Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Office of the Revisor of Statutes

97A.135 ACQUISITION OF WILDLIFE LANDS.
    Subdivision 1. Public hunting and wildlife areas. (a) The commissioner or the
commissioner of administration shall acquire and improve land for public hunting, game refuges,
and food and cover planting. The land may be acquired by a gift, lease, easement, purchase, or
condemnation. At least two-thirds of the total area acquired in a county must be open to public
hunting. The commissioner may designate, by written order published in the State Register, land
acquired under this subdivision as a wildlife management area for the purposes of the outdoor
recreation system. Designations of wildlife management areas are exempt from the rulemaking
provisions of chapter 14 and section 14.386 does not apply.
(b) The commissioner of administration may transfer money to the commissioner for
acquiring wildlife lands to qualify for Pittman-Robertson funds. The transferred money is
reappropriated to the commissioner for the wildlife land acquisition.
    Subd. 2. Disposal of unsuitable hunting areas. The commissioner shall sell or exchange
land acquired for public hunting that is unnecessary or unsuitable. The land may not be sold
for less than its purchase price. The land may be exchanged for land of equal value that adds
to existing public hunting areas. The sales and exchanges must be approved by the Executive
Council. This subdivision does not apply to land in a wildlife management area.
    Subd. 2a. Disposal of land in wildlife management areas. (a) The commissioner may sell
or exchange land in a wildlife management area authorized by designation under section 86A.07,
subdivision 3
, 97A.133, or 97A.145 if the commissioner vacates the designation before the sale
or exchange in accordance with this subdivision. The designation may be vacated only if the
commissioner finds, after a public hearing, that the disposal of the land is in the public interest.
(b) A sale under this subdivision is subject to sections 94.09 to 94.16. An exchange under
this subdivision is subject to sections 94.341 to 94.347.
(c) Revenue received from a sale authorized under paragraph (a) is appropriated to the
commissioner for acquisition of replacement wildlife management lands.
(d) Land acquired by the commissioner under this subdivision must meet the criteria in
section 86A.05, subdivision 8, and as soon as possible after the acquisition must be designated as
a wildlife management area under section 86A.07, subdivision 3, 97A.133, or 97A.145.
(e) In acquiring land under this subdivision, the commissioner must give priority to land
within the same geographic region of the state as the land conveyed.
    Subd. 3. Cooperative farming agreements. On any public hunting, game refuge, wildlife
management area, or scientific and natural area lands, the commissioner may enter into written
cooperative farming agreements on a sharecrop basis, without competitive bidding, for the
purpose of wildlife and plant management. Cooperative farming agreements may also be used to
allow pasturing of livestock. The agreements may provide for the bartering of a share of any crop,
produced from these lands, for services or products that will enhance or benefit the management of
state lands for plant and animal species. Cooperative farming agreements pursuant to this section
shall not be considered leases for tax purposes under section 272.01, subdivision 2, or 273.19.
History: 1986 c 386 art 1 s 26; 1987 c 149 art 1 s 15; 1990 c 605 s 3; 1993 c 285 s 16,17;
1994 c 561 s 14; 1994 c 622 s 1; 2000 c 485 s 17; 2004 c 221 s 39; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 98

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes