Jill Schramm/MDN Warren Swenson, precision ag and conservation specialist with Pheasants Forever, left, talks with Heather Husband, coordinator of the Meadowlark Initiative, at an event held at the North Central Research Extension Center to share information about conservation programs.

Ag producers and landowners had a chance to learn about conservation programs that could be options for certain properties at an informational event in Minot Tuesday.

The first event of its type in the Minot area, the gathering gave several conservation groups a chance to talk about their programs as participants enjoyed a meal at the North Central Research Extension Center.

“Grasslands in North Dakota and across the country is the most rapidly declining ecotype,” said Warren Swenson, precision ag and conservation specialist with Pheasants Forever, which organized the event.

Conservation groups provide financial and technical assistance for converting marginal crop lands back to grasslands, reestablishing the native prairies and creating quality grazing potential. In his role with Pheasants Forever, Swenson said he assists landowners in identifying areas of an agriculture operation that don’t make production sense financially and that could be placed in habitat grasslands.

“Just because you might take out areas of production, it doesn’t mean you’re losing money. It could be you might gain more money or spend less to gain more, essentially,” he said. “Some people want hunters on their land to enjoy what North Dakota has to offer. Some people like to hunt themselves, and some people put it in because it makes financial sense in certain areas.”

It doesn’t take large acreage to participate in programs, either, he said. Through Pheasants Forever, he has assisted with conservation on as little as a half acre. Also, in North Dakota, Pheasants Forever has no requirement that a landowner must allow public access, he said.

Organizations participating in Tuesday’s event included the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, North Dakota Game & Fish, North Dakota State University Extension Service, North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition, Meadowlark Initiative, Ward County Soil Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The wildlife goals, rules and restrictions vary within the different conservation programs, particularly if wetlands are involved.

“But typically when we’re establishing native prairie, the requirements will be fairly similar,” Swenson said.