St. Olaf Natural Lands

St. Olaf Natural Lands The Official Facebook for the St. Olaf Natural Lands. The St. Olaf Natural Lands functions as a nat

A HUGE thank you to all the students, staff, and faculty that took time out of their busy schedules to work with us this...
05/14/2026

A HUGE thank you to all the students, staff, and faculty that took time out of their busy schedules to work with us this year. We greatly appreciate all of the time and energy that you put into helping steward the Natural Lands at . Have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you all in the fall!

Thank you all for joining us for a fantastic Earth Week full of fun events! 4/20 - BioChar and S’mores4/23 - Tree planti...
04/26/2026

Thank you all for joining us for a fantastic Earth Week full of fun events!

4/20 - BioChar and S’mores
4/23 - Tree planting volunteering
4/24 - Closet Remix with Folkish and OleThrift
4/25 - Northfield Earth Day tabling

What was your favorite event?

Boreal chorus frogs have returned! 🐸These tiny frogs fill the night with their loud, unmistakable calls. Listen for a sh...
04/16/2026

Boreal chorus frogs have returned! 🐸

These tiny frogs fill the night with their loud, unmistakable calls. Listen for a sharp “cree” sound, almost like running your fingernail across a comb. It’s one of the first true signs of spring, as chorus frogs are among the earliest to emerge after spending the winter frozen.

Fun fact: they’re Minnesota’s smallest frog! 😱

Photo credit: Scott King

Prescribed fire continues in the Natural Lands! Our majority-student crew were instrumental in completing this burn safe...
04/10/2026

Prescribed fire continues in the Natural Lands! Our majority-student crew were instrumental in completing this burn safely and effectively.

Keep an eye out over the next few months for these fungi that love to emerge in spring. Some may be more common than oth...
03/11/2026

Keep an eye out over the next few months for these fungi that love to emerge in spring. Some may be more common than others 👀🍄

1. Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)
• Grows in tiled layers on logs and stumps of deciduous trees, often forming rows or clusters

2. Elf Cups (Genus Sarcoscypha)
• Look for these bright red cups on damp hardwood branches or twigs. They’re often found on north-facing slopes, where conditions stay cooler and moister

3. Dryad’s Saddle (Ceriporus squamosus)
• Check decomposing elm or maple wood and you might spot this large, patterned bracket fungus

4. Scurfy Twiglet (Tubaria furfuracea)
• Found around decaying wood, usually growing in scattered groups on small twigs

5. American Yellow Morel (Morchella americana)
• Often appears under hardwoods, especially cottonwood trees in river bottoms

⚠️Disclaimer: Always do your own research before foraging wild mushrooms. This post is not a guide to edible mushrooms⚠️

film for your friday photo credit and .png
03/06/2026

film for your friday

photo credit and .png

what a fun funky mushroom! these perennial polypores are still sticking it out through the snow and ice. they love norwa...
03/01/2026

what a fun funky mushroom! these perennial polypores are still sticking it out through the snow and ice. they love norway valley and heath creek if anyone wants to hunt for them!

Need a cozy indoor activity to reminisce about the Natural Lands? Try our word search!! Good luck!
02/17/2026

Need a cozy indoor activity to reminisce about the Natural Lands? Try our word search!! Good luck!

Chainsaws are amazing and valuable tools for natural resources management, forestry, and tree care. Safety and training ...
02/13/2026

Chainsaws are amazing and valuable tools for natural resources management, forestry, and tree care. Safety and training is critical to their use. This workshop is intended to provide an introduction to chainsaws and their safe use. It will be led by a certified trainer from Blue Heron Stewardship and will provide SAWW Level I certification.

Please note that this training is for current St. Olaf and Carleton students only.

Apply on the Natural Lands website (link in bio) by Sunday, March 1 2026.
Menu -> Research and Visitor Info -> Available Training.
We will notify successful applicants by Friday, March 6.

When: Sunday, March 29 8:00 -- 4:30
Where: Flaten Art Barn (St. Olaf)
What to Wear: Long pants, long sleeve shirt.
Lunch Provided

Art by Kiran Tator '27

This fledgling is ready for SUPERB OWL Sunday!🦉🏈Photo credit: Fiona Kelley ‘26
02/08/2026

This fledgling is ready for SUPERB OWL Sunday!🦉🏈

Photo credit: Fiona Kelley ‘26

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Northfield, MN
55057

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+15077863397

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