Tree Removal and Fire Help Waterfowl at Market Lake

There is the old saying that you need to break a few eggs to make an omelet, but in this case the Idaho Department of Fish and Game knows that in order to make a few eggs, you need to break the chain of plant succession. This winter in order to prepare Market Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA) for nesting waterfowl, Fish and Game biologists have taken to using fire and heavy equipment to break the chain of plant succession that makes habitat less suitable for ducks, geese, and ring-necked pheasant to successfully nest. Market Lake WMA is located near Roberts, Idaho in Jefferson County. Wildfire is often Nature's way of resetting the habitat clock for wetlands. It clears the way for new sprouts to grow and reduces dead plant matter that robs oxygen from water as it decays. A 70-acre area of marsh was burned at the end of February and 80-acres previously this past fall. The project was aided by the use of a new CO2 powered device that shoots small plastic balls filled with a chemical that spontaneously combusts after about 20 seconds. The sportsmen's conservation group Pheasant Forever provided major funding for the project. On lands owned by Ducks Unlimited adjacent to Market Lake WMA, heavy equipment was used to clear 20 acres of Russian olive trees from a 200-acre area that once provided waterfowl and pheasant nesting habitat. The non-native Russian olive trees provide perches for birds like Black-billed magpies that then predate on all the ground nesting bird species. Removing the shrubs should help increase nesting success for native species like the Northern pintail ducks and introduced species like ring-necked pheasants. Fish and Game will chemically treat the area for the next three years to insure the Russian olive seeds present do not grow. Over 200 tons of biomass was removed from the site as part of this restoration project. These projects are part of the Market Lake WMA management plan developed in 2014 to address specific conservation goals. To learn more about wildlife management areas in the Upper Snake Region visit http://go.usa.gov/Ka9A.