The Minnesota Land Trust was started in 1991 as the Washington County Land Trust, focused on the Twin Cities metro area in Washington County. Even as our mission expanded to encompass the whole state, we never lost sight of our founding mission and continue to work within the Twin Cities Metro to protect the best natural places before they are lost to growth and future development.
The Metro area contains a number of important species, such as River Otters (which are plentiful in the Fort Snelling area), Bald Eagles, white tailed deer, and Great blue herons. Three big river corridors and their tributaries flow through the metro area, including the Minnesota, Mississippi, and St. Croix rivers. The habitat within this area is under intense development pressure, and rising land values further imperil natural areas. We are building, adding onto, connecting and restoring complexes and corridors of protected habitat that include wetlands, prairies, forests and aquatic habitat.
Minnesota Land Trust, Washington County, and Science Museum of Minnesota permanently protect St. Croix Watershed Research Station Land At the Science Museum of Minnesota’s St. Croix Watershed Research Station, groundwater bubbles up to the surface through a “boiling sand spring.” Native plant communities like cold-water wetlands, oak forests and restored prairie harbor a large number [...]
Twenty-five years ago, Tim and Susan Clark bought a parcel of pastureland in western Hennepin County. Their goal was simple, to create a home for themselves while restoring the diverse and natural lands that had once thrived on the property. And now, thanks to a conservation easement through the Minnesota Land Trust and Hennepin County, [...]
Continued growth and outward development have always put pressure on the natural areas around the Twin Cities metro, but in recent years these trends have accelerated. The few remaining green spaces around the metro are steadily being converted to suburban development—impacting the many public benefits these green spaces provide. Fortunately, local families have stepped up [...]
This article first appeared in the Land Trust’s 2019 Annual Report. Sign up to receive our print and email publications. Established in 1956, Camp Katharine Parsons for years provided low-income youth from North Minneapolis outdoor education opportunities as a day camp managed by the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center (PWCC), an important human services agency for [...]
Anoka County is growing rapidly, and that increased population has propelled development into areas that were once undisturbed natural wildlife habitat. Fortunately, several local landowners have stepped up to protect important natural areas that provide needed shelter and food for a range of wild species. Recently the Minnesota Land Trust worked with one of these [...]
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