You helped safeguard 1,100 acres where birds, wildlife, and people thrive.
Each fall, the sky above Duluth’s Hawk Ridge comes alive. Hawks, eagles, and falcons ride the thermals over Lake Superior. Songbirds and waterfowl stream overhead. People gather along the ridge, binoculars in hand, waiting for the next wave of raptors to appear.
And because of you, these migrating birds will find food, shelter, and safety on their journey.
The New Lester-Amity-Hawk Ridge Natural Area
This year, your support helped protect the new Lester-Amity-Hawk Ridge Natural Area—1,100 forested acres linking city parks, trout streams, and wild ridges in Duluth.
This corridor is a vital stopover for over 200,000 migrating birds each fall and is home to 59 Species in Greatest Conservation Need, rare native plants like endangered hemlock, and one of the best coldwater trout streams in Duluth. It’s a continuous wildlife corridor that keeps forest, water, and wildlife connected.
The new natural area includes the “proposed park boundaries” shown in yellow on the map in addition to the existing Hawk Ridge park.
Expanded Natural Area
The Power of Partnership
What makes this story extraordinary isn’t just that the land is protected—it’s how.
This project united a coalition of partners including the Minnesota Land Trust, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, the South St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District, Minnesota Trout Unlimited, the City of Duluth, and others around a shared vision.
Collaborative conservation initiatives like this enable ecosystem-level impact: safeguarding migration corridors, protecting watersheds, and supporting local communities.
Together, and with your help, we secured provisional protection for this remarkable place. And we’re already working with partners to develop its first management plan, map native plant communities, and restore Amity Creek with $2 million in secured funding.
Help Protect More Special Places Like Hawk Ridge
Your gift provides critical funding to permanently protect natural land, safeguard wildlife, and restore imperiled habitat across Minnesota. Protect your next acre today!
A Place for Birds, Wildlife, and People
In addition to safeguarding migrating birds, the new natural area designation helps preserve $22 million in economic benefit for Duluth from 80,000 visitors every autumn.
The area’s trails also welcome hikers, mountain bikers, Nordic skiers, equestrians, and snowmobilers, and includes a stretch of the Superior Hiking Trail.Thanks to you, the Lester–Amity–Hawk Ridge Natural Area will remain a sanctuary for birds, wildlife, and people.
The next time you spot eagles, hawks, and songbirds soaring southward, you’ll know you helped safeguard their journey.
Plan Your Visit to Hawk Ridge
Fall migration over Hawk Ridge happens from mid-August through November. October is prime viewing for “big” birds like bald and golden eagles, and rough-legged hawks.
Best viewing: Hawk watching is best from 10 am – 2 pm. Naturalists are on site September 1 – October 31 from 9 am – 4 pm to help with bird identification, answer questions, provide live bird demonstrations and more.
What to bring: Binoculars and weather-appropriate clothing, camp chairs.
Where to start: Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve parking area: 3980 E Skyline Pkwy, Duluth, MN 55804.
Learn more: hawkridge.org/plan-your-visit
Lester-Amity-Hawk Ridge Photo Gallery
Tap or click to see full-sized images and descriptions.
More Protection & Restoration Stories from the Lake Superior Region
- Wings Over Hawk Ridge: A Forest Corridor Protected
You helped safeguard 1,100 acres where birds, wildlife, and people thrive. Each fall, the sky above Duluth’s Hawk Ridge comes alive. Hawks, eagles, and falcons ride the thermals over Lake Superior. Songbirds and waterfowl stream overhead. People gather along the ridge, binoculars in hand, waiting for the next wave of raptors to appear. And because… Read more: Wings Over Hawk Ridge: A Forest Corridor Protected - 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 - Restoring Habitat for a Threatened Species on Interstate Island
Big problems require a champion, someone with a specific mix of skills, connections, and vision, who can systematically and patiently work a process and stay connected to the larger purpose to bring the vision into reality. In 2019, Interstate Island and its Common Tern colony needed a champion. The 6-acre dredge spoil island in the… Read more: Restoring Habitat for a Threatened Species on Interstate Island
