Minnesota wildlife

FMR Intern Allie's favorite insect sightings

by Allie Carroll

July 13, 2021

Allie Carroll, our summer field ecology intern, has a great eye for insects. We're all looking a little closer now that she’s on our team. Here's a guest post from Allie in which she gives us a tour of some of the coolest finds from her fieldwork so far. >>

Our favorite take-aways from this spring's Pollinator Summit

by Karen Schik

May 7, 2021

At the recent Pollinator Summit, our ecologists picked up a few new ideas about how to restore land with pollinators in mind, and learned more about how pollinators restore the land themselves. Read on for our take-aways on soil scouting, goat grazing, our tiniest SuperVolunteers, and the 5,000 invertebrates under your feet at every step. >>

Why insects matter and what you can do about their decline

by Karen Schik

January 29, 2021

In the past few years, news of the decline of insect populations has raised alarm bells. Experts say the world is losing around 1 to 2 percent of its insects each year. By now, most people know pollinators are vital to making about a third of our food supply. But what about all the other insects — does this overall population decrease matter? >>

From buckthorn to endangered bumblebees, a habitat success story

by Karen Schik

September 22, 2020

We're thrilled that an FMR restoration site, a local woodland once choked with European buckthorn, now supports the rusty patched bumblebee, a federally endangered species. >>

Your sightings critical for year two of coyote and fox research project

by Ellie Rogers

September 7, 2020

How are wild canids adapting to urban areas? Help researchers find out more this fall and winter, get a project update from the first field season, and learn how to identify and differentiate gray foxes, red foxes and coyotes with our guide, so you can record your sightings. >>

Help us collar backyard fox and coyote for important research

by Alex Roth

September 1, 2020

Have you seen a coyote or fox on your Twin Cities property? If so, let us know if you'd be willing to let our research partners capture and collar these animals! It will help us understand how they're adapting to urban areas, and inform our habitat management strategies for these species. >>

Tackling the issue of fishing line for wildlife

July 28, 2020

We've written a lot about how anglers can help our waters and wildlife by avoiding lead tackle. But another key action is disposing of fishing line responsibly. Jonathan, a Youth Empowerment Program participant this summer and avid fisher, built and installed a PVC fishing line receptacle at Hidden Falls Park. He's also got some tips for dealing with fishing line. >>