maplelakeduckslayer wrote:I really don't think it matters how many lakes they "restore" unless it's some ridiculous number like 50% of MN lakes and prairie potholes. A lake here and there is not going to shift the main migration back east. It's possible these lakes attract "more" ducks...but these ducks were already flying through the area, just congregating on the restored lake.
I disagree. It wasn't that long ago that LQP, and the refuges north and south of it to a lesser extent, was THE place to hunt geese in MN. Now every town with a lake holds geese from sept 1 til they can't field feed. The goose flyway spread out due to locally produced geese refuging up and attracting migrators. Birds attract birds whether it's ducks or geese.
If you read the article it talked about a cluster of habitat from WMAs to WPAs to lakes.
If you have a cluster of habitat that produces waterfowl and doesn't get burned out it will hold and attract more waterfowl. It's like compound interest, it just takes a while