Rochester Campus / Visit

Cascade Meadow Wetlands Contour Map

This touchable map with sculptural details features natural and constructed features such as the building, rain gardens, roads, and parking lot of Cascade Meadow. It also highlights the areas where all seven types of wetlands will be created – and their connection to storm water flow.

Wetlands Mechanical Theater

Wetlands are ecosystems that serve important functions. Over the course of a year, the role that wetlands serve changes with each seasonal change. This fun and interactive mechanical theater helps explain the seasonal cycle: As visitors turn a crank, they see a wetland scene as it goes through a series of changes that highlights its functions throughout the year.

Living with Wetlands

Wetland conservation is not an easy issue as it brings to light the competing demands of development and conservation. In this exhibit visitors can “step into the shoes” of three individuals with different perspectives on wetlands. These individuals include a farmer restoring wetlands on soggy farmland, a wildlife enthusiast using wetlands for recreational hunting, and a commercial developer faced with tough decisions about developing on a wetland area.

Watershed Floor Map
Do you know where the water goes that runs off of your property? This 17-ft floor map looks at the 910,337-acre Zumbro River Watershed where the Rochester Campus is located. See if you can find us on the map; Or, take a closer look to see if your home is located in the Zumbro Watershed and follow the path a water drop that falls on your property might take as it makes its way to the Zumbro River and eventually out to the Mississippi River.

Not currently on exhibit