MINNESOTA HERITAGE FOREST PROJECT ENSURES PUBLIC ACCESS AND HEALTHY ECOSYSYTEMS, BOTH LOCALLY AND DOWNSTREAM 

The Conservation Fund and Northern Waters Land Trust announced on May 1, 2025 that efforts over the year to permanently safeguard nearly 8,200 acres in northern Minnesota while ensuring recreational access and sustainable timber management is coming to fruition.  

The collective effort to protect this land began in November 2020, when TCF purchased more than 72,000 acres from timberland owner PotlatchDeltic Corporation. In the years that followed, NWLT pursued and received full funding of $10.2 million from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council to acquire the 8,197 acres through a multi-stage process.  Known as the Minnesota Heritage Forest Project, management will be transferred to the counties to protect nearly 8,200 acres across the nine county (Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Koochiching, Saint Louis, and Wadena) region between Walker and Duluth, including the the Mississippi River’s headwaters. These acres will remain forested, yielding new opportunities for hunters and anglers, ongoing benefits for wildlife, and permanent protection of waters that feed into the Mississippi River.

 “In addition to protecting and sustaining Minnesota’s natural resources, this work forever benefits the millions of people, wildlife habitat and critical acres downstream the Mississippi River,” said Kim Berns Melhus, Minnesota state director at TCF, which played a leading role in making this project possible through a significant investment that set the foundation for this project’s success. 

“The partnership between Northern Waters Land Trust, TCF, and county governments has been essential in ensuring the land remains protected and sustainably managed for future generations,” said Annie Knight, NWLT’s executive director. 

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers was asked to speak on behalf of bboth the civilian and sporting communities at the LSOCH Meeting. BHA Chapter Coordinator Aaron Hebeisen testified in support of the project at the citing that BHA has "been able to hold Learn-to-Hunt programs on these lands as recently as last spring’s (2023) turkey season." and that proposals like this one "would not only offer thousands of new acres for hunters and anglers to access, but increase connectivity between existing public lands, ensuring a better experience for recreators once they got there."

Support provided by the Minnesota Chapter of BHA and other conservation partners allowed NWLT to complete critical early-stage work, including contracting professional services, coordinating with partners, and managing project logistics before the official grant became available in July 2024. 

Transferring these 8,197 acres into public management ensures that hunting and angling access will be retained on the lands and waters, provides clean and sustainable water resources for many Mississippi River tributaries; supports more than 350 species; codifies wildlife habitat corridors; ensures sustainable timber management; and fosters groth of local economies through jobs in the land management and outdoor recreation sectors. 

Photo Credit: Jay Brittain