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This wetland management district is in the tall-grass prairie transition zone between the flat Red River Valley floodplain in the west and the rolling hardwood and conifer forested lake region in the east.
The primary goal of the wetland management district is to provide nesting habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds by protecting and restoring prairie wetlands and re-establishing native prairie plant communities.
The district currently administers 40,000 acres in 165 sites in the five northwestern Minnesota counties of Becker, Clay, Mahnomen, Norman, and Polk.
The district manages more than 3,900 acres of remaining native tall-grass prairie. A good example of a remnant native tall-grass prairie can be found on the Helliksen Prairie area in northwest Becker County.
This 1,300-acre virgin native prairie contains more than 200 species of native prairie plants, numerous wetlands and habitat for waterfowl, greater prairie chickens, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, osprey, white-tailed deer, moose and other wildlife.
The Helliksen Prairie is part of the 230-mile Pine to Prairie Birding Trail, Minnesota's first official birding trail.
All of the sites are open for hiking, wildlife and nature study, cross-country skiing and wildlife photography.
A 1.3-mile wheelchair accessible interpretive trail is at the Headquarters Waterfowl Production Area one mile north of Detroit Lakes, Minn. Visitors can view ducks, geese and trumpeter swans from the observation decks at the wetland district office and the 240-foot boardwalk that extends into the Prairie Marsh.
Hikers on the trail can glimpse osprey, eastern bluebird, clay-colored sparrow, loggerhead shrike, white-tailed deer, moose and other wildlife.
All but three sites are open to hunting, subject to federal and state laws. Waterfowl, white-tailed deer and ruffed grouse are the most commonly hunted species.
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