Potholes, Prairies, & Coteaus

What is a coteau, you ask? It is French for "little rolling hills." 

North Dakota is called the "Prairie Pothole Region" of the United States. Glaciers formed this area, creating all these potholes (wetlands). Not only potholes, but coteaus. We are enjoying our travels through this varied scenery.

Try as hard as I might...I just cannot come up with a really nice picture of the coteaus. You can see some rolling hills, with prairie, and of course some potholes, all created from the glaciers. There are a few moraine piles farmers pile up in their fields...rocks left over from the glaciers. There are a couple of them in this photo.

Devils Lake Wetland Management District covers the Northeast corner of the state, and is managed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. These areas provide spring and summer nesting, feeding, and resting for the hundreds of thousands of waterfowl. The District manages over 45,000 acres of wetlands and other wildlife habitats located on approximately 201 separate Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA's). Lake Alice NWR (12,200 acres), Sullys Hill NGP (1,674 acres), Kellys Slough (1,867 acres), 11 easement refuges, and 154,000 acres of wetland easements. These easements protect wetlands from draining, filling, and burning.

We are having fun doing our little part for this huge area.

Until next time...