Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas (SNAs) are public lands in the state of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
that have been permanently protected to preserve any one or combination of the following:
* Native plant and animal communities
* Rare species
* Places of biodiversity significance
* Geological features or formations
* Seasonal havens for wildlife and vantage points for observing them
* Successional processes
* Relict flora or fauna
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Fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
evidence
The SNA Program is housed within the Division of Ecological and Water Resources at the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recre ...
. The primary goal of the program is to ensure that none of Minnesota's natural heritage is lost from any ecological region of the state. The secondary goal is to provide opportunities for compatible scientific research, education, and nature-based recreation. The Program currently oversees 166 SNAs.
See also
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Geology of Minnesota
The geology of Minnesota comprises the rock, minerals, and soils of the U.S. state of Minnesota, including their formation, development, distribution, and condition.
The state's geologic history can be divided into three periods. The first perio ...
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List of ecoregions in Minnesota
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Natural history of Minnesota
The natural history of Minnesota covers many plant and animal species in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The continental climate and location of Minnesota at the physiographic intersection of the Laurentian and the Interior Plains influences its pl ...
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Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program The Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program is a conservation program created to highlight and protect areas with outstanding natural or archaeological resources in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. There are currently 687 State Natural Areas (SNAs) enco ...
, a similar program in Wisconsin.
References
External links
Index of Scientific and Natural Areasat
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recre ...
Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areasinformation at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
{{Minnesota
Protected areas of Minnesota