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Conservation Options • Sustainability Committees • Summary of Projects

Conserving the sensitive lands and shorelands within the Leech Lake Watershed from future development permanently protects these areas as valuable fish and wildlife habitat and helps to insure pristine water quality as a legacy for the continuing enjoyment of the watershed's natural resources for generations to come.

Since 1997, the Leech Lake Area Watershed Foundation has completed 31 land conservation projects, conserving over 15 miles of wild shoreline, fish spawning beds, and wildlife habitats, and preserving over 2,000 acres of forest and prairie for public use for hunting, hiking, and educational purposes. The Foundation has led the charge in these projects, often rallying partnerships with lake associations, conservation and sporting organizations, local governments and the Minnesota DNR and U.S. Forest Service to preserve more than 2,000 acres valued at over $13,000,000. Learn more about conservation options for your land and how you can contribute to the legacy of protecting water, woods, and wildlife.

Lake Association Sustainability Committees:

The Foundation builds leadership and local responsibility for shoreland conservation projects by facilitating the development of new lake associations and the formation of Sustainability Committees by active lake associations to identify and protect sensitive and vulnerable shorelands.

Featured Projects:

Many of the Foundation's completed land conservation projects have returned private land to public ownership and use, protecting and preserving them from future development and insuring public use and enjoyment of these natural resources. (View a summary of completed projects.)

Birds Eye and Sand Lakes Project
  • 160 Acres
  • 6,000 feet of shoreland
  • $347,000
  • The Foundation stepped in to help facilitate the sale of remote lakeshore with valuable fish and wildlife habitat to a local philanthropist to prevent its subdivision into lots (2000). The 160 acres was later donated to the Foundation (2006), which negotiated a purchase of the property by the DNR, who will manage it as a wildlife management area (WMA).
  • View article on the project in the DNR Conservation Volunteer magazine (July-August 2007)
Mule Lake Project
  • 362 Acres
  • 15,400 feet of shoreline
  • $2.4 Million
  • DNR Wildlife Management Area and Waterfowl Resting Area
  • Largest single investment from RIM Critical Habitat License plates
  • Largest partnership of organizations to work with the Minnesota DNR to complete a conservation land purchase.
  • View PDF of Project Summary
Leech Lake Five Mile Point Project
  • 30 Acres
  • 1,150 feet of shoreline
  • $965,000
  • DNR Aquatic Management Area
  • Partnership with Muskies Inc. and Minnesota DNR, Division of Fisheries, to protect one of Leech Lake's seven known muskie spawning areas.
  • View PDF of Project Summary
Lantern Bay/Woman Lake Project
  • 47 Acres
  • 1,700 feet of shoreline
  • $1,141,000 total value
  • DNR Aquatic Management Area
  • This project to limit development in a very shallow and sensitive bay of Woman Lake has led to statewide attention towards the need for more protective shoreland standards for sensitive lake areas.
  • View PDF of Project Summary
Ten Mile Lake/Kenfield Bay Project
  • 14 Acres
  • 1,087 feet of shoreline
  • $170,000
  • Foundation helped facilitate purchase by Ten Mile Lake Association. Property has natural springs that produce 1/3 of the recharge water for Ten Mile Lake.
  • View PDF of Project Summary
Leech Lake Area Watershed Foundation • PO Box 455 • Hackensack, Minnesota 56452 • 218-675-5773 • info@leechlakewatershed.org