The most biodiverse area in Minnesota, the Southeast Blufflands feature a deeply dissected plateau forming towering bluffs, some stretching over 600 feet high, with spectacular goat prairies dotting south and southwest facing slopes.
Colloquially known as the “Driftless Area” it was largely untouched by the most recent glacial advances in Minnesota, and the Mississippi River and its tributaries carved the dramatic scenic landscape here. The unique karst topography is distinct for its sinkholes and caves created through the dissolution of the thinly covered underlying soluble bedrock (like limestone) which is common across the Southeast. Fountain, MN is even known as the “Sinkhole Capital of the United States”!
Important species in the area include the timber rattlesnake, peregrine falcon, sturgeon, Blanding’s turtle, and Louisiana waterthrush. Once a threatened species, the rare Pleistocene land snail also calls Southeast Minnesota home.
The Minnesota Land Trust is looking for willing landowners to participate in the Blufflands Protection Program, a conservation initiative to permanently protect high quality habitat complexes in southeastern Minnesota. For more information Mark van der LindenLand Protection Coordinator605-595-5251mvanderlinden@mnland.org Interested in applying? Scroll to bottom of page for more information. This page will help you decide [...]
For over 21 years, a group of neighbors in Rochester have worked to preserve and maintain the beautiful natural woods behind their homes. A conservation easement through the Minnesota Land Trust has protected their hard work. In 1997 a group of neighbors in Rochester came together to form the Baihly Woods Preservation Association (BWPA), and to [...]
The distinctive rattle of the timber rattler most times is a sign that you’re headed down the wrong path, but for Bill and Dawn Farrell of Winona County, that sound sent them down a path that ended up with them creating a complex of protected lands for future generations. Recently the Farrell’s protected their land [...]
We all have memories we want to hold onto forever, but few of us can put a whole lifetime of memories in a time capsule the way Jeff and Cindy Erding of Fillmore County have. The Erding’s recently completed a conservation easement on their naturally-significant property with the Minnesota Land Trust, which protects their land [...]
The City of Red Wing is renowned for its open and natural places, however as the municipality has grown, development has encroached on what was previously woodlands, agricultural fields, and bluffs. But thanks to the Ghei family of Red Wing, 69 acres of land in the city will remain in its natural state. Since 2001 [...]
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