Land Worth Keeping
Protecting Habitat in the Cannon River Watershed
On a quiet morning, the Cannon River flows steadily, winding its way through forests, wetlands, and prairies. Mist rises from the water’s surface as a great blue heron lifts into the air, stretching its wings wide against the dawn. Beneath the current, fish navigate around submerged tree roots, while freshwater mussels filter the water, cleaning it with each breath.
For centuries, this river has shaped the land and the people who depend on it. The Dakota people first called it home, fishing its waters and hunting in its forests. (1) Later, settlers farmed its fertile floodplains, and mill towns grew along its banks. (2) Today, the Cannon River continues to support agriculture, recreation, and local economies. (3) But its health, along with the habitats that surround it, is at risk.
Habitat loss is not just an environmental issue; it’s a community issue. As forests are cleared, wetlands drained, and prairies plowed under, the loss affects everyone: from farmers who depend on healthy soil to anglers who fish its waters. Protecting these habitats isn’t just about preserving nature; it’s about ensuring clean water, stable landscapes, and thriving communities.
In this photo: A monarch butterfly is resting on an aster plant in the Cannon River Watershed.
What is Habitat Protection?
Habitat protection is more than simply conserving natural spaces, it’s about safeguarding the ecosystems that support wildlife, clean water, and human well-being. (4) In the Cannon River Watershed, much of the landscape is privately owned and primarily used for agriculture or development, leading to significant habitat loss and water quality challenges. (5) Clean River Partners (CRP) is working to promote land stewardship practices that support healthy ecosystems and thriving communities.
Through strategic partnerships with Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Great River Greening (GRG), Clean River Partners (CRP) works with local landowners to acquire and restore critical habitats. (6) TPL leads the land acquisition process, while GRG oversees ecological restoration. (7) After restoration is complete, the land is transferred to a public agency, such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), for long-term stewardship as a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) or a similar designation. (8)
And it's not just land; it’s lifelines for species, roots that hold soil in place, and canopies that shade cool waters. Protecting these spaces means preserving the very essence of the Cannon River Watershed.
In this photo: Jennifer Grommes from Great River Greening speaking at a dedication event for the Medford WMA. Taken by Hannah Robb.
The Role of Healthy Habitats in Ecosystem Balance
Nature is more than just scenery, it’s a living, breathing system where every part has its purpose. When habitats remain intact, they provide crucial ecosystem services:
Support Biodiversity: Native plants, birds, insects, and mammals depend on stable ecosystems. A loss of habitat means a loss of species, often starting with the smallest insects and working up the food chain. (9) In the Cannon River Watershed, protecting prairies and woodlands means ensuring the survival of pollinators, grassland birds, and large mammals, like white-tailed deer.
Filter Water and Prevent Flooding: Wetlands and forests act as natural sponges, soaking up excess rainwater, reducing flood risks, and keeping rivers clean. (10) In places where these natural buffers have been removed, we see clearer evidence of polluted runoff and swollen riverbanks after heavy rains. (11)
Maintain Air and Soil Quality: Trees absorb carbon dioxide and pollutants, while deep-rooted prairie plants prevent soil erosion and store nutrients. (12) Healthy soils act as carbon sinks, pulling greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere while supporting robust plant life.
In the Cannon River Watershed, these benefits are not just theoretical, they are felt in every clean gulp of water, every thriving farm, and every breath of crisp morning air. But as development, agriculture, and climate change fragment these spaces, the work of restoration becomes more urgent.
What’s Putting Habitats at Risk?
Development and Urbanization
In this photo: A suburb, an example of urbanization.
As towns expand and populations grow, forests and wetlands are often cleared for roads, housing, and commercial spaces. While growth is inevitable, unchecked development fragments ecosystems, isolates wildlife populations, and disrupts natural water flow. In the Cannon River Watershed, the pressure of urban expansion is evident. New developments replace grasslands and woodlands with pavement and rooftops, creating impervious surfaces that do not absorb rainwater.
Without natural buffers, stormwater rushes off hard surfaces, carrying pollutants, oil, heavy metals, pesticides, into rivers and streams. (13) During heavy rains, this surge of runoff overwhelms local waterways, contributing to erosion and flash floods. (14) The Cannon River, once meandering gently through lush wetlands, now sometimes swells unpredictably after storms. Protecting the remaining natural spaces isn’t just about conservation; it’s about preventing these damaging cycles that harm both ecosystems and communities.
Through strategic partnerships, CRP works to protect and restore connected landscapes, linking wetlands, woodlands, prairies, and other critical habitats. By collaborating with organizations like the Trust for Public Land, we help identify and preserve properties that enhance ecological corridors, allowing wildlife to move and thrive. Often, this means working with landowners ready to retire land from agriculture or extractive use, such as gravel mining. One recent example is a new Wildlife Management Area in Medford, created on a former gravel pit along the Straight River. (15)
Agriculture
In this photo: Agricultural land in the Cannon River watershed.
Agriculture is the backbone of southern Minnesota's economy, but its practices also pose significant challenges to local ecosystems. The Cannon River Watershed, with its rich, loamy soil, is home to expansive fields of corn and soybeans. While productive, this monoculture farming has replaced diverse prairies and wetlands, stripping the land of its natural resilience.
Without native plants to anchor the soil, rainwater rushes across bare fields, carrying sediment and chemical fertilizers into the river. (16) This runoff feeds algal blooms downstream, depleting oxygen levels and suffocating fish populations. (17) It also contributes to the hypoxic "dead zones" that have been documented in larger water systems, even reaching the Gulf of Mexico. (18)
Yet, amidst these challenges, there are stories of hope. Some farmers in the watershed are making transformative decisions, not just changing how they farm, but whether to farm at all. In recent years, a growing number of landowners have chosen to retire fields and restore them to native habitat, working with CRP and our partners to reconnect the landscape for the benefit of people and wildlife alike.
One such story comes from the Koester family, whose farmland along Prairie Creek had been in continuous agricultural use since the 1940s. Faced with the question of whether to continue farming or take a new path, the family ultimately chose conservation, preserving their land for future generations as part of the Prairie Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Today, this restored landscape protects a critical corridor of wetland and prairie habitat, supports pollinators and migratory birds, and improves water quality along Prairie Creek, a tributary of the Cannon River.
This site is more than just a retired farm, it’s a living example of what’s possible when communities invest in restoration. The Prairie Creek WMA is also documented through Carleton College’s digital archive, which details the ecological and historical significance of the property and the restoration process itself.
CRP supports efforts like these through outreach and partnership, connecting landowners to the resources, tools, and community networks they need to make informed decisions about their land. Together, we’re building a more resilient watershed: one where healthy soils, clean water, and thriving ecosystems go hand in hand with stories of personal legacy and collective care.
Climate Change
In this photo: 2023 Cannon River flooding in Northfield, MN. Taken by Margie O’Loughlin.
Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns are already altering Minnesota’s landscape. (19) In the Cannon River Watershed, more frequent heavy rains accelerate streambank erosion, while longer dry spells stress wetlands and prairies. Warmer winters disrupt the life cycles of local wildlife, and certain fish species struggle to adapt as river temperatures climb. (20)
The impacts of climate change ripple through the ecosystem: invasive species, once held in check by harsh winters, are spreading more aggressively. (21) Buckthorn and garlic mustard choke out native plants in the forests, while zebra mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil invade local waters, disrupting the delicate balance of life beneath the surface. (22)
CRP is taking proactive steps to build climate resilience by prioritizing the restoration of native habitats that can withstand extreme weather. Deep-rooted prairie plants stabilize soil, absorb floodwaters, and draw carbon from the atmosphere. (23) Forested riverbanks cool water temperatures, providing refuge for fish during summer heatwaves. (24) Through habitat protection, we are not just fighting against climate change, we are adapting to it.
Invasive Species
Invasive species represent one of the most silent yet aggressive threats to the Cannon River Watershed. Plants like buckthorn and garlic mustard outcompete native flora, robbing them of sunlight, water, and nutrients. (25) In forested areas, buckthorn forms dense thickets that shade out wildflowers and saplings, preventing natural forest regeneration. (26)
Aquatic invasives are equally disruptive. Zebra mussels filter out plankton that native species depend on, while Eurasian watermilfoil chokes waterways, hindering fish movement and reducing oxygen levels. In some stretches of the Cannon River, the riverbed is carpeted with these invasive mussels, altering the ecosystem in ways that are difficult to reverse.
Clean River Partners (CRP) and Great River Greening focus their efforts primarily on terrestrial invasives, removing plants like buckthorn and garlic mustard and restoring native habitat to strengthen the watershed’s resilience. The Minnesota DNR leads broader monitoring and management efforts for aquatic invasive species across the region. Protecting our land and water from invasives isn’t just restoration, it’s a commitment to preserving the river’s original spirit.
Habitat Protection in the Cannon River Watershed
The Big Woods: A Disappearing Forest
In this photo: A group hiking at our “walk with a naturalist” event at Big Woods Heritage WMA.
Once stretching across the Cannon River Watershed and beyond, the Big Woods was a vast and dense expanse of deciduous forest, a mosaic of sugar maple, basswood, and oak trees that blanketed over 5,000 square miles of southern Minnesota. Settlers arriving in the 19th century encountered a seemingly endless canopy teeming with life. (27) But over time, agriculture and development chipped away at the forest’s edges. Today, less than 2% of the original Big Woods remains intact. (28) Among its most cherished remnants is Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, home to the endangered Dwarf Trout Lily (Erythronium propullans), a delicate, springtime bloom that exists nowhere else on Earth. (29)
Protecting what’s left, and restoring what’s been lost, is at the heart of our work. In partnership with Trust for Public Land and Great River Greening, CRP has helped expand the protected footprint of this rare ecosystem. One of the most significant milestones came in 2017 with the creation of the Big Woods Heritage Wildlife Management Area (WMA), a 300-acre site just outside Nerstrand that now serves as both a sanctuary and a living classroom. (30)
This land carries history, both ecological and human. Towering bur oaks and sugar maples remain as sentinels of the original forest, while pockets of former farmland are being actively restored to reflect the diversity of native woodland and prairie ecosystems. These lands also connect directly to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, expanding habitat for wildlife and buffering the park from encroaching development.
The Big Woods Heritage WMA is more than just a map dot, it’s a symbol of resilience. It reminds us that even in a fragmented landscape, we can rebuild connections: between people and place, past and future, conservation and community. Through partnership, stewardship, and a deep respect for the land’s history, we’re helping ensure that the Big Woods endures, not just as memory, but as living, breathing forest.
Learn more about Big Woods Heritage WMA
Prairies: The Vanishing Grasslands
In this photo: Volunteers are next to the sign at the Prairie Creek WMA (Koester Prairie site).
If you traveled back in time 200 years, southern Minnesota would have stretched out before you in waves of tallgrass prairie, rippling like an ocean in the wind. Today, less than 1% of that prairie remains. (31) But in pockets of the Cannon River Watershed, prairies are beginning to breathe again.
One of the most remarkable examples is the Prairie Creek Wildlife Management Area—made up of the Koester Prairie and the nearby Engeseth-Rinde Unit. The Koester family had farmed their land for generations. When the time came to decide the future of the property, they faced a difficult but inspiring choice: continue farming or restore the land to native prairie and protect it for the public. What made their decision even more meaningful was that parts of the site still contained remnant prairie—rare, undisturbed pieces of Minnesota’s original landscape. By choosing conservation, the Koesters not only restored what had been cultivated but also protected what had endured. In doing so, they became part of a broader movement to revive a landscape that once shaped the identity of the region. Their land is now protected for future generations as part of the WMA, a place where nature is not just preserved but actively reborn.
Together, the Koester Prairie and Engeseth-Rinde Unit represent a rare and growing refuge for tallgrass prairie species. Through ongoing stewardship, including invasive species control, native seeding, and habitat monitoring, this once-degraded land is now a vibrant mosaic of native grasses, wildflowers, and wetlands. In the summer, the air buzzes with pollinators, bees weaving between coneflowers and milkweed, and grassland birds like bobolinks and eastern meadowlarks nest in the tall grasses. It’s a place where you can still see big bluestem swaying in the wind, hear the rustle of deer moving through Indian grass, and witness monarchs tracing ancient migratory paths.
The impact goes beyond wildlife. These prairies play a vital role in soil health and water quality, filtering runoff, storing carbon, and helping to recharge groundwater. (32) They also offer a space for people to connect with nature, to walk through landscapes that are both ancient and newly reborn, and to experience firsthand what it means to heal the land
This effort echoes a deeper history, one shaped by both ecological richness and cultural disruption. For thousands of years, bison roamed Minnesota’s tallgrass prairies, shaping the land with their grazing patterns, wallows, and migrations. (33) These massive herbivores were not only keystone species but central to the lifeways of many Indigenous nations, including the Dakota, who stewarded these lands long before European settlement. (34) The bison and the prairie were intertwined in a reciprocal relationship, ecologically, culturally, and spiritually.
By the late 1800s, bison had been hunted to the brink of extinction. (35) This was not simply overhunting, it was part of a deliberate strategy by the U.S. government to undermine the livelihoods of Plains tribes, contributing to the broader disruption of Indigenous cultures and connections to the land. (36) The loss of bison reshaped prairie ecosystems and the cultural landscapes that had developed alongside them.
Today, restoration at places like Prairie Creek WMA focuses on reestablishing native plants, pollinators, and ecological processes. While these efforts do not fully repair historical injustices, they can create spaces where the ecological patterns that once supported Indigenous lifeways are renewed, and where cultural values tied to the land, such as stewardship, reciprocity, and connection to place, can be reflected in contemporary conservation practices. In this way, habitat restoration becomes not just an ecological effort, but also an opportunity to acknowledge history and realign human relationships with the prairie in ways that honor both nature and culture.
Explore the Koester Prairie site
Explore the Engeseth-Rinde site
Wetlands: Nature’s Water Purifiers
In this photo: Volunteers at work at the Sakatah WMA, In-Yan Bo-Sda-Ta Wa-Kpa unit, planting native plugs.
It’s hard to overstate how important wetlands are to the health of the Cannon River Watershed. These ecosystems act as natural filters, soaking up floodwaters, trapping sediments, and purifying runoff before it ever reaches the river. (37) Wetlands store and slowly release water, easing the severity of floods and recharging groundwater supplies. (38) They also serve as nurseries for fish, amphibians, and countless invertebrates, while providing crucial habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. (39)
But over the past century, these vital landscapes have been systematically drained to make room for agriculture and development. The result? Faster runoff, diminished water quality, and widespread habitat loss.
One of our proudest restoration efforts is the work underway at the Sakatah Wildlife Management Area (WMA), particularly at the In-Yan Bo-Sda-Ta Wa-Kpa unit, Dakota for “Standing Rock River.” (40) This land, once heavily altered for agricultural use, is now undergoing a dramatic transformation thanks to Great River Greening, which is leading the restoration in partnership with the Minnesota DNR to determine how the unit should look and function in the long term. (41) Together, they are working to restore the area’s natural hydrology and ecological richness.
A key step in this process is breaking up old drainage tiles, subsurface systems installed decades ago to carry water off the land as quickly as possible. By disabling these artificial routes, we’re allowing water to infiltrate once more, creating the conditions for wetlands to return. Restoration crews are also tackling dense thickets of box elders and other invasive or overly dominant species, making room for greater plant diversity. In their place, native hardwoods and shrubs are being seeded to reestablish the structural complexity and layered vegetation that healthy wetlands depend on.
The changes are already taking root. Water now lingers where it once rushed away, soaking into the ground, filling wetlands, and replenishing soils, effectively storing more water on the landscape for plants, wildlife, and downstream flows. Native wetland plants are beginning to reappear, and with them, the return of frogs, dragonflies, herons, and songbirds. Amphibians croak their springtime songs, and the land hums with new life. Each season brings more signs of revival: cleaner water flowing into the Cannon, richer soils, and a healthier, more balanced ecosystem that can better hold and cycle water throughout the year.
What’s happening at Sakatah isn’t just a restoration, it’s a reawakening. It’s a reminder that even after decades of alteration, nature can recover with the right care and commitment. Through partnerships, community support, and science-driven stewardship, we’re giving wetlands the space, and the time, they need to thrive again.
In this photo: Community members are hiking the prairie at a dedication event for the Horseshoe Lake WMA.
What We Can Do
Protecting habitats is a collective effort, and there are ways for everyone to get involved:
Permanently Protect Your Land: If you're a landowner in the Cannon River Watershed and are interested in preserving your property for habitat protection and public use, we’d love to talk. Through conservation partnerships, we help protect ecologically valuable lands for future generations. To learn more about the program and process, contact our Conservation Program Manager, Anna Holman, at anna@cleanriverpartners.org or (507) 200-8219.
Volunteer Your Time: You don’t have to be a landowner to make a difference. Our recently established Wildlife Management Areas are in active restoration, and you can join the effort through our Volunteer Corps Program to help bring these landscapes back to life. From removing invasive species and planting native wildflowers to hand-seeding grasses, these activities are a hands-on way to support conservation, learn about native ecosystems, and connect with your community. Visit our events page and sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop.
Support Conservation Organizations: Effective conservation takes collaboration, and resources. Whether you donate, attend an event, or help spread the word, your support makes an impact. Consider contributing to organizations working hard to protect and restore Minnesota’s landscapes, including Clean River Partners, Trust for Public Land, and Great River Greening.
The First Step in a Bigger Effort
Protecting habitats is only the beginning. While this blog explores why these natural spaces matter, the next in this series will dive into habitat restoration, how we can bring degraded ecosystems back to life and ensure a thriving future for the Cannon River Watershed. From replanting native species to restoring wetlands and prairies, we’ll look at how community action and strategic partnerships can heal the land.
If you’re inspired to learn more about the transformative power of restoration, stay tuned for our next blog in the series, where we’ll take you into the heart of our restoration projects and show you the impact of collective action.
About the Author
Ava McQuain is a Communications Specialist with Clean River Partners, where she’s been working for the past year through Carleton College's CCCE Community-Based Work Study program. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Ava is now pursuing a double major in Biology and Studio Arts at Carleton. Her love for the outdoors fuels her passion for environmental policy, and she hopes to work in the environmental field, possibly abroad, to drive meaningful change. When she's not hiking Midwest trails, Ava enjoys gardening, baking, creating art, and spending time with her beloved cat, Forrest, and dog, Daisy.