Ecological research is conducted within the BLMA as a component of natural resource management. Research data results perform a variety of functions for the resource managers and help fill the role as an ecological sounding board for the types of natural resource management and human effects occurring in the region. Ecological research within the BLMA is also performed in full-scale, thus mirroring the Boulder partner's overall management approach.
BLMA staff possesses the locations of several bald eagle nests located on or near the reservoir. Federal law protects bald eagle nests, and information about the nest site locations is confidential.
Herpetofauna literally translates to cold-blooded things that crawl, include snakes, turtles, lizards, salamanders, frogs, and toads. Although often overlooked, these creatures serve an important function in the forest, transforming soil invertebrates (worms, insects, etc.) into a prey base for higher predators such as mammals and birds. Herpetofaunal sampling was initiated within the BLMA during 1995 in an attempt to document the herpetofaunal community.
Twelve species of herpetofauna have been identified in and around Boulder Lake Reservoir.
| AMPHIBIANS Eastern American Toad Gray Tree Frog Wood Frog Blue-Spotted Salamander Spring Peeper Western Chorus Frog Mink Frog Green Frog Northern Leopard Frog |
REPTILES Eastern Garter Snake Painted Turtle Common Snapping Turtle |
In an effort to determine the effects of large-scale habitat variables (size of a patch of habitat, location of a timber harvest area, etc.) upon breeding birds, an intensive bird study plot was established at the BLMA and at eight other sites throughout forested regions of northern Minnesota. Each plot consists of eight north/south transects, each a mile long and spaced 200 meters apart from one another. Birds are censuses at 100-meter intervals along each transect. When completed the censuses give us a picture of the number and types of birds (http://oden.nrri.umn.edu/mnbirds/accounts.htm) within a square mile area. Annual censuring of this plot began in 1994.
These intensive study plots are just one part of the monitoring efforts involved with the Minnesota Forest Bird Diversity Initiative, a cooperative research program established in 1991 involving the University of Minnesota, the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This program has provided valuable information on population trends of Minnesota's bird community and insights into their management.
Greater numbers of birds do not always result in the birds fledging more young. Factors such as predation and nest parasitism (birds such as the Brown-headed Cowbird laying eggs in the nests of other birds) may greatly reduce the number of young birds produced.
The distribution of wildlife species is determined primarily by the arrangement of different habitats within the forest: some species are associated with deciduous habitats, some with coniferous habitats, and others with a mixture of both deciduous and coniferous habitats. By their presence, some wildlife species may change the nature of the habitats they rely upon. For example, white-tailed deer browsing on deciduous vegetation may leave coniferous vegetation relatively untouched and possibly allowing it to eventually become the more common type of vegetation in the forest.
To explore the effects deer may have upon their habitat, a 100-meter by 50-meter deer exclosure was constructed in the BLMA. The exclosure includes 12 foot high fencing designed to keep deer out of the exclosure. When vegetation within the exclosure is compared to that outside the exclosure, the effects of their browsing may be seen. The effects of deer browsing may begin to be obvious as soon as ten years after the establishment of the exclosure.
The deer exclosure is available to school groups interested in investigating the effects of deer upon the landscape. The exclosure is also highlighted on the Dynamic Environment Interpretive Trail (link to section on Interp Trail) at the BLMA.
Owls, unlike many other birds, begin nesting during the late winter. Counts of breeding owls are conducted during late winter and early spring in the Boulder Lake Management Area as part of a larger project facilitated by researchers with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Typically the Boulder Lake area surveys are conducted by post-secondary students and are supervised by BLMA staff. From these surveys, information on distributions of owls in and around the BLMA are determined as well as timing of their breeding, habitat selection, and general population trends.
Throughout portions of Boulder Lake Reservoir shoreline, staff has erected various types of wildlife nest boxes as a means to improve wildlife habitat. The nest boxes are periodically surveyed for activity and maintenance. The data will be calculated and will ultimately show the success rate of these types of activities within the BLMA.
The Interagency Cooperative Scent Station Survey, coordinated by MN DNR, tracks population trends of large predator species within Minnesota. Boulder Lake Management Area (BLMA) staff conducts this survey each fall in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This information is then used to monitor predator distribution and population trends within and around the BLMA. Results of this study will also be used to determine possible relationships between predator distribution and assemblages and bird nesting success within the BLMA.
The white pine bud-capping study is an effort by students from Lake Superior College and other post-secondary institutions to determine if browsing significantly impacts the white pine in the BLMA.
Aquatic insects are an essential component of these systems, but we know very little about their occurrence or distribution within the BLMA. Students from various programs are studying populations of aquatic insects in forest ponds and possible management impacts on their populations and distributions.
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