Chippewa National Forest
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| Chippewa National Forest | |
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| IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area) | |
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| Location | Minnesota, USA |
| Nearest city | Cass Lake, MN |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 16,000,000 acres (2,500 mi² - 15,800 km²) |
| Established | 1908 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Chippewa National Forest is a National Forest located in northcentral Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Beltrami, Cass, and Itasca. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota.
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[edit] History and geography
The forest covers 1.6 million acres (2,500 mi² - 15,800 km²). Water is abundant, with over 1,300 lakes (including Leech Lake), 923 miles (1,485 km) of rivers and streams, and 400,000 acres (1619 km²) of wetlands.[1] Created in 1908, it was initially known as the "Minnesota National Forest". The forest's name was changed in 1928 to honor the Chippewa Indians who first inhabited the forest. Approximately 75 percent of the forest's land is within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation.
[edit] Fauna and Flora
Aspen, birch, pine, balsam fir and maple blanket the forest. Old growth forest such as the Lost Forty section of the CNF is valuable for wildlife, including bald eagle, several species of hawk and woodpecker, red squirrel, weasel and numerous other species. In the 1960s the bald eagle population in the forest was only 12 nesting pairs [2]. Since then the population has rebounded and the bald eagle population of the Chippewa National Forest is one of the highest density in the lower forty eight states at 150 nesting pairs. [3]
[edit] The Lost Forty
The forest contains an area known as the "Lost Forty"; this area (actually 144 acres) was accidentally mapped as part of Coddington lake when the original maps of the region were laid out in 1882.[4] As a result of this mapping error, the Lost Forty was never logged. This area has become some of the oldest forest in the state, with some trees over 350 years old. Less than two percent of Minnesota's forested land today is old growth, never logged forest. These unique qualities offer an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities all year long. Inside the forest the Cut Foot Sioux trail runs along the North-South U.S Continental Divide.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/chippewa/about/forest_facts/index.php Accessed 07/18/2006
- ^ http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/chippewa/recreation/wildlife_viewing/ Accessed 07/18/2006
- ^ http://www.conservationfund.org/?article=2775&back=true Accessed 07/18/2006
- ^ http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/chippewa/recreation/documents/lostforty.pdf Lost forty history and info Retrieved 07/18/2006
