The Lake Superior Zoo is northern Minnesota’s zoo, which is fully accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Bear Country project will create educational exhibits using animals and the environment within a portion of the area of land that is currently the former Polar Shores. The project will utilize some of this existing structure by renovating it to meet or exceed current animal exhibit standards for the brown bear set by the Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AZA). Legacy funds will be used to complete phase one of the bear country project.
CMSM opened its new permanent site with increased capacity to serve as an informal learning center that playfully engages children, families, and school groups in interactive experiences with the art and cultural heritage of southern Minnesota. With its current appropriation, CMSM is poised to strengthen its core as an institution that promotes arts and cultural heritage learning through continued
As Minnesota’s state Zoo, we are committed to ensuring that our programs are accessible to all our citizens – regardless of age, geographic location, disability or background. “Zoo Unlimited” is our community outreach and access initiative that unites a wide range of programs and policies designed to ensure every Minnesotan has unlimited opportunities to form stronger connections with the natural world. Legacy funds help us implement this program bridge barriers that keep people from connecting with all the Zoo has to offer.
The MNHS permanent collection includes more than 6,500 objects related to American Indian culture and history. MNHS takes seriously its responsibility to provide stewardship of these items, in accordance with federal law (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) and our own collections management policy (Culturally Sensitive Objects Policy).
Partner: Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
American Indian undergraduate students from across Minnesota participated in this unique summer educational experience. The students selected for this intensive 17-day residential program attended onsite presentations throughout Minnesota and experienced hands-on learning about the museum and archaeology fields and other historical and cultural preservation organizations.
We Are Hmong Minnesota, a 2,500-square-foot exhibit, debuted March 7, 2015, timed for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the beginning of Hmong migration to Minnesota. MNHS staff worked in partnership with the Hmong community to develop the exhibit. A traveling version of the exhibit for loan to libraries, schools, and community centers was also developed and is currently circulating. A companion exhibit at the James J. Hill House displayed a collection of Hmong textiles recently donated to the Minnesota Historical Society.
Minnesota’s twelve regional library systems, which encompass more than 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, can benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional library system is eligible to receive a formula-driven allocation from the annual $2.2 million Minnesota Regional Library System Legacy Grant. Arrowhead Library System (ALS) is a federated regional public library system with central services located in northeastern Minnesota.
