He spent thirty years transforming his 150-acre property into a wetland, now the former AP biology teacher is creating 'bio supermarkets' for wildlife

Mike Niziolek, a former AP biology teacher decided that he did not want to limit his impact in the world to his classrooms and wanted to do something for the planet he loves so much. This is why he has spent the past thirty years, returning his 150-acre property Elk River, Sherburne County, Minnesota to the state it was in hundreds of years ago, before humans intervened with their lives and presence on it. He has spent decades working to recreate the condition of the land hundreds of years ago.For Niziolek, this is a critical mission. Scientists estimate Minnesota has lost 50% of its original wetlands. In the southern part of the state, it's more than 90%. “In this case, we’re trying to restore them, which is a much more difficult task than saving the ones that we already have,” Niziolek said. “But we’re going to try, because it’s definitely worth the effort.”“He has been slowly and methodically transforming pastured land to oak savanna, tilled land to prairie, and ditches to wetlands,” says his bio on the Minnesota Land Trust. In 2018, the nonprofit awarded him the Landowner of the Year award. In 2024, Niziolek completed another wetland project on his land. According to him, resto...