Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is a large ecological research site in central Minnesota with natural habitats that represent the entire state. Just a thirty-minute drive from the northern suburbs, there is no place of comparable biological diversity so close to the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Cedar Creek is owned and operated by the University of Minnesota in cooperation with the Minnesota Academy of Science.
The people of Cedar Creek are dedicated to understanding our planet’s ecosystems and how they are changing under human pressures. Through research, conservation, and education, Cedar Creek will continue to bridge the gaps between science, community, and government.
Photos of various Cedar Creek habitats are available on habitat pages listed here.
From the earliest work at Cedar Creek to the most modern experiments today, research has focused on ecology and the services ecosystems provide to the planet and to human society.
World-renowned scientists have made Cedar Creek their workplace from the beginning. The modern science of ecosystem ecology was conceived here in the 1940s. Radio collars for animal tracking were invented by University of Minnesota scientists working at Cedar Creek. Long-term research on prescribed burning for savannas began here in the 1960s. Cedar Creek’s insect community has become one of the most intensely studied ecological communities anywhere. Experiments begun in the 1980s helped to establish modern ecological theory. Currently two of the most influential ecologists in the world*, David Tilman and Peter Reich, conduct their primary research at Cedar Creek.
“… the site is rapidly becoming one of ecology’s classic localities.”
—Nee and Lawton, Nature 380:672–673 (1996)
Ongoing projects include studies of biodiversity—the number of different species living in an area, from the tiniest bacteria to the largest animals and most massive trees. Also, large-scale experiments at Cedar Creek examine how environmental changes are affecting the globe.
Future scientific opportunities include understanding how urbanization will change native plant and animal communities, how bacteria and other microbes in the soil interact with plants we see above ground, how grazers—possibly including bison—maintain prairies and savannas, and how habitat restoration improves conditions for wildlife.
* Based on citation history as determined by the Institute for Scientific Information, Science Watch, November 2002.
Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is within the meeting point of the three largest ecosystems of North America. Here the western prairies, the northern evergreen forests, and the leafy forests of the east all converge in a remarkable combination of plants and animals over a nine-square-mile area. The Minnesota County Biological Survey ranks Cedar Creek a site of Outstanding Biodiversity Significance, its highest rating, and the Nature Conservancy has named Cedar Creek an Ecologically Significant Area. Protecting this area means protecting now-rare native habitats that once graced much of the midwest, and protecting the wildlife that lives there. Conservation becomes critical as surrounding surburban areas develop. In coordination with the Department of Natural Resources, the Anoka County Parks Department, the Anoka Conservation District, The Nature Conservancy, and others, the area can contribute central habitats and connecting corridors for wildlife and native plants in a future suburban setting. These partners are working with landowners and local governments to help protect the most critical habitats adjacent to Cedar Creek to help ensure the survival of these ecosystems into the future.
Education at Cedar Creek has involved students studying for college and advanced degrees in the natural sciences. With ecology now one of the essential applied sciences of our time, we are capitalizing on Cedar Creek’s scientific standing and embracing new roles at state and local levels. We are participating in local schoolyard projects and have opened public tours of the rare habitats of the area. Cedar Creek is hoping to expand its community involvement with on-site workshops for secondary school teachers and students, by advancing our public tours, and by working with state and local governments for additional public access.
