Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve

06/03/2026

Join us on Saturday (6/6) at 8am for the first Oak Savanna Bird Walk of the summer! Meet your leader at the Fish Lake Nature Trail parking lot off Durant Street in East Bethel. Come prepared to walk, slowly, on dirt and sand roads for 90-120 minutes. Bring binoculars if you have them!

Free and no registration required, though donations are appreciated. The walk will be canceled in the event of bad weather. There will be two more bird walks on June 20th and July 11th.

06/02/2026

Our next Lunch with a Scientist presentation will be on June 9th at 11:30am! Join us in person at the MacMillan Environmental Learning Center (the new addition to the Lindeman Center) or online at https://z.umn.edu/2026LWAS. This month we will highlight two research projects by emerging professionals serving at Cedar Creek as an Environmental Education Apprentice and Minnesota GreenCorps Member. Megan Myers will talk about data validation for red-headed woodpecker cavity cameras and Sierra Vilmo will talk about black locust removal techniques.

05/28/2026

Spring really is springing at Cedar Creek! (fawn photo by N. Weiss, flowers by C. Potter)

05/19/2026

Join us on May 23rd at 7:30pm for our May Star Party!

Clouds or Starshine

https://www.mnastro.org/event/cedar-creek-public-star-party/2026-05-23/

05/13/2026

We're very sad to share the news of Donnie Phyillaier's passing a few weeks ago. Donnie was one of the founding members of our ongoing wildlife tracking survey project, and has led a wide variety of tracking- and wildlife-related programs at Cedar Creek over the last decade. In fact, one of his very last outings before his death was leading an undergraduate tracking workshop here onsite. He will be remembered for his gentle demeanor, thoughtful teaching style, love of the land, and incredible generosity with his knowledge. You can read other reflections on his contributions and legacy on the Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project's blog: https://www.mntracking.org/blog/apr21-2026

(picture of Donnie teaching kindergarteners - not at Cedar Creek, but a great example of his incredible skills connecting ALL audiences to tracking!)

05/12/2026

Our breeding bird survey volunteers are trained up and out on the landscape surveying this week. In addition to seeing and hearing hundreds of individuals from many different species (85 species in May 2025!), they often come across other interesting thing. For example, one group found an owl pellet - with a whole muskrat skull inside! Thanks to volunteer Maddie Hartshorn for sharing these great 'unboxing' (un-pelleting?) photos.

05/11/2026

Space is still available for this weekend's NATURAL STATE workshop! This hands-on workshop, led by artist/filmmaker Steve Rowell, builds from his experimental documentary by the same name to explore the meeting point of art, ecology, climate change, and digital tools. Children ages 7+ welcome with parents, and adults welcome on their own.

Learn more and reserve your free ticket at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/natural-state-a-field-workshop-at-cedar-creek-tickets-1987132122671

05/07/2026

We will have contractors conducting a prescribed burn tomorrow morning (5/8) north of the Bataan St NE and 229th Ave NE intersection. The Fish Lake Nature Trail will remain open!

05/06/2026

Our next Lunch with a Scientist presentation will be on May 12th at 11:30am! Join us in person at the MacMillan Environmental Learning Center (the new addition to the Lindeman Center) or online at https://z.umn.edu/2026LWAS. Dr. Kathleen Thompson will highlight how the surrounding tree diversity shapes fungal endophytic communities in bur oaks growing in Cedar Creek's FAB2 biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment.

05/05/2026

On May 9th from 1pm to 3pm explore the science of Cedar Creek through hands-on activities and games for mixed ages! This month we’ll be examining the legacy of glaciers at Cedar Creek. We’ll take a close look at how the historic glaciers of Minnesota shaped the landscape and contributed to the ecosystems we see today. Activities will include a hike, data collection, and an ice cream activity! All ages welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.