By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on Oct. 14, secured additional options from the county board of commissioners to purchase conservation easements from county landowners. Representing the federal agency during the county board meeting in Fergus Falls was Blake Knisley, realty specialist for the fish and wildlife service.

Approved by the county board were eight easements, seven on them for habitats and one for wetlands.

Habitat easements are voluntary agreements with private landowners to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat, such as grasslands, while the land remains in private ownership. By selling easements, landowners receive funds to pay down debt, reinvest in capital improvements or buy other lands to maintain and/or expand working lands.

A wetlands easement is a legal agreement signed with the United States of America, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, that pays landowners to permanently protect wetlands. Landowners who sell a wetland easement agree that wetlands protected by an easement cannot be drained, filled, leveled or burned.

Many kinds of wildlife benefit from wetlands protection, including waterfowl, other migratory birds, pheasants and deer.

If these wetlands dry up naturally, they can be farmed, grazed or hayed.

Wetlands covered by an easement are mapped, and copies of the easement and maps are provided to the landowner. Property subject to a wetland easement remains on local tax rolls.

Habitat easements are voluntary agreements with private landowners to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat, such as grasslands, while the land remains in private ownership. By selling easements, landowners receive funds to pay down debt, reinvest in capital improvements or buy other lands to maintain and/or expand working lands.

County housing

in Pelican Rapids

Otter Tail County Community Development Director Amy Baldwin reviewed with county commissioners’ success with the Pinewood Estates housing project in Pelican Rapids.

In 2023, Otter Tail County completed a new highway garage in Pelican Rapids, leaving the former garage site vacant. The site, located at 208 5th Ave NE, presented an opportunity for the Community Development Agency (CDA) to partner with the city. The resulting subdivision has nine single-family residential lots available for new homes. 

To kickstart new home construction, the CDA applied for and was awarded Minnesota Housing Impact Funding that supported the construction of three new homes.

“We have closed on two of the homes and there is a contingency sale on the third home,” said Baldwin to county board members on Oct. 14.

Baldwin also reviewed two other topics with county commissioners. The first one is a grant award to Otter Tail County totaling $96,000 from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to promote agricultural careers. DEED’s Adult Career Pathways team will provide further instructions regarding the grant process.

“An example would be to attract young people to seek careers in agricultural fields such as chemical application positions,” Baldwin said, “and others being agronomy-type positions.”

County board chairman Wayne Johnson of Pelican Rapids praised this program as something important to the agricultural sector of Otter Tail County. Seconding Johnson’s support were commissioners Dan Bucholz of Perham, Bob Lahman of Parkers Prairie, Kurth Mortenson of rural Underwood and Sean Sullivan of Fergus Falls.

Baldwin also addressed $20,000 coming to the county from West Central Initiative to have Otter Tail County serve as fiscal host for a child care project manager position. The goal is to support retention and expansion of child care facilities throughout Otter Tail County.

“Assistance from Fergus Falls-based West Central Initiatives will augment programs already in place such as early childhood programs utilized by child care providers, monthly newsletters and other activities,” Baldwin said.

Other county 

board news

County board members, upon the recommendation of county Land and Resource Director Chris LeClair, approved conditional use permits for projects at Big Pine Lake near Perham and Pelican Lake north of Pelican Rapids. These projects had previously met approval from the county planning commission.

County Probation Director Michael Schommer received county board support for a DWI Court cooperative agreement. “This has been a successful program since 2008,” Schommer said.” Minnesota offers excellent DWI treatment courts which focus on rehabilitation through intensive supervision and treatment rather than just sentencing.”

County Emergency Manager Patrick Waletzko reviewed with county board members the Sprint Paramedic Grant Agreement. The state legislature, in 2024, enacted the pilot program to enhance the delivery of life support services in rural areas.

Specifically, the program seeks to improve response times, ensure patient outcomes and gain the confidence of county residents. The Legislature designated one pilot program for a combined effort between Otter Tail and Grant counties and a second for St. Louis County.