The Audubon Center of the North Woods is a private, non-profit residential environmental learning center (RELC), a wildlife rehabilitation facility, and conference & retreat center nestled on the shores of Grindstone Lake near Sandstone, MN in east-central Minnesota. Our diverse 535-acre sanctuary includes a variety of habitats, including old-growth red and white pines, hardwood forests, restored wetlands and prairies. Our unique center features a mixture of historic as well as newly constructed facilities that can provide lodging and meals for up to 162 participants. Our participants have the opportunity to experience a wide range of learning environments including our wildlife barn, yurt, log cabin, formal science classroom, and of course, the great outdoors!

We offer a great variety of environmental learning experiences for people of all ages, with programming in natural history and science, team-building, adventure programming, and outdoor/environmental education.

We welcome visitors to explore our trails, visit our raptors, shop our Nature Store, or to stop and just say "Hi" to the North Woods!

Click here to download a map of the
Audubon Center of the North Woods' trail and facilities

We strive to provide the best environmental experiences for the thousands of K-12 students who come to our center from across the state. Our highest quality environmental education programs along with our optimal location, makes us not only the best choice for environmental programming reasons, but for lower travel cost reasons as well-something we all can appreciate!

We also serve as a field campus for many teacher training opportunities through Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental Education and offer graduate courses tailored to educators seeking either a Certificate or Master's Degree in Environmental Education. In addition, we are also a field campus for Northland College, Inver Hills Community College and other post-secondary institutions.

The Audubon Center of the North Woods also authorizes a number of Minnesota Charter Schools.  As an authorizer, the Center enters into contracts with the schools we authorize, specifying academic, financial and governance/operational performance expectations. To ensure these expectations are met and public interest is served, authorizers such as the Audubon Center of the North Woods oversee the contracts which allow charters to exist and evaluate each school’s performance prior to contract renewal.  In addition, through the contract, the Center sets environmental education expectations with the school as a means to advance our mission.  For more information about the Audubon Center of the North Wood’s authorizing activities or about the schools that the Center authorizes, please view our website: www.auduboncharterschools.org.

The Audubon Center, in conjunction with Elderhostel, Inc., also offers Elderhostel Programs designed for people 55 and older including Intergenerational Elderhostels, creating the opportunity for grandchildren to have fun with their grandparents in the north woods.

BRIEF AUDUBON CENTER HISTORY

In the 1800's, the Audubon Center property was used by local Ojibwe families for hunting and gathering.

Portions of the forest were logged prior to the Hinckley Fire (1894), and the land was farmed under the Schwyzer family ownership for the first half of the twentieth century.

In 1968 this land was bequeathed to the National Audubon Society by Dr. Marguerite Schwyzer. The land was then transferred to the Audubon Center of the North Woods, a separate private, 501(c) non-profit organization. Since that time, the Audubon Center has served as a residential and day use education facility for small groups of international students, college students, adults, and school groups.