Leif Mountain

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	About

	Ownership


	Links
	The Nature Conservancy

	Overview
	Leif Mountain is a The Nature Conservancy preserve in Kandiyohi County. Its 800 acres protect a diverse mix of habitats including wet, mesic, and dry prairies, oak forest, cattail marsh, and three lakes. There are three parking areas on Leif Mountain (see map above) giving access to three very different areas, and visitors should consider exploring all three. The south parking area is on 47 acres that includes about 20 acres of wet and mesic prairie, a 1-acre pond and cattail marsh, and a 2-acre pond. The remainder of this section is cattail marsh. A narrow dry land bridge leads to a wooded peninsula jutting into the marsh south of Section Twelve Lake. Access from the south area to the rest of the preserve is blocked by the lake and by cattail marsh. The southwest parking area is on 27 acres. It includes two native plant communities, 2½ acres of Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) and 1½ acres of Mesic Prairie (Southern), and 5 acres of mixed woodland and wet and mesic prairies. The remainder of the area is cattail marsh. The west parking area is on about 340 acres. It includes two unnamed lakes, 80 acres of Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern), 13½ acres of Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest, and a mix of mesic prairie, wet prairie, and cattail marsh. The high quality forest has common and rare woodland species not found other places on the preserve. Several species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen on Leif Mountain, including American White Pelican, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, regal fritillary, and American ginseng.

	History


	Management


	Comments


	Location

	Maps


	Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates


	Size
	800.27 acres

	Parking
	South, 80th St. NW / 273rd Ave. NW (by preserve sign) N45 23.239, W95 8.627 Southwest, 80th St. NW / 273rd Ave. NW N45 23.237, W95 9.086 West, 285th Ave. N N45 24.028, W95 10.073


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					Kandiyohi County
					Central Minnesota


	Activities

	Hiking Trails
	No maintained trails

	Hunting
	No hunting


	Ecology

	Ecological Classification
	Ecological Province			Prairie Parkland Province
	Ecological Section			North Central Glaciated Plains
	Ecological Subsection			Minnesota River Prairie
	Land Type Association			Gilchrist Moraine

	Native Plant Communities*
	Basswood - Bur Oak - (Green Ash) Forest Cattail Marsh (Prairie) Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) Mesic Prairie (Southern) Sedge Meadow
	* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources

	Natural Features


	Visitor Photos

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	MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

	South Parking




	The Nature Conservancy Sign


	Prairie and Marsh


	Pond


	Section Twelve Lake from the South


	Cattail Marsh from the South


	Wooded Peninsula


	Southwest Mixed Prairie


	Section Twelve Lake from the Southwest


	Cattail Marsh from the Southwest


	West Parking


	West Prairie

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