Friends of Robert Bird Sanctuary

Friends of Roberts Bird Sanctuary, an all-volunteer non-profit Minnesota corporation and 501(c)3 public charity, is partnering with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to construct a wooden deck adjacent to the existing visitors shelter at the east entrance. This simple terrace will improve accessibility and provide a great spot for people of all ages and abilities to observe birds and other wildlife and experience the beauty of the Sanctuary. Our goal is to raise funds to complete the terrace this autumn.

Thomas Sadler Roberts Bird Sanctuary is a 31-acre undeveloped natural area located in Lyndale Park, north of Lake Harriet, just west of the Peace Garden, and part of the Chain of Lakes Regional Park. All of these parks are on the homelands of the Dakota People, the original stewards of these lands and waters. In 1890, Lakewood Cemetery donated the land to the Park Board. The Sanctuary was established in 1936 and renamed in 1947 to honor Thomas Sadler Roberts, a physician, University of Minnesota professor of ornithology and Director of the Museum of Natural History (now the Bell Museum). Dr. Roberts authored The Birds of Minnesota and is considered the father of Minnesota ornithology.

Since 2013, Friends of Roberts, as the designated Park Steward of the Sanctuary, has been committed to ongoing advocacy for and stewardship of this priceless resource. Our mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance the Sanctuary as a thriving, undeveloped habitat and sanctuary for birds and other native wildlife, through conservation, education and recreation.

Our fundraising goal of $30,000 will supplement a generous allocation of parkland dedication funds from the East Harriet Farmstead Neighborhood Association to build the Roberts Terrace. All donations are tax-deductible to the maximum allowed by law in 2022.