Twin Cities, MN

Notable nature-friendly programs in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, the “Twin Cities,” include collaboration among the many stakeholders throughout the region for funding purposes, as well as active identification, protection, and restoration of critical habitat. Although the Twin Cities region has a well-established regional planning entity, the Metropolitan Council, as well as established state-level programs, the area is just beginning to create a regional approach to habitat protection. There is no consistent regulatory approach, oversight, or guaranteed funding to ensure that habitat protection actually occurs in all local jurisdictions. The state Department of Natural Resources has also dedicated resources to the metropolitan region, and has led initiatives to identify critical habitat, but also lacks the necessary regulatory teeth and funding required to be effective. But the Metropolitan Council’s efforts in planning for transportation, wastewater treatment and collection, water supply and surface water management, and regional parks, along with its comprehensive plan conformance program, are excellent building blocks. In addition, a majority of the residents of the region were raised in-state, and many have local ties to the land, which presents a unique opportunity to maintain this region as one of the most nature-friendly in the country.

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