The Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program works to help thousands of species of Minnesota wildlife like bees, butterflies, songbirds, eagles, loons, frogs, turtles, and bats thrive through habitat restorations, surveys and monitoring, technical guidance, and outreach and education - including the Eagle and Falcon cams!
The Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program is funded almost entirely through grants and donations. We do not receive money from hunting and fishing license sales or state taxes (general fund).
The Nongame Wildlife Program houses many community science programs that offer fun, nature-based volunteering opportunities. Help us research Minnesota's bats, frogs, loons, chimney swifts, and more by becoming a community scientist! This My Impact account houses the opportunity sign-ups for bat echo location (acoustic) monitoring, bat roost monitoring, and regal fritillary monitoring.
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Nongame Community Science
Nongame community science projects: volunteer to become a community scientist!
The nongame program has projects housed under this account related to bat and regal fritillary monitoring: Bat Roost Watch, Bat Echo Locators, and Regal Quest.
The 2026 monitoring season has closed. To stay in the loop on opportunities to get involved in the 2027 season, sign up for our community science bulletin on this page: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nongame/community-science.html. We send out monthly project updates to the bulletin email list. Informational sessions and trainings will begin in the winter/spring of 2027.
Funding for this program was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) and the MN DNR Nongame Wildlife Program.
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regal Quest 2026 | 0 | 5/20/2026 | 9/30/2026 | |
Mission Statement
The Nongame Wildlife Program strives to maintain and enhance the state’s diversity of wildlife. We help restore native wildlife populations and support Minnesota’s Species in Greatest Conservation Need. We protect and manage crucial habitats, conduct scientific research to better understand Minnesota’s wildlife species and the ecosystems in which they live, and we forge connections between Minnesotans and native wildlife through engagement and education.
