We are on Dakota homelands.

We acknowledge and honor the land now known as Thomas Sadler Roberts Bird Sanctuary as the sacred homeland and birthplace of Dakota Peoples. Indigenous Peoples were residents and stewards of this land for millennia before the arrival of white settlers. The Dakota land that became the Sanctuary was adjacent to Heyata Otunwe (Cloud Man Village), near the southeast shore of Bde Maka Ska. As stewards of Roberts Bird Sanctuary, we strive  to honor this history and all living beings.

Watch our video,

Life in Roberts Bird Sanctuary, here!

Youth Birding in the Sanctuary

These guided walks are especially for young people (with their adult guardians). Binoculars are suppled. The walks are led by members of MYBirdClub, which seeks to inspire the next generation of birders, conservationists, and environmentalists. Pre-registration is required; click the dates below for more information and to pre-register. 

2025 dates

Sunday, April 27, 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, May 10, 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, June 14, 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

(photo by Amy Simso Dean)

Guided Frog Walks 

Depending on the date, listen for various types of frogs, as well as toads. Our guide will be Don Luce, avid birder and naturalist, artist, author, and former curator at the Bell Museum. Children are welcome when accompanied by a caregiver and able to listen quietly for the frog calls. 

2025 dates

Photo by Ed McFadden

Birds & Botany in the Sanctuary

Learn about the plants that live in the Sanctuary and the birds and animals that love them!

2025 Dates TBD

Beginning Bugs for Kids

Take a guided walk to observe insects in the Sanctuary! Jessica Miller, an insect expert and teacher with a Masters in Entymology from the University of Minnesota, will help us identify insects and will explain how they contribute to the ecosystem and reflect the health of the water.

2025 Dates TBD

Dedicated volunteers continue to make great progress in enhancing habitat, both in Roberts Bird Sanctuary and nearby William Berry Woods which are both part of the Chain of Lakes Important Bird Area (IBA).

In Roberts, we focus on removing Buckthorn, Canada Thistle, Garlic Mustard and smaller amounts of other invasives. 

At William Berry Woods, a committed team of volunteers sustains a huge effort from Spring through Autumn, removing Siberian Squill, Dame's Rocket, Garlic Mustard, non-native Honeysuckle, and Common Buckthorn.

2025 Autumn Buckthorn Dates TBD

For information about invsasive pulls,

visit our Facebook page

or send an email to contact@friendsofroberts.org

In early September 2019, representatives of the Friends of Roberts met with foresters from the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board about the effects on trees of the unprecedented high water levels in the Sanctuary. In short, although they confirmed that our concerns about individual trees are justified — because so many trees are struggling to survive prolonged submersion and will likely die if these flooded conditions persist indefinitely — overall the Sanctuary's trees and ecosystem are showing positive signs of regeneration and adaptation. 

The foresters described a continuum or "spectrum" of water tolerance in trees, from Cottonwood to Willow and Silver Maple, to Ash and Elm, to truly upland species. They pointed out negative consequences of flooding on some specimens of Sugar Maple and Aspen — species that typically occupy higher ground — showing damage caused by their roots being submerged. Some developments that had struck us as worrisome, such as sprouts from the bases of trees now standing in water, were seen by the foresters as positive signs. These "adventitious roots” are natural methods trees use to obtain more oxygen to replace what is lost as the roots are submerged (putting them in anaerobic conditions) and so to "remain vital." We also learned that species that are relatively water-tolerant are able to send roots sideways into drier ground, and can also go dormant for some time.

While some lost trees can be replaced, regeneration will naturally come from trees already in proximity. Given the reality of ongoing climate change, we identified other possible replacement species that are water-tolerant, from just south of our geographic area or which have already been demonstrated to survive in the Upper Midwest. Some promising more southerly species are already present in the Sanctuary, such as Catalpa and Burr and Swamp Oaks. 
 
The Friends will continue our focus on removing invasive species and planting natives to support biodiversity during the changes and adaptations caused by climate change. Aggressive actions to reduce the flooding are not likely to be sustainable or to sustain biodiversity as well as natural processes, and the disruption caused by drastic interventions is likely to reduce rather than increase biodiversity. 

Other related issues such as drainage and stormwater management and adding to the biodiversity of the wetland now covered with non-native cattails and Reed Canary Grass are not the domain of the foresters, so we will be meeting with other experts about those concerns.