Minnesota

Thanks to the work of the Fund and its partners in Minnesota, more than 60,000 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.

A VOTE FOR CONSERVATION
We thank Minnesota voters for approving the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota constitution during the November 4, 2008 election. This important measure will provide critical funding for the next 25 years, protecting clean water and wildlife habitat. Minnesotans will reap the return of this investment in conservation for generations to come. Visit this page again in the future for news of new conservation efforts -- completed with your support.

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.

Chippewa National Forest

The Fund teamed up with the U.S. Forest Service to protect sensitive shoreline along three popular lakes in the national forest. Read more>

Crow Wing State Park

Continuing to conserve open space along the Mississippi River, the Fund joined forces with the Paul Bunyan Trail Association, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota to acquire 400 acres of recreation lands from Potlatch Corporation, protecting nearly two miles of the Mississippi River. Read more>

Great Lakes Revolving Loan Fund

A generous lead grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has enabled the Fund and its partners to protect nearly 20,000 acres, valued at nearly $56 million, within the Great Lakes Basin, the nation's most significant freshwater ecosystem. Read more>

Manitou Forest

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Fund is protecting a large block of working forest at the headwaters of the Manitou and Baptism Rivers – primary tributaries to Lake Superior. Read more>

Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership

The Conservation Fund, part of the Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership, is working with landowners, loggers, outdoor enthusiasts and communities to preserve Minnesota's forests for timber, jobs, outdoor recreation and wildlife habitat. Read more>

Minnesota Northwoods: Landmark Conservation Effort Protects 51,000 Acres

In a landmark conservation deal, Minnesota has taken a major step to protect valuable wildlife habitat in its Northwoods region. Read more>

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

In partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The McKnight Foundation, the Fund acquired 70 acres of critical migratory bird habitat as part of an 845-acre addition to the refuge. Read more>

Mississippi River Revolving Fund

Since 1994, the Fund and its partners have protected more than 14,400 acres of important wildlife habitat and recreation lands along the great river valued at over $19.6 million. Read more>

Upper Midwest Conservation Initiative

To protect this uniquely American landscape, The Conservation Fund has, since 1985, joined with public agencies, private land trusts and landowners to safeguard more than 52,000 acres of recreation areas, wetlands, working forests and wilderness in the Upper Midwest. Read more>

Upper Mississippi Forest Project

The Upper Mississippi Forest project keeps nearly 188,000 acres of Minnesota’s North Woods open for enjoyment by all and permanently protects forest habitats, creating a legacy that will live forever. Read more>