Kristen Blann
Lead Freshwater Ecologist in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota
Cushing, MN
Kristen Blann Kristen Blann is the lead freshwater ecologist for The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. © Kristen Blann
Areas of Expertise
Freshwater conservation, peatlands, watershed health
Resources
Biography
Kristen Blann (Conservation Biology, UMN, M.S. ‘00, PhD ‘04) is a freshwater ecologist with The Nature Conservancy, based in Cushing, Minnesota. For more than 20 years, she has provided technical leadership and science support for freshwater and watershed conservation planning with The Nature Conservancy, including development of freshwater assessments, conservation action plans, and conservation portfolios; feasibility study and decision tools for the Minnesota Headwaters Fund; development of ecological flow and water level criteria to support sustainable water management and Sustainable Rivers Projects; and freshwater resilience mapping for TNC. Most recently, she is helping lead science strategies for protection, restoration, improved management, and climate adaptation for peatlands, wetlands, and wild rice waters.
Freshwater Stories
Resilient Waters
Fresh water is everywhere. It’s indispensable and imperiled. Here’s how we’re working to protect it.
Restoring Minnesota’s Peatlands for Climate & Water
Peatlands cover only about 3% of Earth’s surface yet globally store an estimated 30% of all land carbon, and in Minnesota, we have more peat than any state other than Alaska.
Mississippi River Headwaters
When we turn the faucet on in Minneapolis, St. Paul and St. Cloud, the woods and waters in north-central Minnesota may not be the first thing we think about. But perhaps they should be.