Discover Minnesota’s Watchable Wildlife
by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

[Editors Note: The book discussed here is the same book that helped us to discover Mille-Lacs Kathio State Park, with its lovely little stretch of the Rum. If anyone else owns this book and would care to review it for HUT!, please let us know.]

Minnesota is home to some of the most exciting wildlife species in North America. Springtime forests come to life in mid-April with the arrival of migrating warblers, scarlet tanagers, indigo buntings and rose-breasted grosbeaks. By early May the migration includes colorful warblers en route to northern nesting grounds.

Minnesota’s wildlands offer dozens of opportunities for wildlife viewing from migrating tundra swans to moose. Marshes and woodland swamps are home to muskrats, beavers, otters, mink and waterfowl. These wetlands are great viewing destinations in the spring, according to Carrol Henderson of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

"Wildlife can provide exciting experiences and a sense of discovery that is fun to share with your family and friends," said Henderson, the DNR’s Nongame Wildlife Program supervisor. Whether you are looking at wildlife, photographing or sketching it, or listening to the sounds of unseen creatures,Minnesota’s wildlands offer countless opportunities that meet almost any budget, time and travel requirements.

Thousands of acres of protected wildlife habitat are open for wildlife viewing and photography in Minnesota. Information about these areas, maps and tips for encountering some of Minnesota’s most sought after wildlife, such as peregrine falcons, moose, common loons and bald eagles, is available in the "Traveler’s Guide to Wildlife in Minnesota." Made possible by Nongame Wildlife Checkoff donations and coauthored by Henderson, Andrea Lee Lambrecht and DNR Nongame Wildlife biologists, the book is for people who enjoy nature and all forms of wildlife, such as birders, nature lovers, youth group leaders, teachers, photographers and families who enjoy wildlife and nature year-round. The collective knowledge of the state’s top wildlife biologists will help you see and enjoy the best of Minnesota’s rich wildlife heritage.

"Traveler’s Guide to Wildlife in Minnesota" is available for $19.95 at all major bookstores and by phone from Minnesota’s Bookstore by calling toll free 1-800-657-3757. "Wildlife tourism has become an increasingly popular hobby," Henderson noted. "It’s an industry that benefits from the protection and management of natural habitats without damaging or using up our natural resources."