The Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources’ Roadsides for Wildlife Program encourages landowners to manage adjacent roadsides to benefit wildlife. The program offers technical assistance and management guidelines to landowners, which can benefit a host of species that utilize roadside resources, including birds, mammals, bees, butterflies and frogs (MnDNR 2008).

Landowners interested in supporting the program can include native prairie grasses and wildflowers in roadside plantings and reduce mowing and haying during the bird nesting season for species that use roadsides as nesting habitat. Habitat cost-share assistance for new or revegetated roadside projects is available, as well as a free MnDNR Roadside for Wildlife sign that demonstrates landowner support for wildlife and the program. Individuals can provide further assistance for roadside habitat by talking with local road authorities to develop partnerships on roadside projects (MnDNR 2016).

• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR). 2008. Roadsides for Wildlife. <dnr.state.mn.us/assistance/nrplanning/community/roadsidesforwildlife/roadsidesbrochure2008.pdf>.
• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MnDNR). 2016. Roadsides for Wildlife. dnr.state.mn.us/roadsidesforwildlife/index.html.

Amount of the Incentive
Technical assistance is provided at no cost.

Keywords: best practices, direct financial payment, management, technical assistance