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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



over the area but now are rare or absent 

 Roberts (2) cites the following species: 

 whooping crane, marbled godwit, west- 

 ern willet, upland, black-bellied, and 

 golden plover, prairie chicken and 

 prairie sharp-tailed grouse. 



In the forested portion of Minnesota 

 the disturbance of natural conditions 

 incident to settlement has been much 

 less severe. This is due partly to the 

 rough nature of the topography or to 

 other causes which retard or wholly pre- 

 vent agricultural development. Prob- 

 ably half the area originally covered 

 by deciduous forest is still woodland. 

 In the coniferous region, although most 

 of the primitive forest has either been 

 cut or burned, a comparatively small 

 per cent of the land has been transformed 

 into farms. Over large tracts natural 

 reforestation is going on and wherever 

 it has been possible to prevent forest 

 fires promising forests are well under 

 way. It is fortunate for the fauna of 

 Minnesota that so large a portion of the 

 northern part of the state is unsuited, 

 both physiographically and climatically, 

 to agricultural development for it will 

 insure, with proper and adequate pro- 

 tection and sufficient sanctuaries, the 

 perpetuation of most of the wild species 

 native to the region. Most of the natural 

 preserves are located in the forested area 

 of the state, but even where no definite 

 tracts are set aside the wild species are 

 far better able to maintain a foothold 

 than in the open country. In the 

 rugged, wooded counties of the southeast 

 corner the coyotes are apparently nearly 

 as numerous as when the country was 

 first settled. 



in. POLLUTION 



Pollution of waters in Minnesota is a 

 factor of importance only along the main 

 rivers since the principal cities of the 

 state are located on these streams. The 

 Mississippi River below Minneapolis and 

 St. Paul is heavily polluted with sewage, 

 which undoubtedly affects the biota for 

 many miles below. Several towns of 

 considerable size are situated on the 

 upper Mississippi but the effects of 



pollution are not serious at Minneapolis, 

 as shown by the fact that the city ob- 

 tains its water supply from this stream. 

 Minnesota lakes are in general remark- 

 ably free from sewage pollution but 

 occasionally some of the smaller ones 

 late in the season become heavily 

 infested with certain forms especially 

 of the Cyanophyceae (l). 



NATURAL PBESERVES AND STATE PARKS 

 OF MINNESOTA 



1. Preserves within the coniferous forest 

 area 



* Superior National Forest]. (B2.) 

 A large, irregular tract of approximately 

 1,268,538 acres in St. Louis, Lake, and 

 Cook Counties and an almost equally 

 extensive area on the Canadian side of 

 the International Boundary. 



Rough glacial topography with ex- 

 tensive out-croppings of underlying 

 igneus rocks of various kinds. Lakes 

 exceedingly numerous; many of them 

 of large size and with many rocky and 

 forested islands; shore frequently pre- 

 cipitous, rising in sheer ledges 100 ft. 

 or more from the water's edge. Rivers 

 and streams numerous, in some places 

 sluggish, in others turbulent, with long 

 rapids; beautiful waterfalls. 



Eastern coniferous forest consisting 

 mainly of white and Norway pines, black 

 and white spruce, white cedar, balsam, 

 and tamarack. The principal deciduous 

 trees are: white birch, aspen, balsam 

 poplar, elm, ash, willows, hard and red 

 maples, mountain ash, and occasional 

 oaks. These species occur mostly scat- 

 tered throughout the coniferous forest 

 except on burnt-over tracts where nearly 

 pure stands of birch or poplar have 

 developed. On account of the rocky 

 nature of the substratum the lichen and 

 moss flora is profusely developed. 



Fauna abundant and varied. There 

 are perhaps more moose in the Lake 

 Superior forest than in any other area of 

 equal size on the North American con- 

 tinent. Caribou occurs. Other species 

 which are common are Virginia deer, 

 coyote, timber wolf, black bear, beaver. 



