State Wildlife Action Plan - Conservation Opportunity Areas
Go to Section:- Overview
- Data Quality
- Data Organization
- Coordinate System
- Attributes
- Distribution - Get Data
- Metadata Reference
Section 1: Overview
Originator:Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - Division of Ecological and Water Resources, Nongame Wildlife Program
Title:
State Wildlife Action Plan - Conservation Opportunity Areas
Abstract:
Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs), formerly Conservation Focus Area (CFAs), are areas within the state that have been identified as having both high concentrations of Species in Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) as well as active conservation partnerships in place. The boundaries for these areas are both influenced by "species hotspots" within the Conservation Action Network (CAN) and from both internal and external partners. COAs provide a forum for partners to work together to deliver on-the-ground habitat projects to improve conditions for SGCN.
Purpose:
This dataset was developed to help focus conservation efforts within the state for implementation of the goals and objectives of "Minnesota's Wildlife Action Plan 2025-2035: Conserving Habitats and Biodiversity."
Time Period of Content Date:
12/29/2025
Currentness Reference:
Time Period of Content Date indicates when dataset was last updated.
Progress:
Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency:
Every 10 years (or sooner if needed)
Spatial Extent of Data:
State of Minnesota
Bounding Coordinates:
-97.23
-89.53
49.37
43.5
Place Keywords:
Minnesota, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4
Theme Keywords:
Conservation Opportunity Areas, Conservation Focus Areas, State Wildlife Action Plan, SWAP, COA, CFA
Theme Keyword Thesaurus:
Access Constraints:
None
Use Constraints:
Use of the data are constrained only by the MNDNR GIS Data License Agreement. See the Distribution Liability section below for a link.
Contact Person Information:
TJ Boettcher,
Conservation Opportunity Area Coordinator
Minnesota DNR - Ecological and Water Resources
805 N Hwy 44/76
Caledonia,
MN
55921
Phone: 507-724-5261
507-724-5261x6981
Email: tj.boettcher@state.mn.us
Associated Data Sets:
Section 2: Data Quality
Attribute Accuracy:
Logical Consistency:
Completeness:
Horizontal Positional Accuracy:
Lineage:
Section 3: Spatial Data Organization (not used in this metadata)
Section 4: Coordinate System
Horizontal Coordinate Scheme:
Universal Transverse Mercator
UTM Zone Number:
15
Horizontal Datum:
NAD83
Horizontal Units:
meters
Vertical Datum:
Vertical Units:
Depth Datum:
Depth Units:
Section 5: Attributes
Overview:
Detailed Citation:
Table Detail:
coa_boundaries - This table describes the different attributes associated with each Conservation Opportunity Area including its name, the DNR region it resides in, a number, and a number that corresponds to a table in the State Wildlife Action Plan.| Field Name | Valid Values | Definition | Definition Source |
|---|
| COA Name | - | The name of the Conservation Opportunity Area. | |
| DNR Region | enumerated | The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Region that the COA resides in. | |
| 1 | Region 1 | |
| 2 | Region 2 | |
| 3 | Region 3 | |
| 4 | Region 4 | |
| COA Number | 1 to 37 | This number was given arbitrarily to the COAs and corresponds to a table in the SWAP that lists the names of the COAs. | |
Section 6: Distribution
Publisher:
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Publication Date:
03/26/2026
Contact Person Information:
Zeb Thomas,
Spatial Data Systems Administrator
Minnesota DNR - GIS
500 Lafayette Rd
Saint Paul,
MN
55155
Phone: 651-259-5637
Email: zeb.thomas@state.mn.us
Distributor's Data Set Identifier:
env_swap_coa
Ordering Instructions:
Please visit the download page for this dataset on the Minnesota Geospatial Commons website using the web link below (Online Linkage). Online Linkage: I AGREE
to the notice in "Distribution Liability" above. Clicking to agree will either begin the download process, link to a service, or provide more instructions. See "Ordering Instructions" above for details.
Section 7: Metadata Reference
Metadata Date:
03/26/2026
Contact Person Information:
Jim Wanstall,
Conservation Opportunity Area Coordinator
Minnesota DNR - Ecological and Water Resources
1601 Minnesota Dr.
Brainerd,
MN
56401
Phone: 651-259-5140
Email: james.wanstall@state.mn.us
Metadata Standard Name:
Minnesota Geographic Metadata Guidelines
Metadata Standard Version:
1.2
