An expansive account of how Minnesota became the epicenter of nongame wildlife conservation

Minnesota became a national leader for a new era of conservation in 1977 when the state’s Department of Natural Resources hired Carrol L. Henderson as the supervisor of the Nongame Wildlife Program. Explaining how the statewide goal to preserve biological diversity became reality, A National Legacy provides insights and inspiration as it describes how Henderson developed one of the first nongame wildlife conservation programs in the nation.

The fledgling program began to prioritize the management and restoration of nonhunted wildlife, from butterflies, frogs, snakes, and bats to bald eagles, trumpeter swans, and peregrine falcons. Bringing passion, creativity, and ingenuity to his task, Henderson looked beyond simple species-focused conservation and created a model that involved the public. With an emphasis on habitat, high-profile species, and hands-on experiences, along with a holistic approach, his model brought wildlife advocacy into daily life as Minnesotans learned the benefits of the now-ubiquitous practices of pollinator gardening and bird feeding.

Offering a historic review of the creation, development, and accomplishments of Minnesota’s Nongame Wildlife Program, A National Legacy demonstrates how this commitment to preserving Minnesota’s wildlife has benefited every resident of the state—whether they walk, fly, swim, or slither.

Carrol L. Henderson is an internationally renowned leader in wildlife conservation. For more than forty years, he was director of the Nongame Wildlife Program for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. He has written more than a dozen books and has been honored with awards from the Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union. In 2016, he received the Frances K. Hutchinson Medal from The Garden Club of America for his distinguished service to conservation.

Marshall Johnson is chief conservation officer for the National Audubon Society.