Go Wild: How Go Zero® Benefits Wildlife

As a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tim Menard splits his time between Kansas’ Flint Hills and Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuges and is responsible for biodiversity conversation, wildlife research, land use planning and land management, and wildlife habitat enhancement across 25,500 acres of forestland and tall grass prairie. At his home near Hartford Kansas, Tim is a skilled apiarist in the midst of a record beekeeping season (over 400 pounds of honey collected this summer).

Earlier this month, we sat down with Tim to discuss the recent restoration of 775 acres of native forestland along the Marais des Cygnes River along the border of Kansas and Missouri.

How did you get involved with FWS?

I worked for all four major federal land management agencies and determined this to be the best fit. I chose the Fish and Wildlife Service because of its focus and clear mission – wildlife first. It’s about implementation, habitat restoration and wildlife management.

How did Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge work with the Fund’s Go Zero® program?

The Conservation Fund and its Go Zero® program helped us with two things. First, they enabled us to reforest more acres than we could ever have done on our own over the course of a single year – or even over a five year period. Second, they gave us the freedom to determine the species composition that was best for the land and the wildlife. So the end result was the establishment of a native ecosystem – but in an accelerated fashion.

Why did the land need to be restored?

When we looked at the original land surveys from 1856, we could see that all of the area adjacent to the Marais des Cygnes River was forested. Over time, the land was cleared for agriculture, and then eventually, those fields were taken out of production. More than 80 percent of the land that was restored this spring has been out of production since the refuge was established in 1992.

How will the region’s birds and wildlife benefit? How long will it take?

That’s the interesting part. An entire array of species will benefit throughout the life of the forest, beginning right now. We don’t have to wait 70-100 years to realize the benefits of replanting with native species. Even now, there are birds using the restored lands. In the early years, the restored parcels are used by field sparrows. In 20 years from now, we’ll see yellow breasted chat and indigo bunting. At the forest’s full maturity, our children will be able to spot prothonotary warbler nests, and in the winter months, red-headed woodpeckers.

We know that the trees will sequester carbon dioxide that will help clean the air, but what is happening to the water on the refuge?

By restoring these marginal agriculture fields back to their native habitat, we have established permanent vegetation. This will help to stabilize the top soil, and slow the rate of run off, thereby helping to reduce effects of flooding along the Marais des Cygnes River.

What’s next for Marais des Cygnes NWR?

We’ll continue to manage the newly restored 775 acres for wildlife. But we are actively seeking funding for another project to restore some of the thousands of acres that are available on the Missouri side of the border.

In 2009, the Fund has received Gold Level Validation of this project against the standards of the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA), a partnership between leading companies, nonprofits and research institutes seeking to promote integrated solutions to land management around the world. With this goal in mind, the CCBA has developed voluntary standards to help design and identify land management projects that simultaneously minimize climate change, support sustainable development and conserve biodiversity. Download a copy of the Fund’s CCBA application or read our press release to learn more.