It brings the museum’s total conserved land near the river to more than 300 acres.
by Alexandra DeYoe
Culture
September 25, 2026
10:34 AM
Science Museum of Minnesota
The Science Museum of Minnesota’s recent conservation efforts are protecting an additional 130 acres along the St. Croix River, now completing permanent protection of the St. Croix Watershed Research Station and reaching more than 300 acres of conserved land near the river in total.
The conservation easements cover two areas, the 103 acres of the Tanglewood Nature Preserve (closed on June 30 with help from the Minnesota Land Trust) and the Pine Needles property, with its 27 acres of old-growth forest along the riverway. Together, these 130 acres of forest and riverfront land permanently secure the entirety of the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, which conducts research on water pollution, climate change, and how to protect wildlife habitats in the area. 
“Protecting the St. Croix Watershed Research Station in its entirety is one of the most significant conservation achievements in our history,” said Science Museum president and CEO Alison Rempel Brown in a statement.
Protecting the old-growth forests along the riverway means the masses of white pines, maples, basswoods, and freshwater springs can continue to exist safely. The cabin at Pine Needles, once owned by St. Croix River Valley historian James Taylor Dunn, is home to the museum’s Artist at Pine Needles Residency program, which has hosted more than 80 artists over the past 24 years and can continue because of the conservation. 
It’s not the first time the Science Museum has partnered with other communities and organizations to reach its conservation goals. In 2022, alongside the Minnesota Land Trust and Washington County, it secured around 126 acres of land south of the Marine on the St. Croix River. The project has been a goal of the museum’s since its founding in 1989. 
These conservation efforts wouldn’t be possible without the Minnesota voter-approved Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, which passed in 2008 and ensures the state’s constitution protects clean drinking water and wetlands, among other things. (And shout-out to the Outdoor Heritage Fund and Washington County Land and Water Legacy Program, which also made this possible.) 
“This marks a huge win for the Science Museum and the people of the St. Croix Valley,” said Dr. Adam Heathcote, senior director of the Department of Water and Climate Change at the St. Croix Watershed Research Station in a statement. “This ensures both that these natural lands will be protected forever, but also that we will have the financial support necessary to continue to provide ecological stewardship and world-class scientific research at this site, which is unique to Minnesota.”  
by Alexandra DeYoe
September 25, 2026
10:34 AM
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