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View Full Version : Nature Photo Ops near St. Paul, Minnesota



Kari Post
03-03-2009, 03:15 PM
I'm looking into grad schools for Conservation Biology and the University of Minnesota in St. Paul seems to have a good program with excellent assistantship and scholarship opportunities. I know nothing about Minnesota and St. Paul looks very much like an urban area, so I'm wondering what kind of opportunities exist for nature photography in the area. I am interested in all sorts of nature subjects, from birds, mammals, herps, and bugs to flowers, landscapes, and nature abstracts. I'm interested in a variety of subjects to shoot year round. Thanks for your help.

Roger Williams
03-15-2009, 08:54 PM
Hi Kari. While St. Paul (and sister city Minneapolis) are indeed urban, we have the benefit of many natural areas in and around the metropolitan area. The twin cities are bisected by 3 river systems - the Mississippi, the St. Croix (part of the wild and scenic river system) and the Minnesota. All are protected by a number of laws and agencies. Parts of these sytems include at least two state parks, a major national wildlife refuge and several regional parks. In addition there are several private or non-profit nature centers. Further, there is so much "nature" even in developed areas. Today, with my wife and dog, we walked on a hard surfaced county-administered trail that led us within 100 feet of a nesting pair of eagles. A short distance from this sighting, we watched a nesting pair of red-tailed hawks and a bit further, a herd of deer. In fact, we have 9 deer living in a small wetland in the middle of a residential subdivision 2 blocks from my house, and we have 2 major zoos in the metro area. I could go on and on. The ability to find natural subjects is limited only by ones imagination. If I can provide additional information or detail for you , please contact me at rwill3450@comcast.net.

Chad Griggs
03-15-2009, 10:21 PM
I don't photograph a whole lot in Minneapolis and St. Paul but like the previous poster said, there are plenty of areas. There are also lots of areas within the metro area that are very good. As you probably know there are a lot of lakes here, so with that there are lots of birds that relate to the water. Kingfishers, Eagles, Osprey, Loons and various water fowl. I've also recently photographed River Otters. You can check the MN DNR website for more info on wildlife here in MN.

There are several gardens in Minneapolis, I can think of one off hand in Minneapolis by Lake Harriet. Also there is the MN Landscape Arbroretum which is a quick drive from Mpls. Hope that helps =)