Lac qui Parle WMA

The Lac qui Parle WMA wildlife work area

Prairie flowers bloom in a grassland that provides nesting habitat for waterfowl, pheasants and other grassland birds.

Hunters, trappers and wildlife watchers in Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle and Swift county benefit from the management, habitat and oversight work of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Lac qui Parle Wildlife Management Area staff.

Wildlife Area Supervisor Walt Gessler along with two full-time staff and five part-time seasonal staff oversee a work area totaling 33,000 acres. This acreage includes a state game refuge, a wildlife sanctuary, a waterfowl feeding and resting area, a duck sanctuary and a controlled hunting zone.

This area includes the 24,300-acre Lac qui Parle WMA – the largest contiguous block of public land in west-central Minnesota and an incredibly popular destination for hunters, bird and wildlife watchers and others.

Master plan

A master plan provides strategic guidance and direction for management. During the 26 years since the last plan was developed, changes to wildlife populations, habitat conditions and recreational interests have occurred and need to be incorporated into an updated master plan for the Lac qui Parle WMA. View the:

• Draft plan
• 1997 plan

Public input opportunities

• Online: Provide feedback via the online form on the Engage with DNR website through Sunday, June 2.
  • Submit comments
• In-person public meeting: strong>Provide feedback during an in-person public meeting from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. Lac qui Parle WMA staff will explain the draft plan and its purpose, answer questions and collect public input at the Lac qui Parle WMA office, 14047 20th St. NW, Watson, MN, 56295.
• Online public meeting: Provide feedback during an online meeting from 12-2 p.m. Thursday, May 9. Lac qui Parle WMA staff will explain the draft plan and its purpose, answer questions and collect public input.
  • Join the meeting [Password: LQPWMA]
  • Call 1-855-282-6330 and use access code 2487 809 9795 to join by phone.
• Written comments: Provide feedback in writing through Sunday, June 2.
  • Email [email protected].
  • Mail to Lac qui Parle WMA, 14047 20th St. NW, Watson, MN 56295.
  • Deliver in person to the Lac qui Parle WMA office, 14047 20th St. NW, Watson, MN 56295.

Questions about the master plan update process

Walt Gessler
Lac qui Parle WMA supervisor
Fish and Wildlife Division
320-734-4451 x227
[email protected]

Our work

• Provide support to four area wildlife offices in nine surrounding counties to complete habitat projects and assist with facility installation and maintenance.
• Planning controlled grassland-wetland burns on thousands of acres to improve nesting habitat for waterfowl, pheasants and other grassland birds and to reduce exotic grasses and brush/tree encroachment and enhance habitat for deer.
• Removing invasive trees from prairies and grasslands to maintain and enhance habitat for waterfowl and pheasants.
• Monitoring and implementing water level management on 14 wetland impoundments and conducting intensive moist soil management on 75 acres. Wetlands are intensively managed to provide food-rich habitats for migratory waterfowl.
• Planning, administering and monitoring 170 cooperative farm agreements and public food plots for 4,022 acres of grassland haying, cattle grazing and cropland. Haying and grazing rejuvenate native grasses and wildflowers providing improved grassland nesting, brood rearing and grazing areas for deer. Cropland provides both wildlife food and public hunting opportunity in more remote sections of the wildlife area for geese, deer, pheasants, doves and turkeys.
• Maintaining partnerships with several local conservation organizations, including Pheasants Forever, The Nature Conservancy and The Army Corps of Engineers – including a significant enhancement project aimed at restoring historical wildlife and ecological benefits of Marsh Lake.