An Island Just for the Birds. And You.

Heading down Circle Lake Trail to photograph the new addition to the Circle Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA), I didn’t have to go far before the wildlife showed up to greet me. First, a turtle needed an escort across the gravel road. Then, just a bit further, a pond came into view—so packed with egrets that counting them slipped my mind. Moments like this don’t happen by accident. They happen because someone saw the potential in this land and chose to protect it for wildlife, and for us.

Here’s the backstory: Trust for Public Land recently announced that a 103-acre island at the center of Circle Lake, near Faribault, has been permanently protected. It’s now part of the existing Circle Lake WMA. And it more than doubles the area’s size. The catch? This new piece of public land is only reachable by boat. But for paddlers (and for the birds), that’s not a drawback. That’s the dream.

The original Circle Lake WMA is made up of high-quality emergent marsh and upland grass knolls, which are ideal habitat for waterfowl and wildlife, including the legally protected Blanding’s turtle and colonial nesters like the Great Egret. Habitats like this have been disappearing for decades, while development and agriculture have been prioritized. But efforts like this one, a partnership between Clean River Partners, Trust for Public Land, and Great River Greening, are working to reverse that trend, one parcel at a time.

And the location couldn’t be better. Protecting habitat and expanding public access less than an hour from the Twin Cities is a serious win. It means people have access to a place to escape the noise of the city and slow down with something as simple as a kayak or paddleboard. The benefits of time outdoors are well documented, and a paddle out to this island opens up even more—fishing, waterfowl hunting, wildlife viewing (yes, more egrets), and quiet lakeside exploration.

Funding for this project was provided from the Outdoor Heritage Fund as recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. That’s Legacy Amendment money, dedicated specifically to restoring and protecting wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife. The Circle Lake addition is proof that this funding works. And it produces results you can actually visit.

So grab your watercraft of choice (a kayak, if you’re asking me) and set out to explore this new stretch of public land in your own backyard. Public lands face no shortage of scrutiny these days, which makes it all the more important to celebrate wins like this, even when they come a hundred acres at a time. Space to connect with nature matters. And space for wildlife to thrive is worth protecting.