Minnesota and the Northwoods
CONNECTING EVERYONE TO THE OUTDOORS IN 2025 AND BEYOND
Chippewa Northwoods.
PHOTO BY JOHN SHEPARD
Connecting Everyone in Minnesota and the Northwoods of Wisconsin and Michigan to the Outdoors
Feeling the wind on your face while paddling down the Mississippi Headwaters, lost in thought. An impromptu, good-natured snowball fight in the Northwoods. The chatter of your friends picnicking as birds sing in the underbrush. These simple, yet profound, moments in nature are vital.
Here in Minnesota, nature is part of who we are. From the forests of the Northwoods to the rivers of the Mississippi Headwaters, our landscapes shape our lives, our memories, and our futures. In a fast-paced, ever-changing world, publicly accessible outdoor spaces are essential. They nourish our well-being and remind us that each day holds the promise of renewal. That is why, like you, Trust for Public Land is standing up for the outdoor spaces that bring us joy.
This has been a landmark year for conservation and outdoor access. Minnesota voters overwhelmingly passed the constitutional amendment to renew dedication of Minnesota lottery funding to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF), which—in addition to creating a new Community Grants program to benefit communities across the state—will generate $2.7 billion in lottery proceeds to protect clean water, preserve wildlife habitat, and ensure everyone in Minnesota can access the outdoors. And thanks to you, we continue to grow the Minnesota Land Protection and Northwoods Land Protection Funds , flexible funding sources that give us
the agility to act quickly when high-impact land conservation opportunities—across Minnesota and the Northwoods of Wisconsin and Michigan—come to our attention.
In Minnesota and across the nation, YOU empower us to advance our mission to create, enhance, and protect the outdoor spaces that uplift and connect communities. Your commitment, advocacy, and generosity make everything we do possible. You help us green schoolyards, restore rivers, safeguard forests, and deepen our partnerships with tribal nations.
When we unite to achieve our goals, the possibilities are endless. Together, we are shaping a future that prioritizes resilient communities and access to nature for all. Thank you for standing with us today as we create a greener, healthier, and more sustainable tomorrow for everyone.
With gratitude,
Sophie Harris Vorhoff Minnesota State Director
Greener Schoolyards, Stronger Communities
Every child—regardless of zip code, nationality, or socioeconomic status—deserves to step outside the classroom into a world alive with greenery and safe places to play. Across Minnesota, TPL is working hand-in-hand with students, teachers, community leaders, and local government to realize this vision and create outdoor oases where they are needed most.
Since 2023, we have been transforming schoolyards in five distinct Minnesota communities—located in urban centers, first ring suburbs, and on tribal land up north— from barren turf into nature-rich community schoolyards. By engaging students and their communities in the design process, we ensure each schoolyard is a direct reflection of their unique aspirations, values, and needs.
The Brooklyn Center Elementary STEAM Community Schoolyard we co-created is already alive with the sounds of kids playing, learning, and exploring—the first in our cohort of five to open. This once-underwhelming space is now a vibrant outdoor hub for nature-based learning and play, featuring outdoor classrooms, a nature exploration area, a mini-forest, rain and pollinator gardens, ADA-accessible play equipment, and a student-designed art mural—making it a joyful, welcoming destination for its 800+ students long after the final bell has rung. During non-school hours the space is accessible for everyone, including over 3,000 nearby residents .
MINNESOTA BY THE NUMBERS
5 distinct locations 5 community schoolyards
2,200+
total students served
16,500+ residents within a 10-minute walk
In June 2025, we broke ground on community at Maxfield Elementary School in Saint Paul, Franklin Elementary School in Rochester, FAIR School in Crystal , and Endazhi-Nitaawiging Charter School in Red Lake, extending the benefits of outdoor recreation and education to even more Minnesota youth. Together, these four schoolyards connect over 13,000 residents to a green space within a 10-minute walk of home.
Backed by both private donors and public funding— including the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF)—these schoolyards are models for what’s possible across the state. When we collaborate to transform underfunded schoolyards into dynamic, nature-rich spaces, we narrow the park equity gap, strengthen climate resilience through green infrastructure, and help cultivate a sense of belonging for both students and their surrounding communities.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Make a gift to help us create Minnesota schoolyards that strengthen communities, improve health and education outcomes, and provide nature-based climate solutions.
Brooklyn Center Elementary. PHOTO BY CORY RYAN/CT RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Protecting the Places That Sustain Us
Connecting with nature depends on safeguarding the public lands that sustain us. Our land protection program and initiatives such as Forever Northwoods and Minnesota Rivers are instrumental in providing healthy outdoor experiences, strengthening climate resilience, and keeping our air and water clean. From the cool, clear headwaters of the Mississippi to the rolling prairies of the Southeast Blufflands, these landscapes nourish our health, reaffirm our identity, and bolster our resilience. Over the last year, TPL has made significant strides in protecting, restoring, and enhancing access to these vital places, thanks in large part to our generous partners and donors.
Funding Land Preservation
Minnesota is home to some of the country’s most iconic landscapes, offering havens for wildlife and vast playgrounds for outdoor recreation. For people living in the Midwest and beyond, lands like the Northwoods have long been beloved refuges that provide us with beautiful scenery, sustain us with fresh air and water, and inspire an abundance of lasting memories.
But encroaching development, resource extraction, and climate challenges are putting these landscapes at risk. That’s where the Minnesota Land Protection Fund and—for lands that fall within the borders of the Northwoods—the Northwoods Protection Fund come in.
These donor-supported funds enable fast, flexible action to safeguard high-priority lands when public funding alone isn’t enough. They give TPL the ability to negotiate purchase agreements, secure matching funds, and move faster than traditional public processes typically allow. In short, they help us seize the moment to save the places we love.
Among the sites we are protecting is the 213-acre Lake Superior Falls property, a dramatic gateway linking Saxon Harbor in Wisconsin to Michigan’s Legion County Park. Once protected, this site will provide safe trail access, restore degraded land, and open public access from Wisconsin to the awe-inspiring Superior Falls for the first time in decades.
OVER THE NEXT YEAR, WE AIM TO PROTECT:
• 2,500 acres of forest
• 30 miles of the North Country Trail
• 5 miles of pristine shoreline
• 5 iconic sites that foster public access
Our work is also advancing a critical national treasure, the North Country National Scenic Trail . Spanning over 4,800 miles from North Dakota to Vermont, it is the longest of the country’s 11 national scenic trails. In Wisconsin and Michigan, we are currently working to secure and permanently protect more than 40 miles of this iconic route—ensuring hikers, birders, and paddlers can access unbroken stretches of wilderness in the years to come. With every mile protected, we increase habitat connectivity, support rural economies, and inspire the next generation of public land stewards.
Deepening our Rivers Program
Minnesota’s crisp, clear blue rivers are lifelines, and are among our most precious natural resources. They provide fresh drinking water, along with habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife—and they are favored places for rest, retreat, and recreation for millions of Minnesotans. We work with communities from Lake Itasca to the Twin Cities to the Wisconsin and Iowa borders to protect these rivers, land surrounding them, and access points that ensure everyone can enjoy the water.
This year, we protected 225 acres in the Cannon River Watershed to restore wetlands, improve water quality, and expand wildlife habitat. Highlights include Koester Prairie II , Straight River–Festal Farms , and the expansion of River Bend Nature Center in Faribault. Future projects will conserve hundreds more acres of wetlands, forests, and prairies.
In the Mississippi Headwaters geography, our work with local and tribal partners is preserving public access, safeguarding drinking water, and strengthening climate resilience. From the Metro Big Rivers to the St. Croix Watershed and down to the Southeast Blufflands , we continue to prioritize healthy ecosystems, safe access points, and community-driven restoration.
Partnerships with Purpose: Tribal-Led Conservation
In Sherburne County, we are honored to be co-creating the future of Two Inlets at Bdé Héháka—Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans . With Dakota and Ojibwe Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, we are helping create and shape a new 430-acre regional park that centers Indigenous history, ecology, and community healing. This place honors the land’s original stewards and is being thoughtfully designed to reflect both ancestral traditions and modern community needs. Once completed, it will nearly double the county’s parkland and offer a space for ceremony, education, and connection.
This effort is part of TPL’s broader commitment to tribal-led conservation—elevating Indigenous voices, supporting tribal sovereignty, and returning land stewardship to native communities. Access to the outdoors and all its treasures bonds Minnesotans across generations, geographies, and cultures. With your help, we are honoring stories, reconnecting people with place, and building a future rooted in shared stewardship.
There is no limit to what can be achieved through dedication, collaboration, and a shared vision for a sustainable future.
Opposite page: PHOTO BY ANDY RICHTER PHOTOGRAPHY
This page: PHOTO BY JOHN SHEPARD
Two Inlets at Bdé Héḣáka – Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans Regional Park
Sherburne County, MN
In partnership with Dakota and Ojibwe Tribal Preservation Officers, we're shaping a new 430-acre regional park that centers on Indigenous history, ecology, and community healing.
Endazhi-Nitaawiging Charter School
NORTH DAKOTA
Toad Mountain WMA
MINNESOTA
Black River NCT
SOUTH DAKOTA
Two Inlets at Bde HehakaOmashkooz Zaaga'igaans - Phase II
Lake Superior Falls
Nemadji State Forest Addition
Rock Marsh WMA
Green Lake SNA
Keystone Woods WMA
Brooklyn Center Elementary STEAM FAIR School Crystal
Ney WMA Additions (current and completed phases)
Sungina WMA
Circle Lake WMA Addition
Straight River - Festal Farms
Somerset WMA Addition
River Bend Nature Center
Faribault, MN
WISCONSIN
Wacouta Bay Bluffs
Koester Prarie Creek WMA Phase II
Kruger Recreational Area
With the Hein Family, TPL permanently protected 45 acres along the Straight River and donated it to River Bend Nature Center — expanding a premier public green space and environmental learning hub.
Franklin Elementary Maxfield Elementary
River Bend Nature Center - Straight River
Gordon W. Yeager WMA Addition
Dorer State Forest Rushford Village
Michigan
Since 1986, Trust for Public Land has protected more than 283 special places encompassing almost 250,000 acres in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. In the past year alone, we preserved 2,214 acres. Our projects in these states have connected hundreds of thousands of people to the outdoors.
Black River North Country Trail Superior, WI
TPL protected 317 acres of forest and transferred them to the National Park Service — helping reroute 30+ miles of the North Country Trail from busy roads to public forestland.
Maxfield Elementary St. Paul, MN (Rondo Community)
This 2.4-acre community schoolyard will be complete by the end of 2025, serving as an outdoor classroom and gathering space for more than 8,000 neighbors.
MICHIGAN
Trust for Public Land
FY25 completed project
Current land protection project
Current schoolyard project
Other completed project
North Country National Scenic Trail
National Park Service land
Other government-owned or protected land
Tribal land
MINNESOTA ADVISORY BOARD
Susan Haigh (Chair ), retired, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
Cheryl Appeldorn ( Vice-Chair ), Policy Analyst
Toni Carter, Metropolitan Council District 14 Representative & Sankofa Leadership Network
Page Knudsen Cowles , Knudsen Vineyards & TPL National Board Emerita
Paul Durkee , retired, Antea Group
Paul Fate , PFate & Associates
Peter Gove , retired, St. Jude Medical, Inc.
Sungduck Lee , University of Minnesota
Richard Leyva, Leyva & Wilde, Inc.
Kate Sande, Ecolab
John Shepard , Cascade Communications & Hamline University
GIVING OPPORTUNITIES
Every gift to support our work brings us closer to a Minnesota where nature is within reach for all—improving health, safety, and opportunity for generations to come.
Minnesota Land Protection Fund: Contribute to our ability to be nimble and act quickly to secure and protect high-priority lands throughout Minnesota.
Northwoods Land Protection Fund: Conserve the Northwoods’ most iconic and at-risk landscapes, from ancient pine forests to pristine lakeshores spanning across Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Minnesota Rivers: Protect our rivers and watersheds—preserving clean drinking water, restoring critical habitat, and ensuring everyone has safe, welcoming access to our beloved waterways.
Community Schoolyards: Transform barren public schoolyards into vibrant green spaces for inspired learning, play, recreation, and outside-of-school-hours access.
Community Parks: Help us create neighborhood parks that strengthen communities, improve health, and provide nature-based climate solutions.
Planned Giving: Create an even bigger impact by giving through your will, trust, or appreciated assets. Make your legacy one of hope, humanity, and love of nature.
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tpl.org/donate