The Elizabeth Fries Ellet Interpretive Trail (EFEIT) at the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area in Eden Prairie was a collaborative project with Kestrel Design for on-site explorations of the conservation area, analysis, images of plants and landscapes for a database and development of the Interpretive sign template. Writers Rising Up gathered historical and botanical images over a four year period from museums, libraries and university collections all over the nation to interprete Ellet’s trip to our area and the six biomes within the RTA.

The trail includes seven permanent outdoor educational signs based on Elizabeth Ellet’s visit to Minnesota in 1852, her descriptions of the landscape, visual depictions of flora and fauna, the land and its people, including the work of other well known artists, writers and botanists who came to explore the Minnesota Territory in the mid 1800’s.

The EFEIT trail is located 1.6 miles SW of Lions Tap Restaurant, at the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area, a 125 acre conservation area adjacent the Minnesota River. The signage will provide visitors with a self-guided tour of native plant communities and animal habitats to include an overview of local history, ornithology, entomology and art.

Writers Rising Up is a Minnesota non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation that is a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c) (3). Tax deductible contributions provide the project with funding.

The Elizabeth Fries Ellet Trail is supported by the Eden Prairie Parks and Recreation Department, and approved by the Eden Prairie Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission on December 1, 2003. On December, 16, 2003 the Eden Prairie City Council approved the Elizabeth Fries Ellet Interpretive Trail to be installed at the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The Eden Prairie School Board gave their approved to the project in 2005.