River Bend Nature Center

 

 

     
 
About
 
 

Ownership

 
 

 
     
 

Links

 
 

River Bend Nature Center

 
     
 

Overview

 
 

 

 
     
 

History

 
 

 

 
     
 

Management

 
 

 

 
     
 

Comments

 
 

 

 
     
 
Location
 
 

Maps

 
 

Visitor Map

 
         
 

Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates

 
         
         
 

Size

 
 

700 acres

 
         
 

Parking

 
 

1000 Rustad Road
Faribault, MN 55021

N44 16.649, W93 14.489

 
         
 

Hours

 
 

Trail Hours
6am to 10pm every day

Interpretive Center Hours
Monday-Friday: 8am to 4:30pm
Saturday: 9am to 4pm
Sunday: Closed

 
         
 

Fees

 
 

No fee

 
         
 

Driving Directions

  Area and County  
 

Get driving directions from Google Maps to this destination from any address, and send those directions to your phone.

   
          Rice County  
          Southeast Minnesota  
     
 
Activities
 
 

Hiking Trails

 
 

10 miles

 
     
 

Hunting

 
 

 

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Ecological Classification

  Ecological Classification  
  Ecological Province    

Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province

   
  Ecological Section    

Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal

   
  Ecological Subsection    

Big Woods, Oak Savanna

   
  Land Type Association    

Cordova Moraine

Lemond Moraine

   
             
 

Native Plant Communities*

   
 

Elm - Ash - Basswood Terrace Forest

Southern Mesic Oak-Basswood Forest

Willow - Dogwood Shrub Swamp

   
  * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources      
         
 

Natural Features

     
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Ed Oliveras

 
    River Bend Nature Center   River Bend Nature Center  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Park Entrance

 
    River Bend Nature Center      
           
 

Flooding

 
    River Bend Nature Center      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
 
     
     

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  RBNC Ramble video 2021
River Bend Nature Center
 
   
 
About

Aug 9, 2021

 
  River Bend Nature Center
Visit Faribault
 
   
 
About

Jul 6, 2017

The River Bend Nature Center offers hiking trails, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, biking, educational classes and programs, and great views. Learn more at visitFaribault.com

 
  John Blackmer
River Bend Nature Center
 
   
 
About

Sep 18, 2020

“The gravitational pull that the nature center has on the community is something unique, something you can’t find anywhere else in Faribault. It’s really amazing to watch how people keep coming back day after day, year after year, to this nature center they’ve grown up with, this place that they’ve visited so many times.” ~John Blackmer, Former RBNC Naturalist

 
  WinterFest
riverbendmn
 
   

 

Camcorder

           
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Visits

9/17/2004                
 
 

Birds

 
 

Ten bird species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen here:

Endangered

Henslow’s Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii)

Special Concern

Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)

Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)

Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni)

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

 
 

eBird Field Checklist

 
  Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)   Cedar Waxwing  
 

Plants

 
 

Four plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found here:

Endangered

butternut (Juglans cinerea)

Minnesota dwarf trout lily (Erythronium propullans)

Special Concern

late hawthorn (Crataegus calpodendron)

rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium var. yuccifolium)

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

 
 

Plants frequently found in:

Elm - Ash - Basswood Terrace Forest FFs59c

Southern Mesic Oak-Basswood Forest MHs38

Willow - Dogwood Shrub Swamp WMn82a

     
    chicory  
 

Reptiles

 
 

One reptile species with conservation status in Minnesota has been seen here:

Threatened

wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta)

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Amphibians and Reptiles List

 
         

 

 

Binoculars

 

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