Case for Support

Minnesota Point 50 (MP50) is a community-led nonprofit organization established to shine a lighton the ecological, cultural, and economic importance of Minnesota Point and to lead its partners in ensuring the long-term resilience of this national treasure.

Located in Duluth, Minnesota, at the western tip of Lake Superior, Minnesota Point is the longest freshwater sandbar in the world. The seven-mile-long spit separates Lake Superior from the Superior Bay and St. Louis Estuary and protects the Port of Duluth-Superior, the largest shipping port on the Great Leaks. Called Neyaashi by the Anishinaabe people who have lived in this region for hundreds of years, Minnesota Point is now home to the diverse Park Point neighborhood and beloved by visitors from around the world. It is also home to abundant wildlife, including several endangered and threatened species, living in the Point’s white and red pine forests, bogs, sedge meadows, wetlands, thickets, lake and bay beaches, and sand dunes.

Why Now?

Minnesota Point is a unique and fragile environment subject to extreme challenges to its wildlife, its community, its very existence. Threats include erosion, destruction of wildlife habitat, aging infrastructure, and loss of a vibrant community. These challenges are growing with the increasing severity of climate change as well as pressures from development and the Point’s growing popularity as a tourist destination. Duluth is frequently cited as a climate refuge, and Minnesota Point receives more than a million visitors each year.

Minnesota Point is undergoing significant changes. On the east side of the Point, Lake Superior waters are warming, and water levels are more variable and currently dropping. Piers built to protect shipping lanes at the north and south ends of the Point block the natural replenishment of sand and rubble, leaving Park Point Beach vulnerable to erosion, and violent storms in the past five years have torn away more than 10 feet of protective sand dunes. Meanwhile, on the west side of the Point, Superior Bay water levels are currently rising, threatening homes and infrastructure. Southworth Marsh, a designated wildlife habitat area on the Bay side of the Point, has lost more than 40% of its landmass in the past 10 years, and the old-growth pine forest and designated Scientific and Natural Area at the end of Minnesota Point is facing threats from erosion and fire.

Members of the Park Point community have long recognized the unique nature of Minnesota Point and have come together under the leadership of MP50 to ensure the environmental, cultural, and community resilience of this special place for generations to come. In doing so, MP50 is focused on inviting visitors and residents alike to enjoy this national treasure and to join us as stewards of Minnesota Point.

What Can We Do?

Thanks to an ever-growing community of partners and the dedicated stewardship of Park Point residents, MP50 is launching a series of public education and research efforts alongside the development of a 50-year Action Plan.

MP50 is creating an Action Plan with recommended strategies for different areas of Minnesota Point and its surrounding waters. Past and current projects designed to enhance resilience of the Point will be documented, and new projects will be implemented by MP50 as well as our many partners, including the City of Duluth, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Coastal Program, and the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program (for a full list of partners, please visit our website). Regardless of who leads on each project, MP50 will seek to provide support, track progress, measure impact, and share results with the Park Point community and the public.

Project planning for 2025 is already underway, prioritizing the protection and restoration of sand dunes, the creation of a property owners’ guide to Minnesota Point stewardship, and the development of mobile tours to promote education and care for Minnesota Point.

Public education and outreach are critical components of MP50’s work. We strive to improve local understanding of the environmental and coastal processes, risks, and resilience on and around Minnesota Point. We will continue to lead in all efforts to engage partners and the public in a learning community that deepens knowledge, celebration, and protection of the Point.

With core funding, a strategic plan, a small staff, and many committed partners, MP50 will continue driving stewardship of Minnesota Point, ensuring its resilience for generations to come.

What Can You Do?

We invite you to become a Minnesota Point Steward! There are many ways to get involved.

• VISIT US and tell us what you love about Minnesota Point!

• Visit and enjoy the Minnesota Point ecosystem and the Park Point community

• Hike the old-growth forest, and respect it as a sacred place for the Anishinaabe people

• Walk the beaches, and help keep them clean

• Protect the sand dunes and wildlife - don’t walk in the dunes or damage beach grass

• Respect the community - observe the speed limit and parking laws

• DONATE! Become a supporter through a generous gift by making your donation here today!