The Minnesota Land Trust and Northern Waters Land Trust partnered to protect a portion of the land surrounding the historic 3M retreat center on Big Mantrap Lake in Hubbard County. This conservation achievement ensures that approximately 449 acres of ecologically significant land and over six miles of shoreline will be permanently safeguarded for future generations. 

Mantrap Lake is a designated Lake of Outstanding Biological Significance known for its wild rice habitat, pristine water quality, and vital fish and bird populations. It spans 1,618 acres and reaches a depth of 68 feet. Home to loons, muskie, northern pike, bass, and black crappie, the lake and surrounding lands are an important sanctuary for migratory birds and other wildlife. 

Partners’ Multi-Year Effort Pays Off

This resounding conservation success is the result of a multi-year effort that began when 3M announced the sale of the property in April 2023. Recognizing its ecological importance, Northern Waters Land Trust, Minnesota Land Trust, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Conservation Fund, and Trust for Public Land came together to explore protection strategies and to collectively work to complete the project.  

In May 2023, these partner organizations submitted a letter of intent to 3M, initiating a complex negotiation process that would take nearly two years to finalize. Ultimately, 449 acres of undeveloped land was purchased in March 2025 by Northern Waters Land Trust and Minnesota Land Trust, with the help of the Department of Natural Resources. This project was funded through the state’s Outdoor Heritage Fund, as a part of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, with a matching contribution of Federal funding through the Minnesota Loon Restoration Project. 

This is an incredible conservation outcome for the state of Minnesota and especially the communities near Mantrap Lake and the greater Big Sand Watershed.

Big Sand Watershed Closer to 75% Protection

Protecting at least 75% of the land around a lake or river is crucial for maintaining its long-term health, water quality, and ecological balance. When too much land in a watershed is developed or farmed, runoff and pollution increase and the sensitive balance of aquatic ecosystems is disrupted, which can result in algae overgrowth, dead zones, and water that isn’t suitable for swimming, paddling, or fishing.  

Adding these 449 protected acres puts the Big Sand Watershed within 10% of reaching its 75% protection goal, a milestone that will further safeguard the region’s abundant fisheries and thriving ecosystems.  

“This project really exemplifies the power of forward-thinking land protection strategies,” said Ruurd Schoolderman, Program Manager at the Minnesota Land Trust. “With this acquisition, we are safeguarding an extraordinary landscape that will provide clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities for generations to come.”

Future Public Access and Broader Conservation Benefits for Minnesota

The land—which was originally acquired by 3M in 1955—will eventually be conveyed to the Minnesota DNR and open to the public. The new Wildlife Management Area (WMA) will be accessible to the public for outdoor recreation like hunting, fishing, and wildlife observation. 

“Protecting this property means securing a future where more people can enjoy the beauty of Mantrap Lake while ensuring that critical habitats remain intact,” said Annie Knight, Executive Director of Northern Waters Land Trust.” 

Ongoing conservation efforts like this are vital especially as pressures on natural lands and water intensify across Minnesota. Once natural habitat is parceled and developed, it can no longer filter and protect water, prevent flooding and runoff, or sustain the species biodiversity at the heart of thriving ecosystems. In fact, often these ecological benefits are significantly diminished or lost permanently.  

“Now more than ever, local land protection programs are critical to ensuring the long-term health of our landscapes,” said Wayne Ostlie, Director of Land Protection at the Minnesota Land Trust. “With so much uncertainty surrounding federal conservation programs, it is up to all of us to champion conservation at the state and local level.”

Landowners Are Part of the 75% Solution

Landowners in the Big Sand Watershed can continue to play a key role in helping reach the 75% protection goal and preserving water quality, wildlife habitat, and the natural heritage of Northern Minnesota. Landowners with over 40 acres of natural land should contact us to learn more about grant funded protection programs as there may be tax advantages or financial incentives available.

This project was made possible with funding from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC), with Federal funding through the Minnesota Loon Restoration Project, and by supporters of the Minnesota Land Trust and Northern Waters Land Trust. 

More Protection Stories from Northern Minnesota

• 
  Historic 3M Land on Mantrap Lake Protected for Conservation and Public Access
  The Minnesota Land Trust and Northern Waters Land Trust partnered to protect a portion of the land surrounding the historic 3M retreat center on Big Mantrap Lake in Hubbard County. This conservation achievement ensures that approximately 449 acres of ecologically significant land and over six miles of shoreline will be… Read more: Historic 3M Land on Mantrap Lake Protected for Conservation and Public Access
• 
  Partnership Protects Bad Axe Lake, Northern Minnesota Fisheries
  SAINT PAUL, Minn, April 26, 2023 — Together, the Minnesota Land Trust and the Northern Lights Council of the Boy Scouts of America have permanently protected a portion of Boy Scout Camp Wilderness, including over 3,600 feet of natural shoreline on Bad Axe Lake and 219 acres of land and… Read more: Partnership Protects Bad Axe Lake, Northern Minnesota Fisheries
• 
  Protecting Pancake Lake in the Mississippi Headwaters
  The Minnesota Land Trust has protected beautiful, undeveloped Pancake Lake in Cass County, MN, and a portion of Boy River, which connects seven deep, tullibee-supporting cold water lakes in the Mississippi Headwaters region of Minnesota. Pancake Lake is surrounded by 222 acres of undeveloped hardwood forest and wetlands, including forested… Read more: Protecting Pancake Lake in the Mississippi Headwaters
• 
  Protecting the Outdoors for Future Generations—YMCA Camp Olson
    When E.O. Olson donated the land near Longville that would become YMCA Camp Olson in 1954, he inscribed these words on the dedication plaque: “One man may not live to see his dreams come true, but his institutions carry on. We hope the Young Man’s Christian Association will preserve… Read more: Protecting the Outdoors for Future Generations—YMCA Camp Olson
• 
  A Link Between Fish and Forest
  It’s prophetic, in a way, that Candace Gouze’s birthday falls on Earth Day. After all, she’s led her family’s extraordinary efforts to protect their own little piece of the earth on Washburn Lake in Cass County. Over time, little by little, bit by bit they’ve acquired property around their family… Read more: A Link Between Fish and Forest

The buzz of chainsaws is punctuated by a crack of wood. Though it may seem counterintuitive, even jarring, this is the sound of forest restoration—specifically, restoration of 115 acres in Lake County, Minnesota.

The owners of the property, situated directly between Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls State Parks, acquired a conservation easement in 2019, permanently protecting 950 acres dominated by forest and wetlands. Prior to the Land Trust’s involvement, they had been actively restoring the landscape, adding 2,000 new trees over the course of several years.

According to Haley Golz, Minnesota Land Trust Restoration Program Manager, “The increasing prevalence and scale of climate change-related wildfires puts forest restoration front and center, especially in the Arrowhead region where there are large sections of previously harvested forest that are often at a higher risk for fueling fires.”

Haley has been working with the landowners to address their concerns about low species diversity and a large number of dead and dying balsams due to a budworm infestation on their property. “After a disturbance, like clearcutting, infestation, or fire, aspens are one of the first trees to establish, followed closely by balsams.

Without effective management, dense, low diversity forests comprised entirely of these early establishing trees can become an incredible fuel source for fire.”

Forest Restoration Cycle

This forest restoration project cycles through three phases: cutting forest gaps to allow enough sunlight to support new trees; removing brush around recently planted trees to support them as they try to establish; and planting long-lived trees like white pine, white cedar, and red pine.

These trees’ lifespans are 200 to 800 years, and the pines’ thick, protective bark makes them naturally resistant to moderately intense fires.

Helping establish old-growth forests is part of the Minnesota Land Trust’s climate-forward restoration agenda.

According to the US Forest Service, 15–40% of Minnesota’s forested acres contained old growth trees prior to European settlement. Today, it’s only about 2%.

“Forests have the potential to offset around one-third of global emissions—as a natural climate solution they’re pretty unrivaled,” said Haley. “This permanently protected forest will benefit generations to come by helping reduce the spread of fire, preserve air quality, and sequester more carbon over the lifetime of the trees.” Learn more about the Land Trust’s habitat restoration work across Minnesota.

Article Contributors

Written by: Sarah Sullivan—Communications & Marketing Manager
Professional review by: Haley Golz—Restoration Program Manager

As Seen in the 2023 Fall Review

This restoration project was featured in the Minnesota Land Trust’s 2023 Fall Review print newsletter, highlighting the importance of preserving clean air and forests.

Thank you for your continued support of habitat conservation, restoration, and nature engagement in Minnesota.

Donate Today

More Private Lands Restoration Projects

• 
  Restoration Improves Forest Health, Mitigates Wildfire Risk in Northern Minnesota
  The buzz of chainsaws is punctuated by a crack of wood. Though it may seem counterintuitive, even jarring, this is the sound of forest restoration—specifically, restoration of 115 acres in Lake County, Minnesota. The owners of the property, situated directly between Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls State Parks, acquired a conservation easement in 2019,… Read more: Restoration Improves Forest Health, Mitigates Wildfire Risk in Northern Minnesota
• 
  A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
  The property in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Rum and St. Croix River Conservation Priority area includes the forested northern shore of Rock Lake and is situated between a Walmart Supercenter, golf course, and two residential developments near the growing community of Pine City, Minnesota.   The most obvious and, likely lucrative, opportunity for retired farmer… Read more: A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
• 
  Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota
  Goats are known for all kinds of antics, including yelling, fainting, and of course, climbing into everything from delivery trucks to trees. In Southeastern Minnesota, on a Winona County property permanently protected by a Minnesota Land conservation easement, these functionally majestic animals are being leveraged for another one of their innate talents-their ability to destroy… Read more: Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota

This permanent conservation easement was made possible thanks to the members of the Minnesota Land Trust and Hennepin County with funding from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC).

SAINT PAUL, Minn, April 26, 2023 — Together, the Minnesota Land Trust and the Northern Lights Council of the Boy Scouts of America have permanently protected a portion of Boy Scout Camp Wilderness, including over 3,600 feet of natural shoreline on Bad Axe Lake and 219 acres of land and water near Park Rapids, Minnesota.  

Conserving this important landscape preserves high-quality habitat that supports a diverse population of plant and animal species including the ecologically critical tullibee (aka “cisco”) in Bad Axe Lake and downstream Tullibee Refuge Lakes. 

Permanently protecting this portion of Camp Wilderness, situated on the shores of Bad Axe Lake, also ensures that immersive nature adventures remain accessible to youth for years to come, critical in a region of Minnesota that is losing more of its undeveloped and sensitive shorelands to the construction of vacation homes. Read the full press release.

What Happened

• Over 3,600 feet of natural shoreline on Bad Axe Lake has been permanently protected through a conservation easement. This is a lake of Outstanding Biological Significance that provides habitat for many of Minnesota’s large gamefish species. 
  
• 219 acres of land and water were protected within Paul Bunyan State Forest, helping ensure contiguous habitat remains intact to support wildlife. 
  
• Camp Wilderness has been in operation since 1946 as an important resource enabling the Northern Lights Council, BSA to deliver vibrant outdoor programs that are critical to the Scouting experience. The camp is nationally recognized and fully accredited by the Boy Scouts of America.
  
• The conservation easement ensures that immersive nature adventures remain accessible to youth for years to come, critical in a region of Minnesota that is losing more of its undeveloped and sensitive shorelands to the construction of vacation homes.  
  
• To date, the Minnesota Land Trust has helped legally and permanently protect 37 camps, nature centers and environmental learning centers (ELCs) across Minnesota, preserving 4,856 acres of natural land and over 37 miles of undeveloped shoreline.

Key Quotes

Read the full press release.

Image Gallery

This conservation easement was made possible by the members of the Minnesota Land Trust and with funding from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC).

Scott Rall Permanently Protects Critical Grassland, Gives Wildlife Space to Breathe

Protect Critical Habitat & Natural Resources While Maintaining Property Ownership

You can help improve drinking water and aquatic habitat; ensure that prairie streams, wetlands and grasslands continue to provide critical habitat for pheasants and other wildlife; and help preserve your way of life in southwest Minnesota.

The Minnesota Land Trust is partnering with private landowners who wish to help protect this important habitat through a permanent conservation easement on their land, including their grazing lands and retired agricultural lands. Will you help us preserve Minnesota for future generations?

For more information see the program brochure

Eligibility Requirements for the Southwest Minnesota Program

The proposed property to be protected must meet the following requirements to be eligible for this specific program:

• Be at least 40 acres in size.
• Be located within the program area, which may include all or portions of the following counties as indicated in blue on the map: Brown, Lac qui Parle, Chippewa, Yellow Medicine, Renville, Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, Pipestone, Murray, Cottonwood, Rock, Nobles, and Jackson.
• Contain less than 20% of the proposed protection area in cultivation, or have the potential to restore currently cultivated land (in excess of 20%) to native vegetation.
• Properties located within the Wildlife Action Network or Prairie Plan areas as indicated by the orange and cross-hatched sections on the map may be given higher priority.
• Properties with full development wind leases are ineligible for this program.

Completed Protection & Restoration Projects in Your Area

• 
  Southwest Minnesota Habitat Conservation & Private Lands Protection
  Scott Rall Permanently Protects Critical Grassland, Gives Wildlife Space to Breathe Eligibility Requirements for the Southwest Minnesota Program The proposed property to be protected must meet the following requirements to be eligible for this specific program: Completed Protection & Restoration Projects in Your Area
• 
  Protecting Prairies in Southwest Minnesota
  This recently protected property is located in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Prairie Coteau conservation priority area in Nobles County, MN and sits adjacent to East Graham Lake. The protected lands are comprised primarily of grasses and prairie–over 22 acres–including rare southern mesic prairie, a small grass-dominated remnant native prairie, and areas of restored prairie which… Read more: Protecting Prairies in Southwest Minnesota

Funding for this program is provided by the Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council.

The property in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Rum and St. Croix River Conservation Priority area includes the forested northern shore of Rock Lake and is situated between a Walmart Supercenter, golf course, and two residential developments near the growing community of Pine City, Minnesota.  

The most obvious and, likely lucrative, opportunity for retired farmer Dave Odendahl would have been to sell off his working lands to a real estate developer once he was done farming them. The developer would subdivide the 154 acres to maximize profit on exclusive residential parcels on the golf course and along the Rock Lake shoreline. Perhaps some more commercial development, a strip mall and a coffee shop franchise.

The result would have been fragmented habitat, the loss of mature white pine and northern red oak trees, more localized pollution for the remaining habitat to try to filter, and a lot more impervious surface directing pollutants towards the St. Croix River. It would have also resulted in the loss of habitat for a number of species, including wood ducks and trumpeter swans.   

Dave made a different choice.  

Instead, he has worked tirelessly for the last decade to restore previously drained wetlands and convert a majority of his agricultural fields to prairie. “It’s been a good home for my family and me,” says Dave. “There were eight of us children raised here, and we had a good, sustainable life with strong feelings for conservation.”

Inspiration and Land Defragmentation

The protected property includes 154 permanently protected acres that buffer the shoreline and waters of neighboring Rock Lake, helping preserve the safety of the lake’s water for the fish that live there, including walleye, as well as the people who recreate on the lake. It also helps protect water further downstream. Water flowing from Rock Lake into the Snake River eventually finds its way into the lower St. Croix River and ultimately the Mississippi River.

According to Ruurd Schoolderman, Minnesota Land Trust Conservation Program Manager, “By keeping the shoreline in its natural state and protecting it from future development, Dave is reducing runoff pollution and filtering the water that the local community relies on. The work private landowners like Dave are doing with U.S. Fish and Wildlife to restore natural lands in the St. Croix watershed is part of a bigger partnership effort that will reap benefits for the whole community as these lands are healed.”

Dave’s property, along with three other conservation easements, protects 430 acres around Rock Lake, creating an even more ecologically significant matrix of connected habitat. It demonstrates that when individuals do their part on behalf of the environment it can inspire others and together big changes are possible! Community members motivated by seeing the farm’s transformation into a vibrant, living landscape are now exploring restoration options for their properties, and the Minnesota Land Trust will be commencing restoration work on the property on the south side of Rock Lake in the fall of 2023.

Help Protect More Land & Water in Communities Across Minnesota

Your gift helps protect and restore more important and imperiled habitat throughout the state.

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Want to protect your property in Aitkin, Benton, Carlton, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, or Pine County? Learn more about protection opportunities in this region, like the Anoka Sand Plain Protection Program and the Twin Cities Region Land Protection Program.

After Farming—Preserving the Multi-Generational Land Legacy

Dave grew up on the family farm, eventually taking it over and working the fields himself. And now, as he transitions out of that work, he’s making sure that the legacy his family created on the land lives on forever through a conservation easement with the Minnesota Land Trust. 

The farm has been in Dave’s family for nearly 100 years and during that time a lot has changed on and around the land. The property was first purchased by his grandfather in 1920. Over the years, the family raised sheep, poultry, a dairy herd and also maintained a vineyard and orchard with grapes, plums, and apples.

A lifelong conservationist, Dave has worked to restore balance to the natural systems on the land by converting agricultural fields to prairie and restoring wetlands. “I enjoy nature to a great degree, and somehow I could never see this property being developed,” says Dave. “It’s unique—the lakeshore, the glacial esker along the lake—all of it.” Dave first partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to perform restoration work on the wetlands. “Dave has had a conservation mindset throughout his life and career. We’ve done a number of wetland restoration and prairie enhancements on his property, and this summer we are restoring three more wetlands on the property,” said John Riens of the USFWS.  

Long term, Dave hopes the land he has so carefully stewarded and enriched through his restoration work will continue to benefit not just the local community and wildlife that depend on it but contribute to cleaner water and carbon storage that benefits all of us. The conservation easement and the restoration efforts fit hand-in-glove with Dave’s ethics and the Land Trust’s goals. “This has been the perfect home for me. I can roam the hills, do a little hunting, go down to the lake and go fishing,” says Dave. “And I’ll be helped now with the Land Trust here.”

A Prairie Restoration Blooms

Spring 2021 Prescribed Burn & Wetland Basin

In spring 2021 a prescribed burn and ditch plug construction were completed, restoring a previously drained wetland basin.

According to Haley Golz, Minnesota Land Trust Restoration Program Manager, “The fun part about this project is working with Dave who is smart, thoughtful about the process, and actively engaged.”

Fall 2021 Second Seeding

A second seeding took place in fall 2021 to ensure robust native plant cover, then the project entered an active management phase. From 2022 to 2024, active monitoring and maintenance of the fledgling prairie will continue to ensure it properly establishes.

Now that the planting and two seasons of growth are complete, what were once fields of row crops between the farmhouse and Rock Lake provide a continuous wildlife habitat and tantalizing pollinator prairie with species like wild lupine, prairie phlox, and blazing star. The wetland basins in the prairie landscape include swamp milkweed and lake sedge.

“Projects like the Odendahl farm restoration really underline the impact local families can have on the overall natural health of their communities,” said Haley. “Without Dave’s dedication and love for this place, we wouldn’t be able to connect these parcels for the benefit of wildlife and people.” For Dave, restoring the waters and land that his family have relied on for over a century is a way to give back to the region he has called home for decades.

Protected Property Photo Gallery

Click or tap on the photos to view full sized images of this beautiful, protected and restored property and related wildlife and habitats.

Article Contributors

Original Website Publication Date: August 5, 2020
Last updated: March 17, 2023

Written by: Sarah Sullivan–Communications & Marketing Manager
Professional review by: Haley Golz–Restoration Program Manager and Ruurd Schoolderman–Conservation Program Manager

As Seen in the 2023 Spring Review

This property and landowner were featured in the Minnesota Land Trust’s 2023 Spring Review publication, focusing on the importance of protecting Minnesota’s clean and fresh water.

Signup to receive these beautiful publications directly to your mailbox.

Thank you for your continued support of habitat conservation, restoration, and nature engagement in Minnesota.

More from the Rum & St. Croix River Region

• 
  A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
  The property in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Rum and St. Croix River Conservation Priority area includes the forested northern shore of Rock Lake and is situated between a Walmart Supercenter, golf course, and two residential developments near the growing community of Pine City, Minnesota.   The most obvious and, likely lucrative, opportunity for retired farmer… Read more: A Century Old Farm’s Greatest Yield Yet
• 
  Ann Bancroft Partnership Protects Vital Metro Area Land Forever
  Bancroft, Minnesota Land Trust, and Washington County partner to protect 118 acres over two properties The Minnesota Land Trust, Washington County, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and two landowners, including polar explorer Ann Bancroft, have successfully closed on a land conservation partnership project that permanently protects approximately 118 acres over two properties in… Read more: Ann Bancroft Partnership Protects Vital Metro Area Land Forever

Funding for the acquisition of the Easement was provided by Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Specifically, the Easement was funded through the St. Croix Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration Phase I program.

The Barrett family, headed by landowners Dale and Betty Barrett, have demonstrated incredible persistence in their steady pursuit to permanently protect Tennyson Lake in Isanti County, Minnesota, in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Twin Cities Metro conservation priority region. To date, they’ve permanently protected 322 acres of land or water and almost two miles of shoreline across three separate conservation easement projects spanning nine years. The most recent installment added almost 83 acres of protected land and water, including 4,235 feet of Tennyson Lake shoreline.   

82.6 Acres Protected

• Water: 60.26 acres
• 4,235 shoreline feet
• Wetlands: 17.76 acres
• Forest: 4.07 acres
• Grassland: .29 acres

Wildlife Supported in the Area

• Blanding’s turtle
• Trumpeter swan
• Lark sparrow
• American white pelican
• Common loon

According to Conservation Program Manager Kristina Geiger, the protection of larger contiguous blocks of habitat provides significant benefits, “It helps ensure that land management is consistent across large areas, which is better for wildlife habitat. And the Barretts are constantly working to improve habitat and forest health on the land. With this conservation easement, they’ve managed to protect almost all of Tennyson Lake—plus they were the drivers behind protecting Dale’s parents’ homestead in the next town and are so committed to conservation that they’ve even started helping their neighbors protect their land too.” 

Preserving Tennyson Lake

Because these lakes are shallow, more weeds are visible on the water surface. This might seem unsightly to the untrained eye, but is actually an indication of a healthy lake. The robust plants on the lake bottom hold together the entire ecosystem—they keep sediment in place, compete with algae for nutrients, and provide food and habitat for fish and wildlife. And native vegetation crowds the shoreline of healthy, shallow lakes. 

The conservation easements that protect Tennyson Lake help ensure that the shoreline remains undeveloped as recommended by the Minnesota DNR, providing significant protection in the face of ongoing high-density residential development around Minnesota’s lakes, especially those near population centers like Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Tennyson Lake’s Wetlands

A Floating Mat in the Wetlands

The bog birch-alder fen creates a floating mat composed of floating aquatic plants, mud and peat which covers much of the northwestern portion of the protected property and forms an island in the lake providing additional food and habitat. The uplands and vegetated wetlands in the northwest portion and southwest corner of the protected property are part of the 424-acre “Tennyson Lake Area” Site of Moderate Biological Significance as identified by the Minnesota Biological Survey Map. That means that the area contains some rare species, moderately disturbed native plant communities, and/or landscapes that have a strong potential for recovery. 

Wetlands like those found around Tennyson Lake perform crucial functions for the surrounding lands, waterways, animals, and the people that live in the region. They improve water quality, preserve wildlife habitat, reduce runoff, retain floodwater, reduce flood damage, and improve groundwater recharge.  

Loss of Wetlands Compounded by Climate Change

In Minnesota, a large portion of important wetland habitat was destroyed during the twentieth century as it was converted to crop fields. The loss of naturally occurring wetlands is felt even today—possibly more acutely—due to climate change and the increase in heavy precipitation events.

These rains increasingly cause flooding and flush greater amounts of nitrates and phosphates from agricultural fields into streams, rivers, and lakes, imperiling aquatic habitats, fish, and other animals and making water unsuitable for recreation much less drinking. Preserving and restoring more wetland habitat is a top priority of the Minnesota Land Trust because they’re critical for supporting species biodiversity, promoting climate change resilience, and for protecting the water we all need to survive.

The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connected Landscapes project studies and maps resilient lands and significant climate corridors. Overall, the protected property is considered a climate resilient site with the following ratings:

Resilience—Slightly Above Average

Relatively high capacity to maintain species diversity and ecological function as the climate changes

Connectedness—Above Average

Few human-created barriers (major roads, agricultural fields) so species can migrate towards suitable areas despite a warming climate

Diversity—Slightly Above Average

Surrounding area has variable topography, elevations & hydrology contributing to relatively high diversity of microhabitats

Protecting the Twin Cities Metro & Outer Regions

The Twin Cities Metro conservation priority area is home to a majority of Minnesota’s increasingly diverse population. Here, the Minnesota and St. Croix Rivers merge with the Mississippi River, providing critical corridors for resident wildlife and migratory birds. This region includes a variety of habitats, from Big Woods forests to prairies and wetlands, which support one of the highest concentrations of Species in Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the state.  

Unsurprisingly, these diverse natural habitats also provide outstanding scenic and recreational opportunities for the large population base of the Twin Cities. As land conversion intensifies for human uses, natural habitats and water quality are increasingly threatened.

Do you want to protect your property in Sherburne, Isanti, Anoka, Chisago, Washington, Ramsey, Hennepin, Wright, Scott, Carver, Meeker, McLeod, Sibley, or Dakota county?

Learn more about protection opportunities in this region.

The Original People of this Region

The predominant vegetation in this region originally included oak savanna and upland prairies surrounded by wetland complexes. Agricultural land conversion, few natural wildfires, and more recently, urban development, have resulted in the loss of most of the historic prairies and savannas. 

Importantly, this portion of Minnesota is the contemporary home and ancestral land of the Mdewakanton and Wahpekute Dakota people. It has also been home to the Ojibwe people who migrated to the region from the Atlantic coast around 1,500 years ago following prophecies that urged them to move west, to the “land where food grows on water.”  

Prior to contact with Europeans, both groups of Indigenous people hunted and fished, gathered the products of nature, and stewarded the lands through practices handed down through generations—often through stories and songs—referred to today as traditional ecological knowledge.  

Indigenous people were systematically forced off their lands and onto reservations through treaties with the U.S. Government, contributing to poverty, illness, death, and a grievous loss of traditional spiritual and life practices and cultural identity. The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851 opened around 24 million acres of land in southern and western Minnesota to European settlement and permanently changed the landscape of the region. Learn more about treaties in Minnesota.

Protected Property Photo Gallery

Click or tap on the photos to view full sized images of this beautiful, protected property and related wildlife and habitats.

More from the Twin Cities Metro

• 
  Persistence Pays Off—Protecting Tennyson Lake in Isanti County, MN
  The Barrett family, headed by landowners Dale and Betty Barrett, have demonstrated incredible persistence in their steady pursuit to permanently protect Tennyson Lake in Isanti County, Minnesota, in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Twin Cities Metro conservation priority region. To date, they’ve permanently protected 322 acres of land or water and almost two miles of shoreline… Read more: Persistence Pays Off—Protecting Tennyson Lake in Isanti County, MN
• 
  Ann Bancroft Partnership Protects Vital Metro Area Land Forever
  Bancroft, Minnesota Land Trust, and Washington County partner to protect 118 acres over two properties The Minnesota Land Trust, Washington County, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and two landowners, including polar explorer Ann Bancroft, have successfully closed on a land conservation partnership project that permanently protects approximately 118 acres over two properties in… Read more: Ann Bancroft Partnership Protects Vital Metro Area Land Forever
• 
  Protecting the Waters of Hennepin County
  Twenty-five years ago, Tim and Susan Clark bought a parcel of pastureland in western Hennepin County. Their goal was simple, to create a home for themselves while restoring the diverse and natural lands that had once thrived on the property. And now, thanks to a conservation easement through the Minnesota Land Trust and Hennepin County,… Read more: Protecting the Waters of Hennepin County

Funding for the Land Trust’s costs and expenses associated with the acquisition of this Easement has been provided by Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund (“OHF”) as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Specifically, this Easement was funded through the Anoka Sand Plain Habitat Conservation–Phase 7 program.

Located atop a beautiful and steep forested bluff overlooking Brownsville, MN, this recently protected property—a generous full donation of the conservation easement—is in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Southeast Blufflands priority conservation area.  

Though small in acreage, the quality of the protected property, due in part to the landowners’ diligent restoration efforts, has an outsized impact on climate resiliency and habitat defragmentation in the area. It also affords breathtaking sweeping views of the Mississippi River and low-lying areas, and preserves the beauty of the natural bluff feature for those below. 

The rich and vibrant landscape isn’t an accident. The landowners have been working with public agencies like the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other private entities to manage the habitat on their property for some time. This work will continue and expand with the help of Minnesota Land Trust beginning in late 2023.  

According to Haley Golz, Restoration Program Manager, the plan focuses on enhancing the high-quality goat prairie and oak woodlands located on the property by removing invasive woody species. 

Protecting a Highly Climate Resilient Site

Targeting climate-resilient landscapes for permanent protection has been a priority for the Land Trust for some time and was recently formally documented in our Climate Change Action Plan.

While the entire Driftless region is considered climate resilient, this property is rated as highly climate resilient. It earns a “far above average” rating for resilience and landscape diversity from The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Land mapping tool, meaning it has a relatively high capacity to maintain species diversity and ecological function as the climate changes, and the highly variable topography, elevations, and hydrology in the surrounding area creates a large number of diverse of microhabitats for plants and wildlife. 

Local connectedness on the property is “above average,” with relatively few manmade barriers like major roads or agricultural fields, allowing species to readily move through the area to find suitable habitat where they can persist in a warming climate. 

Building a Connected Lands Matrix

In addition to local connectedness on the property, this permanently protected land adds to a growing matrix of conserved land in the surrounding area. To date, 51% of Minnesota Land Trust’s protected properties are located 1,000 feet or less from state or federally protected lands.  

This protected property builds on this tradition, situated directly north of a 16-acre Minnesota DNR easement, within three miles of three more Minnesota Land Trust conservation easements totaling approximately 315 acres of permanently protected private lands, and just two miles from the 286-acre Brownsville Bluff Scientific & Natural area.

Connecting Timber Rattlesnake Habitat Helps Species Recovery

Connected lands and habitats are critical to promote native species health and diversity. The timber rattlesnake is one such species. Native to Minnesota and only found in the bluffland region, they tend to build their dens for hatching young in south and west-facing bluff prairies and use the nearby bluff forests and bottomlands within two miles for hunting rodents and small birds.  

Intensive bounty hunting of timber rattlesnakes until 1989 significantly reduced their numbers. Today, they’re considered a threatened species imperiled by loss of habitat and climate change. According to the Minnesota DNR, “The bad news is that many once active [timber rattlesnake] dens are no longer active. Furthermore, much of the bluff prairie habitat the snakes depend on is getting severely overgrown with eastern red cedar. The good news is that there are still areas where the snake population appears to be stable, with signs of reproduction.”

Restoring and connecting protected native landscapes is an important part of helping the species stabilize and recover in the face of ongoing threats including habitat loss due to development and the effects of climate change. These private landowners are making a difference along with many of their neighbors in the region who have participated in oak savanna and bluff prairie restoration projects with the Minnesota Land Trust.

Help Connect More of the Southeast Blufflands

Your gift helps protect and restore more important and imperiled habitat across Minnesota, just like the oak savanna and bluff prairies that timber rattlesnakes rely on in the Southeast Blufflands.

 

Donate Now!

Want to protect your property in Houston, Fillmore, Winona, Olmstead, Wabasha, or Goodhue County? Learn more about protection opportunities in this region.

Protected Property Photo Gallery

Click or tap on the photos to view full sized images of this beautiful, protected property and related wildlife and habitats.

Experience the Southeast Blufflands Near Brownsville, MN

Immerse yourself in the blufflands with hiking, bird watching, trout fishing, and incredible scenic blufftop views (especially in the fall) by visiting a nearby state park: 

• Great River Bluffs State Park (Winona, MN) 
• Beaver Creek Valley State Park (Caledonia, MN) 

Visit the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge–Brownsville Overlook or take a drive on the Great River Road National Scenic Byway, which follows the Mississippi River for 3,000 miles from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, passing through 10 states and hundreds of river towns, including Brownsville, MN and this protected property!

More from the Southeast Blufflands

• 
  Protecting & Connecting the Southeast Blufflands Near Brownsville, MN 
  Located atop a beautiful and steep forested bluff overlooking Brownsville, MN, this recently protected property—a generous full donation of the conservation easement—is in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Southeast Blufflands priority conservation area.   Though small in acreage, the quality of the protected property, due in part to the landowners’ diligent restoration efforts, has an outsized impact… Read more: Protecting & Connecting the Southeast Blufflands Near Brownsville, MN 
• 
  The Elevation Effect—Climate Resiliency in Southeast Minnesota
  The Minnesota Land Trust has added 43.7 acres of permanently protected property near Winona, MN, in the Land Trust’s Southeast Blufflands priority conservation area. The protected property has a restored grassland with native plants including big bluestem, switchgrass, prairie cordgrass, lake sedge, woolgrass, tussock sedge, and bottlebrush sedge.   A deciduous forest comprised of eastern cottonwood,… Read more: The Elevation Effect—Climate Resiliency in Southeast Minnesota
• 
  Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota
  Goats are known for all kinds of antics, including yelling, fainting, and of course, climbing into everything from delivery trucks to trees. In Southeastern Minnesota, on a Winona County property permanently protected by a Minnesota Land conservation easement, these functionally majestic animals are being leveraged for another one of their innate talents-their ability to destroy… Read more: Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota

This permanent conservation easement was made possible thanks to the members of the Minnesota Land Trust and Hennepin County with funding from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC).

The Minnesota Land Trust has added 43.7 acres of permanently protected property near Winona, MN, in the Land Trust’s Southeast Blufflands priority conservation area. The protected property has a restored grassland with native plants including big bluestem, switchgrass, prairie cordgrass, lake sedge, woolgrass, tussock sedge, and bottlebrush sedge.  

A deciduous forest comprised of eastern cottonwood, American basswood, box elder, and American elm follows the natural s-curve of the creek through the northern section of the property. And woodlands consisting of white oak, red oak, bur oak, shagbark hickory, black cherry, sugar maple, American elm, paper birch, and quaking aspen populate the southwest-facing bluff.  

With 79.5% of the protected acreage forested, the property is estimated to sequester around 11 metric tons of carbon annually, the equivalent of approximately nine gas powered passenger vehicles driven for one year. 

43.7 Acres Permanently Protected

• Forest: 34.7 acres
• Grassland: 8.2 acres
• Wetlands: .1 acre
• Water: .7 acres
• Shoreline: 2,810 feet

Wildlife Observed on the Property

• Coyote
• Wild turkey
• Bald eagle
• Fisher
• Black bear

Elevation Helps Mitigate the Effect of Climate Change

Besides the carbon storage, it’s the elevation change that is most notable about the landscape, according to program manager Mark van der Linden, “I think what’s fantastic about this property is that it protects the valley, all the way from the stream to the top of the bluff! The elevation gain is nearly 400 vertical feet, and the landowner has done extensive landscape restoration, including restoring an area of floodplain that used to be farmed to a grassland habitat.”  

This region of Minnesota is part of the Driftless area which extends into portions of Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. With dramatic elevation changes ranging from 603 to 1,719 feet, the area is known for steep hills, forested ridges, and deep river valleys sheltering spring fed cold-water trout streams. Ecologically, the region’s flora and fauna are more reminiscent of those found in the Great Lakes region than those of the rest of the Midwest and Central Plains. 

The elevation and karst topography in the region create different types of habitats in close proximity to one another and even numerous microhabitats. Preserving and restoring areas with larger elevation change supports climate change resiliency because it protects a greater number of habitats and “refugia,” spaces that provide refuge for species moving from changing habitats that no longer support them.

Conserve More of the Southeast Blufflands

Your gift helps amplify our protection and restoration impact across Minnesota. 

Donate Now!

Want to protect your property in Houston, Fillmore, Winona, Olmstead, Wabasha, or Goodhue County? Learn more about protection opportunities in this region. 

Protecting Cedar Creek & Trout Fishing

Boasting 2,810 feet of undeveloped shoreline, the protected property helps maintain the ecological integrity of the Cedar Creek sub watershed (part of the Mississippi River-Winona watershed) and provides near-shore aquatic habitat for many plants and animals.  

Cedar Valley Creek is a perennially flowing cold-water state-designated trout stream that flows through the property eventually draining into the Mississippi River. The stream supports fish species including brown trout, white sucker, longnose dace, blacknose dace, bullhead minnow, creek chub, central mudminnow, and brook stickleback.

Overall, this property is a climate-resilient site according to the Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Land Mapping Tool. It has a relatively high capacity to maintain species diversity and ecological function as the climate changes due to relatively few human-created barriers and its high variable topography, elevations, and hydrology.

Protected Property Photo Gallery

Click or tap on the photos to view full sized images of this beautiful, protected property and related wildlife and habitats.

The Dakota People & The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux

Indigenous people have lived in this region from prehistoric times to the present day. It is home to the Dakota, more specifically the Wahpeton and Wahpekute bands, who hunted, fished, gathered, and stewarded the land. Native Americans recognized the rich natural resources in the area and valued the river valley for its abundant fishing and wildlife, protective hardwood forests, and temperate climate.  

The uplands supported herds of bison, deer, rabbits, and other wildlife that provided both food and hides, and the Mississippi River and its tributaries provided fresh water, fish, and reed grasses for weaving. The rivers allowed for navigation and the bluffs gave vantage points for communications and keeping watch.  

The signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851 between the U.S. government and the Dakota opened around 24 million acres of land primarily in southern and western Minnesota to European settlement. The original agreement called for a reservation on the south and north banks of the Minnesota River and payment of $1,665,000 in cash and annuities to the bands being displaced, the equivalent of 7.5 cents per acre of land. The promised reservation never materialized and $400,000 of the annuity payment was diverted to fur traders. Learn more about the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. 

The arrival of European settlers in southern Minnesota in the late 1800s, including the proliferation of agriculture, logging and the timber industries, dramatically transformed the landscape.

Visit the Southeast Blufflands

Fish Cedar Creek at the Cedar Creek Aquatic Management Area (AMA) or visit one of the many state parks in the region to take in panoramic scenic beauty at elevation and experience the unique ecological habitats that make the region so unique. 

• Great River Bluffs State Park, Winona MN 
• Whitewater State Park, Altura MN 
• Carley State Park, Altura MN 
• John A. Latsch State Park, Altura MN 
• Beaver Creek Valley State Park, Caledonia MN 
• Frontenac State Park, Frontenac MN 
• Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, Preston MN

More from the Southeast Blufflands

• 
  Protecting & Connecting the Southeast Blufflands Near Brownsville, MN 
  Located atop a beautiful and steep forested bluff overlooking Brownsville, MN, this recently protected property—a generous full donation of the conservation easement—is in the Minnesota Land Trust’s Southeast Blufflands priority conservation area.   Though small in acreage, the quality of the protected property, due in part to the landowners’ diligent restoration efforts, has an outsized impact… Read more: Protecting & Connecting the Southeast Blufflands Near Brownsville, MN 
• 
  The Elevation Effect—Climate Resiliency in Southeast Minnesota
  The Minnesota Land Trust has added 43.7 acres of permanently protected property near Winona, MN, in the Land Trust’s Southeast Blufflands priority conservation area. The protected property has a restored grassland with native plants including big bluestem, switchgrass, prairie cordgrass, lake sedge, woolgrass, tussock sedge, and bottlebrush sedge.   A deciduous forest comprised of eastern cottonwood,… Read more: The Elevation Effect—Climate Resiliency in Southeast Minnesota
• 
  Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota
  Goats are known for all kinds of antics, including yelling, fainting, and of course, climbing into everything from delivery trucks to trees. In Southeastern Minnesota, on a Winona County property permanently protected by a Minnesota Land conservation easement, these functionally majestic animals are being leveraged for another one of their innate talents-their ability to destroy… Read more: Goats Help Restore Resilient Lands in Southeast Minnesota

Funding for the acquisition of the Easement has been provided by Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). Specifically, the Easement was funded through the Southeast Minnesota Protection and Restoration Phase 8 program. 

The Heurungs have protected over 70 acres of their property in Stearns County, mostly composed of forest and woodland, grassland, and wetlands, and 2,829 feet of shoreline that includes a portion of the Sauk River and a restored pond.  

Active stewards of their land since they acquired it in 2017, the family partnered with Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the Nature Conservancy to restore a large wetland habitat. Manoomin (wild rice), which was once prevalent in the Sauk River Watershed but has now largely disappeared, was seeded in the restored wetland portion of their property in 2021 and is now starting to establish.  

The Heurungs made the wise and generous decision to place this property into a conservation easement to permanently protect the natural habitat, preserving its ability to perform critical environmental services for the region, like water filtering and providing important wildlife habitat in an area that is experiencing significant population growth and residential expansion.  

They’re also looking out for future generations, “We wanted to make sure future generations had a natural space to enjoy, to hunt or fish. It’s so important to think of young people and leave them land that is natural. We saw this as a great opportunity to leave a positive legacy.”

Conserve More of the Sauk River Region

Make a donation today! Your gift helps amplify our protection and restoration impact across Minnesota.

Donate Now

Want to protect your property? Learn more about opportunities in the Sauk River Watershed region. 

Wetlands to Row Crop Fields…

The west-central region of Minnesota, where the Minnesota Land Trust’s Alexandria Moraine and Mississippi Corridor North priority conservation areas are located, was once covered in tallgrass prairie as far as the eye could see. The prairie was interspersed with areas of wet prairie along with moraines, wetlands, and lake plains left behind after the retreat of the last glacier. Silver maple, elm, eastern cottonwood, and willow forests crowded the floodplains surrounding the Sauk River.  

After the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux effectively expelled the Dakota people from their lands, European settlement of the region resulted in land use practices and industry that would change the landscape forever. Timber and logging took massive quantities of trees and cleared more fields for agricultural use, as did the draining of the area’s wetlands.  

Today forests are resigned to areas with steep topography or near major waterways and remnant tallgrass prairies are rare. In fact, less than 2% of Minnesota’s native prairies remain across the state. 

Most pre-settlement wetlands have been drained or degraded and much of the region is still farmed, leading to excess nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer in the surrounding environment and compromising water quality, negatively impacting fish and other aquatic species. Over time, nitrogen and phosphorus can also leach through soil, impact groundwater and produce toxins that are harmful to humans. 

Impaired Shallow Lakes in South & West of State

According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), while lakes in northeastern Minnesota are generally healthy, conditions decline towards the south and west of the state. In the parts of the state with the most cultivated lands or residential development, lakes are less likely to meet water quality standards meant to protect aquatic life and recreation. 

In southern and western Minnesota, 78% of the region’s land use is cropland, resulting in high nutrient and sediment levels in the region’s shallow lakes. Most lakes in the watersheds that the MPCA has fully assessed in the region are “impaired,” with only 15% meeting water quality standards for aquatic recreation.

And Back Again–Improving the Sauk River & Watershed

One of the spectacular things about this property—and why protecting it forever is so critical—is the restored wetland. It had previously been a ditch that connected nearby farm fields directly to the Sauk River, providing an unimpeded flow of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment into the waterway.  

The restored wetland once again buffers the Sauk River from pollutants and helps preserve its water quality. The wetland also provides additional water storage on the landscape to prevent flooding, important in the face of the increasing heavy precipitation events that are now commonplace due to climate change. 

Large sections of the Sauk River are listed as “impaired” by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), including the stretch that flows over the protected property. Adding to the matrix of protected lands in the region as the Heurungs have done with their conservation easement helps preserve the health of the Sauk River and the greater watershed of around 667,200 acres of land where agriculture dominates.

Preserving and improving water quality in this region of the state has far-reaching implications. The Sauk feeds into the Mississippi River, the primary source of drinking water for the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and a crucial waterway for millions more people to the south as well as migrating birds, fish, and other wildlife.

The Heurungs truly are heroes for future generations of Stearns County residents and area wildlife that will benefit from their generosity today.

The Misi-ziibi (Mississippi) River & Tributaries 

The Mississippi River is a crucial waterway and resource for reasons ranging from important wildlife habitat to drinking water to commerce. The headwaters and upper portion of the Mississippi River comprise a small but important segment of this Great River. Protecting and improving the health of the waters of the Mississippi starts here in Minnesota and includes tributaries like the Sauk River.  

The impact and scope of the Mississippi River may be incalculable, but there are some data points that help put it into perspective:  

• The Mississippi River is the second-longest river in North America, flowing 2,340 miles south from Omashkoozo-zaaga’igan (Lake Itasca) in Clearwater County, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. It takes approximately three months for water to travel the entire length of the river.  
  
• It releases over 4 million gallons of water into the Gulf of Mexico every second.
• The Mississippi’s watershed and many tributaries drains all or parts of 32 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The river either borders or passes through 10 states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. 
  
• Indigenous people have lived along the river and its tributaries for thousands of years, leveraging the waters and surrounding landscape for hunting and gathering. Many Indigenous cultures also built urban and agricultural civilizations adjacent to the river, including mound earthworks that persist today. The Ojibwe name for the river is Misi-ziibi (Great River). Get Misi-ziibi pronunciation.   
  
• Eighteen million people throughout the U.S. rely on the Mississippi River for drinking water, including nearly 1-million residents in St. Paul and Minneapolis.  
  
• It supports around 25% of all North American fish species, about half of which live below St. Anthony Falls, which is the only major waterfall along the river.  
  
• Nearly 40% of North America’s waterfowl and 60% of bird species in the U.S. use the Mississippi Flyway, traveling along the Mississippi River from breeding grounds in Canada and the northern U.S. to wintering grounds as far south as South America.
• In addition, around 241 species of fish, 50 mammal species, 37 species of mussels, and 45 amphibian species are found within the Mississippi River system.  
  
• Around 505 million tons flows down the river each year. That equates to $80–$114 billion dollars of commerce. 
  
• It’s possible to drive almost the entire length of the Mississippi River following the Great River Road.

Protected Property Photo Gallery

Click or tap on the photos to view full sized images of this beautiful protected property and related wildlife and habitats.

Article Contributors

Written by: Sarah Sullivan–Communications & Marketing Manager
Professional review by: Leah Hall–Conservation Program Manager

As Seen in the 2023 Spring Review

This property and landowners were featured in the Minnesota Land Trust’s 2023 Spring Review publication, focusing on the importance of protecting Minnesota’s clean and fresh water.

Thank you for your continued support of habitat conservation, restoration, and nature engagement in Minnesota.

More from the Alexandria Moraine & Mississippi Corridor North

• 
  Restoring a Landscape from the Past & Preserving it for the Future
  The Heurungs have protected over 70 acres of their property in Stearns County, mostly composed of forest and woodland, grassland, and wetlands, and 2,829 feet of shoreline that includes a portion of the Sauk River and a restored pond.   Active stewards of their land since they acquired it in 2017, the family partnered with Stearns… Read more: Restoring a Landscape from the Past & Preserving it for the Future
• 
  Protecting 79-acres of Critical Waterfowl Habitat in North America’s Duck Factory
  Landowners Dave and Stephanie Sanderson have enjoyed their beautiful Otter Tail County property for many years, engaging in a variety of recreation activities including hunting, hiking, bird watching, and photography. In partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust, the Sandersons have generously donated a 79-acre easement, protecting the habitat, wildlife, and opportunity to recreate in perpetuity.… Read more: Protecting 79-acres of Critical Waterfowl Habitat in North America’s Duck Factory
• 
  A Ducky Partnership
  Minnesota is renowned for its ecosystem diversity; countless wildlife, plants and insects call it home. So, it may not be surprising to learn that Minnesota is also home to America’s “Duck Factory”, one of the most productive nesting areas for waterfowl in North America. The prairie pothole region, found in western Minnesota, is a landscape… Read more: A Ducky Partnership

Funding for the acquisition of this Easement has been provided by Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (“LSOHC”). Specifically, this Easement was funded through the Sauk River Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration–Phase 2 program.

A Picture Perfect Property

The natural features of the property include predominantly hardwood forest, consisting of aspen, oak and maple trees, interspersed with wetlands areas characterized by shallow open water, willow-dogwood shrub swamp or sedge meadow.

The mature forest on the property—comprised of trees estimated to be 55 to 135 years old—sequesters and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, assisting in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The easement area incorporates over 4,250 feet of undeveloped shoreline formed by three natural ponds within the property and portions of two more ponds at the property’s edge.

Finally, within the protected property is an area of prairie that has been diligently restored by the Sandersons; it includes big bluestem, purple coneflower and wild bergamot.

Preserving North America’s Duck Factory

The property is located in the Land Trust’s Alexandria Moraine priority conservation area, which is characterized by pothole wetlands and lakes across tall grass prairie and hardwood forest landscapes. These wetlands and lakes form the heart of Minnesota’s prairie pothole “Duck Factory,” a region that is significant to the entire North American continent for waterfowl reproduction.

Protection of these grassland-wetland complexes are identified by the Minnesota Wildlife Action Plan as necessary for sustaining and enhancing species, habitat and biological diversity due to their vulnerability to climate change. 

Agriculture dominates the land use in the area, with conversion of natural habitat to agricultural land dramatically reducing and fragmenting native habitat. And shoreline development is an ongoing threat to fragile lakes in the area.

Climate Resilient Lands Protected in West-Central Minnesota

With a rating “above average” for climate change resiliency and local connectedness by the Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Land Mapping Tool, this property adds to the growing number of climate-resilient lands that the Minnesota Land Trust has protected.

Overall, the site has a relatively high capacity to maintain species diversity and ecological function as the climate in Minnesota shifts.

Protected Property Land Resilience Score

Protected Property Photo Gallery

Click or tap on the photos to view full sized images of this beautiful protected property and related wildlife and habitats.

Help Us Protect More of North America’s Duck Factory Here in Minnesota

Your gift helps us reach more landowners and supports critical conservation work like protecting the prairie pothole region.

Donate Now!

More from the Alexandria Moraine

• 
  Restoring a Landscape from the Past & Preserving it for the Future
  The Heurungs have protected over 70 acres of their property in Stearns County, mostly composed of forest and woodland, grassland, and wetlands, and 2,829 feet of shoreline that includes a portion of the Sauk River and a restored pond.   Active stewards of their land since they acquired it in 2017, the family partnered with Stearns… Read more: Restoring a Landscape from the Past & Preserving it for the Future
• 
  Protecting 79-acres of Critical Waterfowl Habitat in North America’s Duck Factory
  Landowners Dave and Stephanie Sanderson have enjoyed their beautiful Otter Tail County property for many years, engaging in a variety of recreation activities including hunting, hiking, bird watching, and photography. In partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust, the Sandersons have generously donated a 79-acre easement, protecting the habitat, wildlife, and opportunity to recreate in perpetuity.… Read more: Protecting 79-acres of Critical Waterfowl Habitat in North America’s Duck Factory
• 
  A Ducky Partnership
  Minnesota is renowned for its ecosystem diversity; countless wildlife, plants and insects call it home. So, it may not be surprising to learn that Minnesota is also home to America’s “Duck Factory”, one of the most productive nesting areas for waterfowl in North America. The prairie pothole region, found in western Minnesota, is a landscape… Read more: A Ducky Partnership

Funding for the acquisition of the Easement was provided by Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund (“OHF”) as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. Specifically, the Easement was funded through the Wetland Habitat Protection and Restoration Program – Phase 6.