Site Terms & Conditions

Terms of Use

By using this website, you acknowledge you have read and agreed to these Terms and Conditions of Use.

The Minnesota DNR may revise these terms periodically. If changes are made to these Terms and Conditions, you will be required to review and accept those changes prior to login. If at any time you do not wish to accept the Terms, you may choose not to use the website.

The Minnesota DNR reserves the right at any time, without notice, to enhance, modify, alter, or suspend the website and to terminate or restrict your access to the website.

This website contains proprietary data on state-listed species and other rare features for the purposes of project review, assessment, and project planning, including screening for potential impacts to sensitive natural heritage resources. By indicating your agreement to the Terms and Conditions of Use, you warrant that you will not use this website or the information contained herein for any other purpose, unless covered in a separate license. 

The majority of data layers and overall site functionality is provided particularly for use in conservation planning and land use decisions, as well as for informing and educating the public. These publicly available data and information pertain to the conservation status of lands, various conservation values of lands and other base map and reference layers to support the use of these data. The data are available for public viewing or map making. However, use of this information is NOT a substitute for a Natural Heritage Review.  Data accessed here are not intended to replace state or federal environmental review or compliance as required by regulatory or compliance agencies. If you need a project reviewed, please create a user account, login, and submit your project for review through this website.

Natural Heritage Reviews

Natural Heritage Reviews are based on the submitted activity impact area and project details; the results are only valid for the project location and description provided. The accuracy of the information obtained through use of this system is dependent upon accurate information being input into the system by the user. Failure to enter accurate inputs may result in incomplete or inaccurate information.

If the project boundary, impact area, or type of project changes, the project should be resubmitted for an updated review.  

For environmental review purposes, the results of Natural Heritage Reviews are valid for one year. If project activities have not occurred within one year, the project should be resubmitted for an updated review within one year prior to the anticipated construction date.

Although reports or queries may not show records for state-listed species within the vicinity of a project, it does not necessarily mean that they are not present.  It may simply mean that the area has not been surveyed or that records have not been reported to the Minnesota DNR. 

By indicating your agreement to the Terms and Conditions of Use, you acknowledge that this information is for review purposes only and in no way provides permission or serves as a permit for project activities.

License Agreements

Licensees agree to follow the terms of their executed license agreements.

Web Map and Data Disclaimer

The website and the information it is based on is dynamic. Records are added, deleted, and changed as new information becomes available. THE DATA ARE MADE AVAILABLE ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF ANY SORT INCLUDING, SPECIFICALLY, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, OR WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE DATA.

The Minnesota DNR is not liable for, nor bound by errors, inaccuracies, or omissions and shall be held harmless from and against all damage, loss, or liability arising from any use, misuse, or interpretation of geospatial data that is depicted here. Users should refer to the metadata for a description of the sources and methods, and the data limitations. The spatial accuracy and representation of legal boundaries may vary depending on the source data used and is inappropriate for use for legal purposes. 

Security

Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information; to defeat or circumvent security measures; or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited.

This website maintains a record of each project or license as well as all contact information. This information is maintained for internal tracking purposes and will not be shared outside of the purposes of providing this service.  

Copyright Notice

Copyright © 2022 State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55115, USA. All rights reserved. Rare Features Data included here are not based on an exhaustive inventory of the state. The lack of data for any geographic area shall not be construed to mean that no significant features are present.

All maps, reports, data, or other information contained herein are protected by copyright. Permission is granted to use the materials herein for any lawful noncommercial purpose. Each document delivered from this server or web site may contain other proprietary notices and copyright information relating to that document.

Citation

The following citation should be used in any materials which reference the website:

Minnesota DNR. 2022. Minnesota Conservation Explorer [web application]. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul. https://mce.dnr.state.mn.us. Accessed [Date].

The following citation should be used to reference the Natural Heritage Review letters:

Minnesota DNR. YYYY. Natural Heritage Review Letter for [Project Name] dated [Date]. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St Paul.