Local Links for Biodiversity—Minneapolis, Minnesota

Museums and Nature Centers:

Bell Museum of Natural History
10 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-7083
www.bellmuseum.org
The Bell Museum boasts a Touch and See Room, where you can learn by handling objects from the world of nature, as well as two floors of dioramas, which display all of Minnesota’s habitats. You can learn about moose, elk, bear, beaver, cranes, fish, and more.

International Wolf Center
1369 Highway 169
Ely, MN 55731
Phone: 218-365-4695
www.wolf.org
The Wolf Center details the wolf’s role in folklore and legend, and gives visitors a firsthand look at how wolves really live. A visit can include a trek into the forest to howl at wild wolves, a dinner with the resident pack, or a dog-sledding adventure for the entire family.

Science Museum of Minnesota
120 W. Kellogg Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: 615-221-9444
www.smm.org
The mission of the Science Museum of Minnesota is to invite learners of all ages to experience the changing world through science. The museum engages children and adults through science, art, drama, and literature, encouraging learners to actively discover and examine concepts for themselves.

Soudan Underground Mine State Park
P.O. Box 335
Soudan, MN 55782
Phone: 218-753-2245
www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/soudan_underground_mine/index.html
Visitors to the Soudan Underground Mine State Park can tour the mine and journey down 2,400 feet via a cage. On the 27th level, the transportation shifts to a rail car for a ride into the mine as visitors listen to the stories of the mining days. Above-ground visitors can explore the dry house, drill shop, crusher house, and engine house, and hike along the trails in the park through a northern hardwood conifer forest, past the famous Soudan Iron Formation.

Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary
c/o The American Bear Association
P.O. Box 77
Orr, MN 55771
Phone: 8218-757-0172
www.americanbear.org/Sanctuary.htm
Located in northern Minnesota, this sanctuary is a summer home to black bears. The American Bear Association operates the area, which is open each day (except Mondays) to the public from 5pm till dusk.

Warner Nature Center
15375 Norell Avenue North
Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047
Phone: 615-433-2427
www.smm.org/warnernaturecenter
The Warner Nature Center, located in the historic St. Croix Valley 30 miles northeast of St. Paul, has an outdoor educational facility set among 600 acres of undeveloped woodland, marsh, lake, bog, and grasslands crisscrossed by 6 miles of trails. The nature center is not open to walk-in visitors, but offers a wide range of programs and services to the community, from youth and family programs (including birthday parties) to school programs to adult classes.