Thanks to the work of the Fund and its partners in Minnesota, more than 250,000 acres of forestland and open space across the state—including working forests and significant lands along the Mississippi River—will continue to provide important wildlife habitat, migration corridors, water quality, jobs and a wide variety of recreation opportunities.

Recent Projects

Fish Creek Open Space Area, City of Maplewood

Keeping with the Fund's goal to save favorite outdoor places, we helped the City of Maplewood acquire 70 acres around the Fish Creek Open Space Area, increasing it by 50 percent.

The Fish Creek Natural Area Greenway stretches from the Mississippi River in St. Paul, through Maplewood, to Carver Park in Woodbury. The heart of the Greenway is Fish Creek and Ramsey County’s 142-acre Fish Creek Open Space. Once pasture land, the tracts currently feature open rolling hills with wide views, prairie remnants, oak and aspen woodlands and a pine plantation. The southwest corner of the site is comprised of Mississippi River bluff land that offers a dramatic vista across the River Valley.

Maplewood had been interested in adding this land to their open space for the past 20 years but it was privately owned and never came up for sale. That is, not until 2011.

When the property went on the market, Maplewood's Parks and Recreation department needed time to get funding in place. Not wanting to miss out to another buyer, they approached the Fund for assistance. We used our Mississippi Revolving Fund, to purchase the property and plan to hold it for two years so Maplewood can raise the necessary funds to make it part of Fish Creek.

At the Fund we believe open space improves the quality of life in a community. That will be the case in Maplewood as the city and and the county will work together with several local non-profit groups to develop and implement a master plan that will guide the restoration and recreational use of the property. Also included is a plan to restore the property’s natural forested and grassland habitats for the benefit of a variety of wildlife species. This is a great win-win for wildlife and people.

Read the news release here.

Camp Miller

We helped the YMCA of Duluth permanently protect nearly 300 acres at Camp Miller, which supports outdoor opportunities for more than 2,000 youth each year. It also protects valuable land that has been a top priority for Minnesota DNR's Aquatic Management Area Acquisition Program. Read more >>

Upper Mississippi Forest Project

In summer 2010, we helped complete the largest land conservation deal in Minnesota's history: the Upper Mississippi Forest project. The project stitches together more than 4,000 square miles of public and private forests, conserves more than 60,000 acres of wetlands and more than 280 miles of stream, lake and river frontage creating a legacy that will live forever. Read more >>

Valley Creek Watershed

Near the bustling Twin Cities, the Valley Creek watershed supports endangered wildlife, a reintroduced bison herd and one of the area’s healthiest trout streams. In 2008, in partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust, we helped the Belwin Conservancy protect 12 acres at Valley Creek’s headwaters—a key step in our larger effort to preserve area wildlife habitat and enhance water quality. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation provided key support for the project, as part of a three-year, $10 million environmental initiative to fulfill State Wildlife Action Plans across the Upper Midwest.

Past Projects

Chippewa National Forest

The Chippewa National Forest lies at the crossroads of Minnesota's three major ecosystems—prairie and both boreal and hardwood forests. As a result, the Chippewa has the highest breeding density of bald eagles in the lower 48 states and hosts a variety of other wildlife species such as threatened Canada lynx. The Fund teamed up with the U.S. Forest Service to acquire more than 60 acres of sensitive shoreline along three popular lakes in the national forest as well as an 80-acre island harboring old growth forests and bald eagle nests and situated on a popular recreational lake.

Crow Wing State Park

With lead funding from the McKnight Foundation, the Fund is conserving open space along the Mississippi River. The Fund worked with the Paul Bunyan Trail Association, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Parks and Trails Council to acquire 400 acres of Mississippi River-front land from Potlatch Corporation. The newly protected hardwood and pine forest links Crow Wing State Park with Paul Bunyan Trail, connects wildlife migration corridors and expands public lands for hiking, biking and birdwatching.

Manitou River

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Fund is protecting a large block of working forest in Lake County. Located at the headwaters of the Manitou and Baptism Rivers—primary tributaries to Lake Superior - the 6,000-acre Manitou Forest project is the largest working forest conservation easement in the state. Home to timber wolves and moose, the Manitou property contains old-growth hardwood forests, lowland conifers, inline lakes and headwater streams. The property is almost completely surrounded by public lands and a signature preserve of old growth forest owned by The Nature Conservancy.

Read about the following projects in detail: