterfowl, aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish and hydrophytes in restored wetlands of differing ages since restoration. One hundred fifty-six seasonal and semi-permanent restored basins of 12 age strata were surveyed in 3 counties of northeast South Dakota and 6 counties in west-central Minnesota. A large diversity of flora and fauna colonized restored wetlands as early as 1 year following inundation. Twelve species of waterfowl common to the region were found in all age classes of restorations. Thirty-one taxa of macroinvertebrates occurred in restored basins, 12 of which occurred in first year inundations. Four species of fish inhabited restored basins of all age classes. An average of over 16 taxa of aquatic hydrophytes had coverage values of ≥ 5% of the total wetland area in restored basins. This study demonstrates that wetland managers can expect extensive floral and faunal colonization of prairie wetlands even in the first year following inundation