(Roseville, MN, July 24, 2025) – The “Adopt a Flyway: Enhancing Minnesota’s Migratory Pitstops” project proposal received support from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) last week when it was selected for inclusion in their annual recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature on how to allocate proceeds from the state’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.
The project aims to empower landowners and managers to recognize the value of their land to support migratory and breeding birds as part of the Mississippi Flyway and, if funded, would encourage and incentivize voluntary management action to improve bird habitat quality throughout the state.
If approved by the 2026 Legislature and signed into law by the Governor, the project would begin as early as July 2026.
“With the Adopt-a-Flyway pilot, we hope to emphasize the importance of integrating a working lands approach further into bird conservation as it is a key strategy to secure healthy grasslands and forests for suites of birds experiencing major challenges across their flyways”, shares Sarah Hewitt, Senior Conservation Manager for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.
325 bird species, nearly half of all North American bird species, rely on the Mississippi Flyway during their migration and breeding seasons, making it North America’s largest flyway. Yet, the 2025 State of the Birds report confirmed that the United States’ birds are experiencing immense populations declines, indicating that their habitats are vanishing across grasslands, forests, and wetlands, including across the Mississippi Flyway. This has guided Audubon’s focus to target migratory habitats and guide bird-friendly land management strategies with private and public landowners. Through the Adopt-a-Flyway pilot program, Audubon will provide landowners direct technical and financial assistance, in addition to public recognition for their bird-friendly efforts. To further public education on the importance of bird habitat conservation, Audubon has partnered with the Urban Bird Collective, Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association, and American Bird Conservancy to host workshops across the state.
The proposal was one of 109 included in the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources’ (LCCMR) recommendation following its 2026 Request for Proposals (RFP), which sought proposals to address several priority issue areas, including resilience, water, fish and wildlife, education and outdoor recreation, energy, and land. The LCCMR will meet this fall to finalize the recommendations.
In response to the RFP, LCCMR received 400 proposals requesting a total of approximately $359 million. A subset of proposals was invited to provide a presentation and receive further consideration by the Commission. In the end, 109 proposals received a recommendation to the Legislature for some portion of the approximately $103 million available. Additional information on the LCCMR and its 2026 recommendations process can be found online at www.lccmr.mn.gov.
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The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) is a permanent dedicated fund in the Minnesota state treasury that was established by 77% voter approval of a constitutional amendment in 1988. The amendment directs forty percent of the net proceeds of the Minnesota State Lottery into the ENRTF through the year 2050. Since 1991, approximately $1.2 billion from the ENRTF has been spent through the LCCMR process on over 1,800 projects that protect and enhance Minnesota's environment and natural resources in every county of the state.
Audubon Upper Mississippi River is the regional office of the National Audubon Society, working in Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri.
The National Audubon Society is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with 120 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet’s health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action. Audubon works across the Western Hemisphere, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, bipartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes. With 800 staff and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing force committed to ensuring a better planet for both birds and people for generations to come. Learn more at http://www.audubon.org/umr.
Contact: audubonumr@audubon.org