Minnesota Conservation Partners

The Minnesota Zoo works together with the following Minnesota conservation organizations to help accomplish our local conservation and education goals. More information about all of these Minnesota Zoo Minnesota Conservation Partners can be found at the information desk on the Minnesota Trail as well as by clicking on the following links. We encourage all Zoo guests to work with our partners to further enjoy, learn, and get involved with Minnesota wildlife and wild places.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - With the help of people like you, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources does many things to conserve wildlife and wild lands. They manage millions of acres of land and hundreds of animal and plant species, from the common loon, our state bird, to the Nation’s largest red pine. MN DNR also provide outdoor recreation opportunities and commercial uses of natural resources in a way that creates a sustainable quality of life.

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge – USFWS - Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1976 to provide habitat for a large number of migratory waterfowl, fish, and other wildlife species threatened by commercial and industrial development while providing environmental education and wildlife dependant recreation. Today, the Refuge comprises 14,000 authorized acres, stretching for 45 miles from Fort Snelling State Park to Bell Plaine, Minnesota. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses over 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.

Audubon Society – MN – Audubon Minnesota is the state office of the National Audubon Society. Established in 1979, they share Audubon’s 100-year heritage of working to protect our environment, as well as the Audubon mission to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats.

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness – Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is a 31-year old organization committed to preserving, protecting and restoring the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and of the surrounding Quetico-Superior ecosystem. Founded in 1976 to advocate permanent Congressional protection of the million-acre BWCA, Friends today is sustained by more than 2,500 members in continuing to monitor threats, support sensible conservation policies and educate new generations of stewards in behalf of America's largest lake-land wilderness.

Izaak Walton League of America - Minnesota Division – Founded in 1922, the Izaak Walton League is one of the nation's oldest and most respected conservation organizations. With a powerful grassroots network of 40,000 members and nearly 300 local chapters nationwide, the League takes a common-sense approach toward protecting our country's natural heritage and improving outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans.

Minnesota Land Trust – The Minnesota Land Trust is a private, nonprofit organization working to permanently protect Minnesota's natural and scenic lands. Through research, education and technical assistance on conservation projects, the Land Trust works with communities and private landowners to protect land and achieve community-based conservation goals. We do this by working extensively with conservation easements: carefully crafted voluntary agreements that limit the use and development of land and permanently preserve its natural features. In the end, we provide Minnesotans with confidence that our natural assets are safeguarded from inappropriate future development. The Minnesota Land Trust has completed over 300 land-protection projects preserving more than 29,000 acres and over one-half million feet of fragile shoreline throughout the State.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area – The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park System, was created by Congress in 1988. Established to recognize the importance of the United States' greatest river, its boundary extends 72-miles stretch from Ramsey and Dayton to just south of Hastings. The park is a partnership between counties, communities, agencies and organizations all connected by the Mississippi River's resources and stories.

The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota – The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.

Sierra Club - Northstar Chapter – The Sierra Club's members are 750,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, they work together to protect communities and the planet. The Club is America's oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization.

Voyageurs National Park Association - Voyageurs National Park Association's mission is to protect and promote the natural, recreational, and historic resources of Voyageurs National Park. VNPA provides the important "margin of excellence" that Voyageurs National Park deserves as one of our nation's greatest treasures.