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Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Your Outdoor Heritage Fund at Work

Click the photo cards below to view highlights of the Department of Natural Resources' programs
and sites of habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement supported by the Outdoor Heritage Fund.

View all DNR Programs funded with the Outdoor Heritage Fund

Aerial view of the St. Louis River estuary.

DNR Legacy Funded Projects

Statewide, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

DNR Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program logo.

Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program

Statewide, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Aerial view of the St. Louis River estuary.

Restoration Evaluations Program

Statewide, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Public Land Acquisition and Restoration

Graphic celebrates 75 years of Minnesota's WMA program.

Program Overview: "The evolution of Minnesota's WMA's"

Statewide, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Aerial view of Marsh Lake at Lac Qui Parle WMA.

Lac Qui Parle Wildlife Management Area

850 acres protected; 16,000 acres restored/enhanced through OHF

Swift, Chippewa, Lac Qui Parle, & Big Stone Counties, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Waterfowl on a lake at Pillsbury State Forest.

Hopeful Wildlife Management Area

580 acres protected through OHF

Lincoln & Lyon Counties, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Oak savannah with lake and forest habitat in the distance at Keystone Woods WMA.

Keystone Woods Wildlife Management Area

1800+ acres protected through OHF

Washington County, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Forest and grassland prairie habitat at Big Woods WMA.

Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area

400+ acres protected; 10,000+ acres restored/enhanced through OHF

Anoka & Chisago Counties, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

A Legacy Amendment sign marks the spot of habitat restoration at Whitewater WMA.

Whitewater Wildlife Management Area

330+ acres protected; 20,000+ acres restored/enhanced through OHF

Wabasha, Olmsted, & Winona Counties, Minnesota

Photo © LSOHC Staff

A map showing the site of Plantagenet Lake AMA.

Plantagenet Lake Aquatic Management Area

100+ acres, 4,000+ feet of shoreline protected through OHF

Hubbard County, Minnesota

Map © MN DNR

Stream habitat at Vermillion River Aquatic Management Area.

Vermillion River Aquatic Management Area

70+ acres protected; 350+ acres restored/enhanced through OHF

Dakota County, Minnesota

Photo © Rich Wahls/Friends of the Mississippi River

Signage at Little Cannon River AMA.

Little Cannon River Aquatic Management Area

70+ acres protected through OHF

Goodhue County, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

A road winds through hardwood forest.

Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest

1,700+ acres protected through OHF

Southeast Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Chengwatana State Forest Addition: "DNR receives land donation along St. Croix River"

Chisago County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

St. Louis River Estuary Restoration

Aerial view of the St. Louis River estuary.

Program Overview: St. Louis River Restoration Initiative

St. Louis County, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

St. Louis River Restoration Initiative

St. Louis County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Radio Tower Bay Restoration Project

St. Louis County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Aerial view of the St. Louis River estuary.

LSOHC Presentation: St. Louis River Restoration Initiative

St. Louis County, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Buckingham Creek Stream Restoration Benefits Native Brook Trout Population

Duluth, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Aquatic & Stream Habitat Programs

Kings in the North: Lake Sturgeon Recovery in the Red River

Red River Basin, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Habitat for Lake Sturgeon on the Red River.

New river habitat for Lake Sturgeon on Otter Tail River

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

River Ecology: Dams to Rapids

Upper Otter Tail River, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

A canoe and wild rice seeds on a lakeshore dock.

Upper Otter Tail Connectivity Project

Becker & Otter Tail Counties, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Mound Creek Restoration at Blue Mounds State Park

Luverne, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Replacing Culverts for Fish Passage and Climate Resiliency

Statewide, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Shallow Lakes and Wetlands Programs

Aerial view of restored shallow lake habitat.

Shallow Lakes Program Work Overview

Statewide, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Waterfowl on the surface of Marsh Lake after a drawdown.

Marsh Lake Ecosystem Restoration Project Presentation

Big Stone, Swift, and Lac Qui Parle Counties, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Lock and Dam 5.

Wetland habitat management, before and after

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Forest Legacy & Forests for the Future Programs

A collection of images showing forest habitat conservation and wildlife.

Forest Legacy Program

Statewide, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Waterfowl on a lake at Pillsbury State Forest.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources permanently protects nearly 16,000 acres, the agency’s largest acquisition since 2010

Northeast Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

A forested trail in the Upper Mississippi- UPM Forestry Legacy Project area.

Upper Mississippi- UPM Forestry Legacy Project

Northern Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Prairies, Grasslands, and Native Prairie Bank Programs

Spring at a native prairie bank easement.

Native Prairie Bank Program

Northwest, Southern, & Central Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Controlled burning of a prairie.

Managing Prairies

Northwest, Southern, & Central Minnesota

Photo © Greg Hoch/MN DNR

A doe is seen on native prairie at Pelican Lake.

Presentation: Grassland Restoration & Monitoring

Northwest, Southern, & Central Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

A butterfly lands on swamp milkweed.

Presentation: The Conservation Landscape: Land and Partnerships Presentation

Northwest, Southern, & Central Minnesota

Photo © Greg Hoch/MN DNR

Scientific and Natural Areas Program

A prairie orchid blooms on a Scientific and Natural Area.

Program Overview: Scientific and Natural Areas

Statewide, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Prescribed Burning on Scientific and Natural Areas

Statewide, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Virtual Hike: Hythecker Prairie Scientific and Natural Area

Dodge County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Virtual Hike: Iron Horse Prairie Scientific and Natural Area

Dodge County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Virtual Hike: Kellogg Weaver Dunes Scientific and Natural Area

Wabasha County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Virtual Hike: Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area

Cottage Grove, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Virtual Hike: Seminary Fen Scientific and Natural Area

Carver County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Virtual Hike: Kettle River Scientific and Natural Area

Pine County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Virtual Hike: Mound Spring Scientific and Natural Area

Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Virtual Hike: Gneiss Outcrops Scientific and Natural Area

Granite Falls, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Prairie smoke blooms at Felton Prairie SNA.

Felton Prairie SNA

Clay County, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

Prairie Chicken Lek at Bluestem Prairie SNA

Site of OHF-funded restoration & enhancement

Glyndon, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

La Salle Lake SNA

Hubbard County, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Two Rivers Aspen Parkland SNA

Kittson, Minnesota

Video © MN DNR

Lock and Dam 5 Invasive Carp Deterrent Project

Aerial view of Lock and Dam 5.

Lock and Dam 5 Invasive Carp Deterrent Project

Winona County, Minnesota

Public domain photo from USACE

Lock and Dam 5.

Lock and Dam 5 Invasive Carp Deterrent Project Update Presentation

Winona County, Minnesota

Photo © MN DNR

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