Our mission is to protect and restore Minnesota’s land, water, and wildlife so that nature thrives—for everyone, forever. Our great ambition is to protect what cannot be replaced. To give nature in Minnesota a thriving future. And to do it – together.

Since 1991, the Minnesota Land Trust has impacted nearly 100,000 acres of Minnesota’s most threatened lands through permanent land protection and restoration. 

Recognizing the growing need to foster a strong conservation ethic,
the Land Trust has also partnered with communities, camps, and organizations for more than a decade to enhance outdoor recreation and educational opportunities across Minnesota.

About Nicollet Island Pavilion

The Minnesota Made Gala is returning to historic Nicollet Island Pavilion in Minneapolis, where guests will enjoy the fresh air and views of the Minneapolis skyline, bridges, and Saint Anthony Falls (Owámniyomni).

Nicollet Island Pavilion is located within Nicollet Island Park on the south end of the 48-acre island. Part of the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and within the Mississippi River–Twin Cities Important Bird Area, the island is also part of the Mississippi Flyway, a migratory corridor for 40% of North America’s waterfowl and shorebirds. The island also provides a haven of natural habitat within the dense urban surrounds for foxes, beavers, turtles, herons and pollinators.

Wita Waste (Beautiful Island), is the Dakota name for the island and it is part of the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Dakota people. Prior to European settlement and subsequent development for industrial use, the island was covered in dense maple forests and was the site of Dakota maple sugar camps.