Minnesota

The Trust for Public Land worked with the state Department of Natural Resources to protect 128 acres of Blakeley Bluffs as an addition to the Ney Wildlife Management Area.

The Trust for Public Land led the effort to transform a 27-acre industrial site located in St. Paul's East Side into a park and nature sanctuary in honor of late Congressman Bruce Vento.

TPL helped project Camp Ojiketa, a popular camp area, as a regional park, owned and managed by Chisago City.

Artists Anthony and Cheryl Caponi created a unique "art park" on their 60 acres of rolling meadows and woodlands in the Twin Cities suburb of Eagan, Minnesota.

Over the years, the Cannon River Watershed, south of the Twin Cities, has lost significant wildlife habitat to agriculture and development. The Trust for Public Land’s acquisition and conveyance of 160-acres to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of the new Circle Lake State Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is part of a larger effort to protect wildlife habitat in the watershed while creating new opportunities for public recreation. Located on the north shore of Circle Lake, the WMA includes high-quality marshlands, rolling upland forests, and grassy knolls with views of the lake. Less than an hours’ drive from the Twin Cities, Circle Lake WMA provides new public access to the lakeshore and adjacent lands for fishing, waterfowl hunting, and exploration.

Located only 30 miles southwest of Minneapolis, in Lake Waconia, "Coney Island of the West" is a relic of the days gone when city dwellers vacationed at nearby lake resorts. Beginning in the late 19th century, hotels, cabins, and dancehalls on the island attracted visitors from near and far. Today, only the crumbled remnants of these structures remain, overwhelmed by resurgent nature.

Crow Wing State Forest South Addition, in the Brainerd Lakes region, is a popular recreation area that also provides critical habitat for wildlife. Particularly important, for both recreation and wildlife, is land along the Mississippi River, which threads the state forest.

For years, a battle raged between local conservation-minded landowners and would-be developers of over 260 acres of Dead Lake shoreline. Proposed development included 151 residential housing units, a general store, a restaurant, two swimming pools, a marina, and mooring facilities.

TPL helped conserve 670-acres for the East Rush Lake Wildlife and Aquatic Management Area in rapidly growing Chisago County.

Conservationists had been keeping a close watch on the nearly 50 acres overlooking the St. Croix River valley and the village of Franconia, when TPL stepped in to work with partners in the Metro Conservation Corridors program, which protects natural areas and water quality in the rapidly developing metro region in Chisago County.

In 2013 The Trust for Public Land protected Gaul Island as an addition to the Burntside Islands Scientific and Natural Area. Like Long Island, which we helped protect in 2008, the island is part of the viewshed from Sigurd Olson's historic Listening Point.

In 2018, The Trust for Public Land added 116 acres near Howard Lake to the Grass Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Wright County, Minnesota, within an hour’s drive of Twin Cities’ residents. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources manages WMAs for wildlife habitat and public recreation.

The Trust for Public Land is leading a collaborative effort to integrate new parks and green space into the communities along the Green Line, an 11-mile light-rail corridor that will run between Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

This property is situated within the artic watershed just a few miles south of the Canadian border and surrounded by the Boundary Waters, the most visited wilderness area in the country. After more than a decade of work with The Trust for Public Land, and with funding from the Leuthold Wilderness Foundation, Jim and Judy Brandenburg created an iconic place for all when they protected this unbroken stretch of hundreds of acres of wild land surrounding beautiful Judd Lake.

The Trust for Public Land is working to protect 43 acres wedged between Kremer Lake and the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway in the heart of northern Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest.

Located just north of the town of Franconia, the new Lawrence Creek Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) protects natural features and rare resources of exceptional scientific and educational value. Created with The Trust for Public Land's help in 2017, the new 72-acre SNA features a mature hardwood forest of maples and oaks along a crystalline creek that flows, less than a mile downstream, into the Wild & Scenic Lower St. Croix River. The new SNA will provide excellent opportunities for nature study, outdoor education, scientific research, and other non-motorized recreation. Visitors are welcome to hike, ski, or snowshoe on the land. Limited hunting is allowed.

For years volunteers in Minnesota's Scientific Natural Area program hoped to see this 120-acre "botanist's delight" in Washington County protected.

The Trust for Public Land recently purchased five acres near Skyline Tower and transferred the parcels to the City of St. Paul. In the coming years, we will help guide the community through the process of designing, funding, and building a brand new, much-needed park.

In the 400 miles below its origin at Lake Itasca, the Mississippi River provides habitat for fish and other wildlife, hosts annual waves of migratory waterfowl, and is a favorite destination for hunting, fishing, birding, boating, and hiking. Much of the land along this stretch of the river is privately owned and subject to development or conversion to agriculture.

TPL helped protect Nisswa Lake, part of the 13,000-acre Gull Lake Chain, a popular fishing, boating, and swimming destination in the central part of the state.

The Trust for Public Land works with communities large and small to put a park, trail, or natural area within a 10-minute walk of every Twin Cities resident. At The Trust for Public Land we work to ensure that everyone has equitable access to the multiple benefits of parks and natural space.

When highway construction threatened Pike Lake, a haven for wildlife and a popular recreation spot, the city of Prior Lake asked The Trust for Public Land for help.

Along the Mississippi River in Inver Grove Heights, TPL continues to secure key properties that compose the Pine Bend Bluffs Scientific and Natural Area.

In 2005, The Trust for Public Land worked with Washington County and a private landowner to convert an abandoned rail corridor into a missing-link bike-and-pedestrian trail between Hastings, Minnesota, and Prescott, Wisconsin. Located near where the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway meets the Mississippi River, the bucolic, 2-½-mile path connects trail-users to Point Douglas beach and a new visitor center and interpretive trail on the Mississippi River in Hastings while also improving access to the Carpenter Nature Center, a mile further north.

The region around St. Cloud holds some of the fastest growing communities in Minnesota. At the edge of this sprawling region, Quarry Park and Nature Preserve offers rich history, diverse resources, and a variety of recreational activities, including SCUBA diving, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, and trout fishing.

When Harold and Doris Sabo approached retirement, they decided to sell their 2,500-acre Clearwater County farm bordering the Red Lake Chippewa Reservation in northern Minnesota.

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Minnesota Land Trust, The Trust for Public Land is working to create and expand conservation areas in the blufflands, to protect important wildlife habitat, and to improve access to recreation across this singular region.

To the delight of local anglers, boaters, campers, skiers, snowmobilers, and conservationists, The Trust for Public Land has protected 40 pristine acres along Leech Lake, including a half mile of shoreline, as an addition to Chippewa National Forest.

The Trust for Public Land established the Northwoods Initiative to protect the iconic landscapes of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Looking for a new area to explore? Lace up your hiking boots, grab your fishing pole, and head to beautiful Upper Cullen Lake, a favorite outdoor destination only a few hours northwest of the Twin Cities. The Trust for Public Land helped Crow Wing County conserve 146 acres at Upper Cullen Lake, including 2600 feet of lakeshore and a cold-water stream—land now open to public hiking, fishing, and hunting.

Victoria Lake, along the Wild and Scenic Ontonagon River on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is a favored destination for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and boating. Much of the land in this outdoor paradise is protected in Ottawa National Forest, but in other places, private parcels block public access, threaten water pollution, and complicate management of the national forest.

The Trust for Public Land helped protect this now-rare remnant of the Big Woods ecosystem that once dominated the southeastern third of Minnesota.

A 60-acre gem located in Lake Vermilion's Wolf Bay, Wolf Island is a place of legend and lore, with historical ties to both Native Americans and Voyageurs.