Minnesota Land Trust

Minnesota Land Trust Protecting & restoring Minnesota’s most vital natural lands for future generations. DONATE NOW: https://mnland.org/donate

Pollinators hover over blooms. Wildflowers and grasses bow in the wind. The prairie is humming back to life.Along the Po...
08/05/2026

Pollinators hover over blooms. Wildflowers and grasses bow in the wind. The prairie is humming back to life.

Along the Pomme de Terre River, one family is returning 215 acres to native prairie. Our restoration team and partners helped revitalize 30 acres of it—with more prairie and wetland projects underway this upcoming year.

The value of this work extends beyond the beauty of the land. Deep prairie roots hold water, capture carbon, and filter out excess nutrients before they reach our lakes and rivers. Restored wetlands expand critical waterfowl habitat and support biodiversity. And every acre counts when only 1% of native prairie remains in Minnesota.

📖 Catch the full story from the Star Tribune: https://www.startribune.com/tolkkinen-around-greater-minnesota-landowners-are-returning-farmland-to-prairie/601873201
Star Tribune

Photos by Lillie Smith

This project was made possible with funding from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund

08/03/2026

Our work wouldn’t be possible without a network of 800+ landowners across Minnesota.

Wendy Johnson is one of them.

A conservation advocate. A land steward. A filmmaker.

Together, we permanently protected 100 acres outside of Red Wing, adding to a complex of 2,140 acres of nearby conserved habitat.

This land was once platted for development. Now it’s protected forever—a place where rare remnant prairie can thrive, and former farmland can be restored to health.

“This land was a gift to me, but I’ve never ‘owned’ it. The land owns itself. It always has...now it can become itself again. I can’t think of anything more liberating and joyful than this!”

Wendy isn’t stopping at land protection. She’s restoring farm fields to native prairie—and making a film about the process, a project we’re proud to support. More to come 👀

This project was made possible with funding from Minnesota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC). Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund

Video by Glass & Magic.

Birdwatching…or human watching?👀😳Photo: Rachel Dunlap
07/06/2026

Birdwatching…or human watching?👀😳

Photo: Rachel Dunlap

🌱 We're hiring in Duluth! We're looking for a Program Coordinator for our Northeast Region—someone who's organized and e...
07/03/2026

🌱 We're hiring in Duluth! We're looking for a Program Coordinator for our Northeast Region—someone who's organized and excited to support conservation work across northeastern Minnesota. This role will coordinate conservation events and community gatherings, support our restoration and engagement programs, assist with grant administration, and more.

💵 $50,000–$59,000/year
📍 Duluth, MN
📅 Apply by July 31, 2026
Know someone who'd be a great fit? Tag them!

Apply at [email protected]
More details: https://mnland.org/about/employment/

Meet Minnesota's newest Wildlife Management Area 🤝🎉A quiet northern lake. Six miles of natural shoreline. A private trea...
07/02/2026

Meet Minnesota's newest Wildlife Management Area 🤝🎉

A quiet northern lake. Six miles of natural shoreline. A private treasure, once enjoyed by a select few, now belongs to all Minnesotans.

In 2025, we protected 450 acres on Mantrap Lake in partnership with the Northern Waters Land Trust. In June, the land was conveyed to the Minnesota DNR and opened to the public for recreation.

Mantrap Lake is designated as a Lake of Outstanding Biological Significance. It's known for its pristine water and unique shape, which support wild rice growth and abundant loon populations.

A century ago, this shoreline was slotted for development. Last week, we celebrated protecting it forever and opening it to the public. Now it's yours to explore 🥾

Paddle it. Fish it. Hike 8 miles of trails—with more on the way.

Special thanks to our partners at Northern Waters Land Trust, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Open Oceans Trust. This project was made possible by the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the MN State Legislature and recommended by LSOHC.

06/18/2026

✨ Some tiger swallowtail magic for your feed ✨

🎉 Since January, we've protected 960 acres across Minnesota—and 190 of them sit at the edge of the Boundary Waters along...
06/15/2026

🎉 Since January, we've protected 960 acres across Minnesota—and 190 of them sit at the edge of the Boundary Waters along the shores of a wild rice lake in Saint Louis County. The lake is a gateway to one of the most beloved wilderness areas in the country.

Here, northern forest gives way to wetland and open water, adding to a growing network of 13,700 acres of surrounding conserved lands.

What makes this place remarkable is what lives in it: 69 Species of Greatest Conservation Need, including Canada lynx, American goshawk, rare orchids, and ancient lichens that depend on intact, connected habitat. Their presence is a sign of something increasingly hard to find—land that is still healthy and intact.

These acres will remain forested, wild, and connected—a refuge for the creatures that depend on it, and for anyone who has stood at the water's edge and felt the awe of being somewhere that still feels whole.

This project was made possible with funding from Minnesota's Outdoor Heritage Fund, as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature and recommended by the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC).

06/10/2026

6,000 miles from South America and this bobolink found exactly what he was looking for: home. 🌾

Every spring, these remarkable grassland birds complete one of the longest songbird migrations in the world, but have fewer places to land as 99% of Minnesota’s native prairies have disappeared.

At the Minnesota Land Trust, we work to permanently protect and restore the habitat that wildlife depend on—because every species deserves a place to call home 💚

🎨: Jack Walgamuth
🎥: Hansi Johnson

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