As the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources weighs future management of the new 1,800-acre Keystone Woods Wildlife Management Area in the lower St. Croix River watershed, one big issue is a request by a hunting dog organization for special exemptions to train their dogs off-leash for much of the year on the property. They would also like to hold special events and competitions on the site.

The Minnesota Federation of Field Trail Clubs (MFFTC) represents groups that trained their dogs and held events at the site when it was private property. The state acquired it for approximately $27 million in 2023.

In a 2023 letter responding to an early draft of the management plan, the Minnesota Federation of Field Trial Clubs urged the DNR to consider allowing extensive exclusive use of the property for dog training. They sought to have at least a quarter of the property designated for their use, managed to reduce its suitability for bird nesting, and to allow off-leash activity around the year.

“Designated grounds will minimize wildlife disturbance and allow participants to easily identify boundaries where training is permitted (very helpful to a new user),” the organization wrote. “Furthermore, wise choices in grass planting (short and sparse growing varieties) in the designated training areas will minimize encounters with nesting birds. Year-round accessibility keeps options open for those developing a young dog — and provides a maintenance outlet for those with an experienced hunting companion.”

While MFFTC said that would leave three-quarters of the property available for wildlife production, they also asked about allowing off-leash activities on additional land. “In particular, the area south and west of Barker Lake fits our clubs needs very well,” the group wrote.

Leash limitations

Visitors to Wildlife Management Areas are allowed to let their dogs off-leash during certain times of the year, primarily to facilitate hunting. But dogs are generally required to remain leashed between April 15 and July 15, which helps prevent them from killing or disturbing nesting birds. The MFFTC is asking for broad exemptions from those rules.

The primary purpose of Minnesota’s Wildlife Management Areas is “to protect those lands and waters that have a high potential for wildlife production, public hunting, trapping, fishing, and other compatible recreational uses,” according to the DNR.

Allowing dogs to be off-leash during nesting season is a known hazard to bird survival. Dogs can not only kill parents, eggs, and nestlings, but also simply disturb, exhaust, and stress birds to a dangerous extent.

One example of a ground-nesting grassland bird is the short-eared owl. St. Croix 360 published an article about observing the imperiled species at Keystone Woods last fall, which in turn has inspired many others to visit and see the rare birds for themselves. (More on that below.)

The DNR acknowledges it has already told dog groups that it will accommodate training and field trials at Keystone Woods. In its survey to collect public input on management, the agency included two questions on the topic:

• “This property had a history of dog training and trialing when it was in private ownership. The DNR has committed to continuing this activity in some capacity. In 2024, the Minnesota Federation of Field Trial Clubs had a lease within a specified area of Keystone Woods WMA to train dogs for field trialing. What should the DNR consider when determining future dog training and trialing leases?”
• “What are your thoughts on allowing the public to use a specified area of Keystone Woods WMA for off-leash dog training during the summer months? This would mean allowing dogs to be off leash during a time when they are normally required to be leashed on WMAs (from April 15 to July 15 due to bird nesting season), and potentially allow for the use of blank ammunition, dummy launchers, or similar allowances not typical for a WMA.”

Meanwhile, the local organization Pollinator Friendly Alliance is urging the DNR to take bold steps to protect the property and its unique ecosystem. In an email to supporters, the group suggested five steps the agency should take:

1. Designate half the land as a Scientific and Natural Area.
2. Install a good deal of signage along the public/private border to keep hunters off private land.
3. Erect signage at the parking areas to educate hunters about protected species including trumpeter swans and short-eared owls.
4. Limit the number of hunters and trappers allowed in the WMA at one time.
5. Prohibit the use of lead shot.

Meetings and comments

A public comment period on the management of Keystone Woods is open until March 2. A special DNR website has additional information.

According to the Minnesota Field Trials and Training Club, it is encouraging its members to comment and attend upcoming public meetings to advocate for permissive dog regulations.

Keystone quotes

Thank you to Mary Divine at the St. Paul Pioneer Press for including St. Croix 360 in her recent story about Keystone Woods:

“Greg Seitz, founder, editor and publisher of St. Croix 360, an independent online news source that covers the 7,700-mile St. Croix watershed, spotted a pair of short-eared owls at Keystone Woods just a few days after the WMA opened to the public in October.

‘Another hiker was walking in front of me, and I think he flushed them up,’ said Seitz, an avid amateur birder. ‘This was a ‘lifer’ species for me and, incidentally, the 150th species of bird I’ve observed in the St. Croix River watershed.’

Seitz reported the sighting to eBird, an online database maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and wrote about it in St. Croix 360, and visitors began flocking to Keystone Woods to see the owls in person, he said.

‘Seeing those owls was confirmation that this really was a place worth protecting,’ Seitz said. ‘It’s a unique habitat in that it’s a really large grassland, which is what those owls need.’”

– New Keystone Woods WMA is already popular with birders. What else should happen there? – Feb. 2, 2025