Carlos Avery Game Farm is a complex of 11 buildings at the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP). The buildings are the administrative center for the

wildlife management area A wildlife management area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife. New Zealand There are 11 wildlife management areas in New Zealand: * Horsham Downs Wildlife Ma ...

, which extends across a large part of Anoka and Chisago counties, as well as for a number of other

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, rec ...

properties in the area. The nomination for the NRHP noted that when it opened in 1937, it was one of the largest and best-equipped game farms in the nation, as well as one of the first large-scale wildlife management efforts in Minnesota.

History

The refuge was named after

Carlos Avery Carlos Avery (1868–1930) was an American newspaper publisher and politician in the state of Minnesota. Avery is best remembered as a longtime chief of the Minnesota Game and Fish Commission and was named the first Commissioner of the Game and Fi ...

(1868–1930), executive agent of the

Minnesota Game and Fish Commission Minnesota ( ) is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and Nor ...

from 1907 to 1909 and 1915 to 1923. It was established with obtained from the Crex Carpet Company. The carpet company had harvested a wire grass from the land for use in the manufacture of rugs. The land was tax forfeited in 1933 and then purchased by the Minnesota Conservation Commission. Carlos Avery game farms were formally opened and dedicated to the former game warden in 1938.''Minnesota Conservationist'', January 1, 1939, p.4+ The land was ideal for production of

bobwhite quail The northern bobwhite (''Colinus virginianus''), also known as the Virginia quail or (in its home range) bobwhite quail, is a ground-dwelling bird native to Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Cuba, with introduced populations elsewhere in th ...

, which had been plentiful in Minnesota but was on the decline. In 1935, the United States government asked states to submit projects for relief of unemployment. The game refuge was approved by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

and established by President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. The refuge was outfitted with five buildings, including a central heating plant and pumphouse, two houses, a combination barn/henhouse, and an incubation room. Other functional areas in the refuge included a sanctuary for wild birds and animals, a nursery, and room for public hunting. Production of bobwhite quail began with 200 pairs of birds raised in a game farm in

Mound, Minnesota Mound is a city in western Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 9,052 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Mound was the birthplace of the Tonka truck that is named after Lake Minnetonka, which the eastern part ...

. The first breeding resulted in 1879 birds, with 1000 of them retained for future breeding and the release of the rest. The bobwhite quail project continued until 1955. The refuge also hosted breeding for

chukar partridge The chukar partridge (''Alectoris chukar''), or simply chukar, is a Palearctic upland Upland game, gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the rock partridge, Philby's partrid ...

from 1939 through 1947, ring-necked pheasants from 1947 through 1981, and the reintroduction of the

Canada goose The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), sometimes called Canadian goose, is a large species of goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North A ...

from 1950 through 1970. In 1981, though, the management philosophy changed. The

discontinued large-scale breeding programs and changed its focus to improving habitat and providing nesting cover and food. As of 2009, the wildlife management area contains a sanctuary that is closed to all hunting and trespassing. Outside the sanctuary, the primary recreational opportunities include hunting for waterfowl, deer, and squirrels. It also provides trapping for mink, muskrats, raccoons, and beavers. More than 272 species of birds are attracted to the refuge, providing popular opportunities for

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

References

External links

WMA detail report: Carlos Avery WMA : Carlos Avery Unit
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1936 establishments in Minnesota Colonial Revival architecture in Minnesota Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Anoka County, Minnesota Protected areas of Anoka County, Minnesota Protected areas of Chisago County, Minnesota Works Progress Administration in Minnesota