Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge


	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
	3815 American Blvd. East Bloomington, MN 55425 E-mail: minnesotavalley@fws.gov Phone Number: 952-854-5900
	Visit the Refuge's Web Site: http://midwest.fws.gov/minnesotavalley	The refuge's wetlands provide habitat for waterfowl, such as this male wood duck.

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is located within the urban and suburban areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It is a green belt of large marsh areas bordered by office buildings, highways, residential areas, and grain terminals. The refuge is comprised of fourteen linear units totaling approximately 14,000 acres, spanning 99 miles of the Minnesota River.

The focal point of the refuge is the visitor center, which features 8,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 125-seat auditorium, two multi-purpose classrooms, a bookstore, an art gallery, and an observation deck. Environmental education and interpretation are conducted from this facility. Additional interpretive programs conducted by Park Rangers and volunteer naturalists are offered on numerous refuge unites. Recreational activities include hiking, cross-country skiing, hunting, and fishing.

"Refuge Friends Group, a non-profit organization, assists the Refuge with accomplishing it's mission."

Getting There . . .
The Refuge Office and Visitor Center are located just off of 34th Avenue in Bloomington, Minnesota, across the street from the Minneapolis/St.Paul Airport Hilton Hotel. From I-494, visitors should take the 34th Avenue exit south to American Blvd East. Turn left on American Blvd East and proceed east for 1/4 mile to the Visitor Center entrance which is on the right.

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Minnesota Valley Refuge habitats include riverine wetlands, fens, seeps, floodplain forests, oak savannas, forest, and native prairie.

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The lower Minnesota River Valley, a product of the Ice Age, has always been a reverent place.

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Environmental Education
Fishing
Hunting
Interpretation
Photography
Wildlife Observation
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The refuge's Comprehensive Conservation Plan, completed in 2004, promotes "native species and natural processes." Wherever possible, refuge staff restore native species and mimic natural processes using periodic fire, flooding, and water draw-downs.

Former croplands in upland areas are seeded to native grasses and wildflowers. Periodic controlled burns deter invading trees and shrubs and reinvigorate native species. Refuge staff are restoring approximately 700 acres of historic oak savanna by removing shrubs and non-native trees to open the canopy and restoring the grassland component through prescribed burning.

The refuge contains approximately 2,300 acres of either existing or potential floodplain forest. Restoration activities are concentrated on former croplands, where natural regeneration of woody species is allowed to occur. Of particular importance is the regrowth of cottonwoods, which will provide nesting and roosting areas for bald eagles and other birds of prey 30-50 years from now.

The refuge also restores previously drained wetlands and manages water levels of marshes via water control structures. Periodic water draw-downs reduce populations of rough fish and reestablish favorable aquatic vegetation.