By Rich Larson
Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar joined local leaders Friday to dedicate 101 acres of public hunting land at Circle Lake, highlighting a conservation milestone during Northfield’s Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener.
The island, acquired in 2025 by the Department of Natural Resources, is part of the Circle Lake Wildlife Management Area between Northfield, Faribault and Lonsdale. Its dedication celebrated expanded public access and habitat protection in Rice County.
Northfield hosted the opener Oct. 9 and 10, bringing together hunters, state officials, conservation partners and visitors. Friday’s downtown Rooster Roundup featured music, food and shopping, while Saturday marked the hunting opener. Organizers used the weekend to showcase local outdoor recreation, conservation partnerships and the community’s businesses and hospitality statewide.
The Circle Lake management area now encompasses 262 acres, including the island and a mainland tract along the lake’s northwest arm. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources acquired the mainland property in 2017. Trust for Public Land assisted with both acquisitions.
Joe Stangel, the DNR’s southern region wildlife manager, said the island acquisition and habitat improvements on the mainland will provide hunting opportunities for pheasants, waterfowl, deer and turkeys. He said the property also offers wildlife recreation and ecological benefits for future generations.
The island’s transition to public conservation land follows a history that included recreation and agriculture. A golf course opened there in the 1920s, with visitors traveling by ferry to play. The course did not survive the Great Depression. The island later served as pasture and farmland before returning to a natural state.
Today, maple and basswood forest surrounds the island, while its gently rolling interior includes brushland, grassland and small wetlands. The mainland features shallow marshes and ponds, along with grassland, young woodland, conifer plantings and hardwood forest.
The dedication also underscored the role of Minnesota’s wildlife management areas in protecting habitat and providing public recreation. Statewide, 1,521 such areas encompass 1.39 million acres of fields, forests and wetlands.
The DNR and Explore Minnesota assisted the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Northfield Convention and Visitors Bureau in planning the opener, connecting the public lands celebration with a broader effort to promote the region’s outdoor resources. Attendees were quick to single out Jane Bartho, Rachel Trnka and Melissa Mueller of the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce for a year’s worth of hard work that made the weekend such a grand success.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
