The Nongame Wildlife Program has supported Minnesota’s rare and vulnerable wildlife for over 45 years. Throughout our history we have made a positive impact on Minnesota's wildlife, including restoring some of our most iconic wildlife species. But our work is not done! There are hundreds of wildlife species that still need our help and our staff works every day to ensure that Minnesota maintains a rich diversity of wildlife.
And you can help! We rely on your donations and support to fund our program. Donate online anytime or to the Nongame Wildlife Fund when you file your Minnesota state taxes to help us continue our great work.
Osprey
One of nature’s most proficient anglers, ospreys were originally found throughout Minnesota. But they disappeared from the Twin Cities area after World War II due to habitat loss, human persecution, and other factors. In 1984, the Nongame Wildlife Program, Three Rivers Park District, and other conservation partners worked together to restore Minnesota’s osprey population. Nest platforms were built to promote nesting in the Twin Cities area and more than 100 osprey chicks were bred in captivity and released into the wild. This restoration work was a resounding success: 2013 surveys estimated the population in Minnesota was more than 1,100 osprey with trends for a steady or increasing population. Osprey were removed from the state list of Special Concern Species in 1996 and removed from the Species of Greatest Conservation Need list in 2015.
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine falcons are the fastest birds in the world, but for several decades you couldn’t find one anywhere in Minnesota. During the 1950s and 1960s the state’s population of peregrine falcons was wiped out due to overuse of pesticides. In 1982, the Nongame Wildlife Program, Raptor Center, Nature Conservancy, Bell Museum, and private propagators throughout the nation began restoration efforts to bring peregrines back to the Midwest.
Trumpeter Swans
The trumpeter swan’s graceful figure and distinctive call may be a common sight now, but at one point there were only 69 swans in the lower 48 states. By 1930, America’s trumpeter swan population was almost extinct. But thanks to initiatives by the Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program, the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Hennepin County Park Reserve District (now Three Rivers Park District), and many other organizations and agencies, Minnesota is now home to more than 30,000 swans!
By restoring habitats and carefully breeding and releasing swans, we’ve helped make it possible for current and future generations of Minnesotans to enjoy the sight and sounds of this beautiful bird. But our work isn’t done! You can help us preserve Minnesota’s trumpeter swans by reporting sightings, learning how to identify the species, and more.
The Minnesota Breeding Trumpeter Swan Survey conducted in 2022 estimates the statewide population at 51,860 swans (90% Confidence Interval: 45,530 – 58,190). The full report of this survey can be found on our research reports site, with references to additional statewide, regional and national population trend information and resources.
Eastern Bluebird
Minnesota’s bluebird population declined dramatically during the 1930s-1960s due to loss of habitat and competition from other cavity-nesting birds, like starlings and house sparrows. The Nongame Wildlife Program partnered with the Bluebird Recovery Program of the Minneapolis Chapter of National Audubon to sponsor workshops, publish education materials, and promote the placement of bluebird houses to bring back this songbird.
Restoration efforts paid off and Minnesota now has one of the most successful bluebird recoveries in the nation. 2019 reports show that there were more than 10,000 fledged bluebirds!
Bald Eagle
Once pushed to the brink of extinction, the recovery of the bald eagle population continues to amaze both casual birdwatchers and professional biologists. Wanton killing, habitat loss, and the use of pesticides all dramatically reduced the bald eagle population in America to a point where they were listed as an endangered species.
Thanks to the work of the Nongame Wildlife Program, the Raptor Center, and many other individuals and agencies, the bald eagle has not only survived, but thrived. By passing laws against lead shot for all waterfowl hunting in Minnesota, preparing individual nest management plans for bald eagles, and conducting surveys, we have helped to dramatically increase the bald eagle population. In 1980, there were only 181 active nesting territories in Minnesota, but in 2019 it was estimated that there are more than 1,600 nesting pairs!
You can learn more about this amazing recovery story on our bald eagle history webpage or visit our EagleCam to see wild bald eagles nesting and raising their young.
River Otter
River otters were historically found throughout Minnesota, however their popularity in the fur trade market led to their extirpation from the entire drainage of the Minnesota River. By the late 1800s, there were almost no river otters from the South Dakota border to Mankato. Inspired by restoration work in Colorado and West Virginia, former Nongame Wildlife Supervisor Carrol Henderson went to work developing a plan to bring river otters back to southwestern Minnesota.
The program offered to pay selected trappers $150 for every otter they captured. Donations from the Willmar Sports Club, the Saint Paul Audubon Society, and the Minnesota State Archery Association helped fund this catch and release strategy. From 1980-1982, we released 22 otters into the wild, marking their return to the Minnesota River for the first time in almost 100 years. Thanks to aerial surveys and citizen sightings, we know that this restoration work continues to be a success. In 2017, Minnesota’s river otter population was estimated to be around 18,000 otters.
Mussels
In Minnesota, 28 of our 51 native mussel species are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern, three species have been extirpated, and at least three more species are in imminent danger of extirpation. Commercial harvest, dams, and pollution have all played a part this decline. Mussels are a crucial part of Minnesota’s river health, so the DNR created the Center for Aquatic Mollusk Programs (CAMP) in order to bring back Minnesota’s mussels.
CAMP is currently propagating 10 different species of threatened and endangered mussels in their lab. Recently the lab "gave birth" to more than 14,000 federally endangered snuffbox mussels. These mussels will continue to grow in the lab over the summer, then they'll be placed in containers to overwinter in the river. Eventually, these mussels will be released in the Mississippi River near St. Paul.
CAMP has also identified the host fishes for the federally endangered spectaclecase (cumberlandia monodonta), a major milestone in the species’ conservation and restoration. Minnesota and Iowa are working together to conserve this species and study its propagation techniques. These studies are paying off and 140 have been successfully reared since 2017.
