Minnesota Prairie Hike
Minnesota Prairie Hike: Thanks to members and Minnesota’s Legacy Fund, TNC has helped protect more of the state’s prairies, forests and wetlands. © Richard Hamilton Smith

Places We Protect

Northern Tallgrass Prairie

Minnesota

The Nature Conservancy acquired 2,094 acres in Minnesota that are now part of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.

Viewing

Grasslands are one of the most endangered and least protected habitat types on Earth. Native prairie once covered as much as 18 million acres in Minnesota. Only about 235,000 acres of prairie remain today in the state.

The Nature Conservancy acquired 2,094 acres in Minnesota that have been added to the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was established in 2000 to address the loss of America’s grasslands and the decline of grassland wildlife.

The Nature Conservancy acquired the lands and transferred them to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under a program recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council and approved by the Minnesota Legislature. Funding for the acquisitions was provided by the Outdoor Heritage Fund, which was created under the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

All of the properties acquired by The Nature Conservancy and added to the refuge are open to the public for outdoor recreation including hiking, birding and photography.

They also are all open to hunting; however, the FWS encourages hunters to check regulations as they may vary by unit. For additional information, please contact the appropriate unit manager.

Locations:

  • Bartels Unit: Portion of the SE 1/4 of Section 20, Rose Dell Township, Rock County; 96°22’18” W 43°47’35” N (43.793098 -96.371778)
  • Brandenburg Prairie Unit: Portions of SE ¼ of Section 18, Mound Township, Rock County; 96°16’21”W  43°43’34”N  (43.726093°  -96.272660°)
  • Brenner Lake Unit: NW 1/4 of Section 6, Norway Lake Township, Kandiyohi County; 95°15’18” W 45°24’34” N (45.409545 -95.254907) 
  • Cramlet Unit: Portion of the SW1/4NW1/4 and NW1/4SW1/4 of Section 34, Langhei Township, Pope County; 95°33’43” W 45°25’20” N (45.422368 -95.561873)
  • Flickertail Prairie Unit: Portion of the E 1/2 of Section 34 and a portion of the NW1/4 of Section 35, Hagen Township, Clay County; 96°22’24” W 47°4’43” N (47.078594 -96.373367)
  • Forstrom Unit: Portions of NW ¼ of Section 10, Norway Lake, Kandiyohi County; 95°11’16”W  45°23’54”N  (45.398363  -95.187906)
  • Harris Trust, et al. Unit: SE 1/4 of Section 32, Nora Township, Pope County; 95°43’2” W 45°40’37” N (45.677035 -95.717341)
  • Hoffman Unit: N ½ NE ¼ of Section 35, Langhei Township, Pope County; 95°31’52”W  45°25’36”N  (45.426571°  -95.531000°)
  • Holland Braton Unit: Portion of the SW 1/4 of Section 32, Humboldt Township, Clay County; 96°24’13” W 46°37’51” N (46.630840 -96.403569)
  • Mears Unit: Portions of NW ¼ and N ½ NE ¼ of Section 14, McKinley Township, Kittson County; 96°34’12”W  48°56’53”N  (48.948364°, -096.570258°)
  • Pavia Unit: Portions of SE ¼ of Section 28, Lake Ida Township, Norman County; 96°23’9”W  47°15’10”N  (47.252831°  -96.385848°)
  • Pell Creek Unit: Portions of SE 1/4 of Section 12, Holly Township, Murray County; 95°27’45”W 44°10’24”N (44.163380°, -095.462657°)
  • Spieker Unit: Portions of NE 1/4 and W 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 2, Riverton Township, Clay County; 96°26’31”W  46°53’12”N  (46.886858°, -96.441935°)
  • Storm Unit: Portions of N 1/2 of Section 35, Pelan Township, Kittson County; 96°25’41”W  48°38’11”N  (48.636542°, -096.428114°)
  • Syverson Unit: Portion of NE 1/4 Section 32, Nora Township, Pope County; 95°43’2” W 45°40’48” N (45.680106 -95.717276)
  • Woolcott Unit: N 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of Sec 7, Colfax Township, Kandiyohi County; 95°7’20” W  45°23’47”N  (45.396321°  -95.122199°)
Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment
Minnesota Legacy Logo Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment © 2014 Legislative Coordinating Commission

Related Stories

VIEW ALL
Minnesota Prairie Hike

Places We Protect

Outdoor Heritage Fund Creates Wins for Nature

Since 2008, with the support of funding from the Outdoor Heritage Fund, The Nature Conservancy has continued to protect lands and waters across Minnesota. Here is what the overwhelming support of the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment has helped achieve.

Stump Bay Mississippi River

Interview

Minnesota Headwaters Fund QA with Doug Shaw

Nature Conservancy has created the Minnesota Headwaters Fund— a $10-million, privately-funded investment to support our work to accomplish high-impact conservation of Mississippi River watersheds in Minnesota.

The Conservancy is a proud member of Our Mississippi Our Future, a coalition committed to engaging all Minnesotans in keeping clean water clean.

Campaign

Keeping Clean Water Clean

The Conservancy is proudly leading Our Mississippi Our Future, a campaign committed to engaging all Minnesotans in keeping clean water clean.