Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary

Waka Tipi (previously named Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary) is a city park in the Mississippi River corridor in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Just east of the city's downtown district, the sanctuary includes towering limestone and sandstone bluffs that date back more than 450 million years, spring-fed wetlands, abundant bird life, and dramatic views of the downtown Saint Paul skyline and Mississippi River. The park was opened to the public on May 21, 2005, and was originally named Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, after its early supporter U.S. Representative Bruce Vento. In May 2025 it was officially renamed Waka Tipi, the Dakota name, to acknowledge and preserve the sacred importance of the site to the Dakota.