File:Grassland conservation easement on Sand Lake Wetland Management District (14466372148).jpg

An aerial view of a large grassland easement in the Sand Lake Wetland Management District in North Central South Dakota. This area supports some of the highest concentrations of nesting waterfowl in North America. It contains an abundance of grassland interspersed with temporary, seasonal, and semi-permanent wetlands that are ideal for many species of waterfowl and other wetland and grassland bird species. These perpetual conservation easements are purchased by the US Fish and Wildlife Service from willing landowners and managed as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Where grassland easements exist, they ensure that native grasslands remain on the landscape. The land remains in private ownership, with livestock grazing and some haying being the primary economic use, as it has been for generations. Flights are conducted prior to the July 15 haying restriction date to ensure that the native grasslands are not hayed prior to July 15 and that the grassland vegetation has not been converted. Conservation easements remain popular with many South Dakota landowners more than 50 years after the first conservation easements were purchased, with more demand than available funding.

<a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Sand_Lake_WMD/" rel="nofollow">www.fws.gov/refuge/Sand_Lake_WMD/</a>