Fewer 'prairie potholes' raises concerns

ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Environment officials said they are alarmed at the disappearance of ponds, wetland and small lakes dotting Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas.

The so-called prairie potholes are habitats for about 200 species of migratory birds, officials said. But farmers are ending land-preservation agreements because of federal incentives to plant more crops and the financial rewards of renting the land, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been investigating whether the areas were being drained illegally. At stake is "arguably the most endangered ecosystem in the world," said Rex Johnson, a wetlands expert and wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

About 420,000 "prairie potholes" remain in Minnesota and 2 million in the Dakotas to store and purify water that otherwise would overload rivers.

Farmers signed 10- to 15-year conservation agreements in the 1990s to set aside grasslands and prairie potholes for wildlife habitat, Johnson said, but many farmers are converting land to crops as soon as contracts expire. While conservation programs pay to set aside the land for wildlife, commodity programs encourage farmers to use as much cropland as possible, offering disaster payments, crop insurance and other subsidies.