Located at the gateway to the Prairie Pothole Region, the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center is the first residential environmental education facility operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It includes more than 325 acres of native and restored prairie, 28 wetlands, nearly four miles of foot trails, and a visitor center established in 1998 with interactive exhibits, classrooms, a dining hall and kitchen, administrative offices, and the Bluestem Store. The center is part of the Fergus Falls Wetland Management District, established in 1962 in western Minnesota, which includes Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Wadena, and Wilkin counties and emphasizes waterfowl production while preserving habitat for migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and native wildlife across more than 43,900 acres of Waterfowl Production Areas and 23,500 acres of private wetlands. In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with the Fergus Falls school district to provide field-based environmental learning for fourth- and fifth-grade students. Historically, this part of Minnesota was part of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie, where abundant wetlands once supported waterbirds by the millions, but during the past century 90 percent of the wetlands were drained and less than one percent of the original prairie remained unplowed or undeveloped, contributing to major declines in nesting waterfowl and other wildlife. The district still supports a rich diversity of habitats and species, including more than 293 bird species, about 170 nesting species, at least 40 pairs of Bald Eagles, nearly a dozen Ospreys, at least 40 mammal species, and 25 reptile and amphibian species. It also lies at the start of the Pine to Prairie International Birding Trail, a route of more than 45 sites stretching 200 miles through northwestern Minnesota to Manitoba across a wide range of habitats that support over 275 bird species.