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Alexandria Moraines and Detroit Lakes Outwash Plain

Ecoregion in MN

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This lengthy ecoregion is in the western part of the state bordering the Lake Agassiz Plain (48) to the west. The southern section is about 200 km long from slightly west of north to sightly east of south and 30 to 50 km wide. The section north of Detroit Lakes is shaped like a finger pointing east and is about 130 km long and 8 to 14 km wide. The topography is a complex of rolling knobs and kettles in the moraine and outwash landscape. The southern section is mainly moist prairie Udolls formerly covered with tallgrass prairie, hardwoods, and savanna, and the northern section mainly forest Udalfs formerly covered with a mix of patches of hardwoods, oak openings, aspen and birch, and pines. There are several areas of concentrated corn and soybean agriculture but most of the southern part of the ecoregion has interspersed patches of deciduous forest, lakes, wetlands, crops (mainly corn, soybeans, alfalfa), and pasture, while the northern part has mainly deciduous forest, lakes, and alfalfa. The southern section of the ecoregion is part of what Hart and Ziegler call “The Lakeshore Resort and Retirement Belt” (Hart and Ziegler 2008) with many retirement and second homes especially near the many lakes. About 27% of this ecoregion was corn and soybeans, 24% deciduous or evergreen forest, 13% open water, 11% pasture or grassland and 10% wetlands in 2013.

— EPA

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