In consultation with DNR staff and department data, local governments, and nonprofit partners, the DNR regularly evaluates the state's land holdings and uses land acquisitions, exchanges, and sales to improve nature conservation efforts, increase recreational space, and grow the state's outdoor economy. Active management of our land asset portfolio is one of the ways the DNR meets its responsibility to the public and contributes to Minnesota's exceptional quality of life. Stories of the impact of the active management of our land asset portfolio emphasize our shared ownership, history, and preservation for the future of our public lands.
Nature-Centered Remembrance: Beva Paulson Memorial Hardwood Forest SNA
In western Minnesota’s Clay County, where the forest meets the prairie, Gaylord “Guy” Paulson chose to donate their 250-acre property on the fringes of the Red River Valley to the DNR for conservation and remembrance of his wife and the family matriarch, Beva Paulson.
The 2025 public land auction benefited the Permanent School Fund
During the 2025 public land auction, 188 of 190 acres up for bid were school trust lands. In Clearwater and Wadena counties, bids on three landlocked properties resulted in the sale of 120 acres out of 188 acres of school trust lands, generating about $130,000 for the state’s Permanent School Fund.
A critical acquisition ensures long-term integrity of Charles A. Lindbergh State Park
A retired couple wanted a small portion of their property to go to the park. The property provides more angling opportunities at Pike Creek and a buffer to the north side of the current campground within the park, giving visitors a more secluded space to enjoy the outdoors.
Sax Zim land exchanges ensure long-term conservation of ecological powerhouse
These land exchanges will safeguard the state’s economic land assets for the Permanent School Fund and Sax Zim Bog will remain a pristine natural area.
A historic acquisition for conservation and recreation
In 2025, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources completed one of its largest land protection efforts in recent history, securing nearly 16,000 acres of forest land in northern Minnesota over two projects. The completion of the two transactions ensures long-term habitat conservation and enhanced public recreation opportunities across ten counties.