Minnesota Master Naturalist

Learn about the advantages of landscaping with native plants and creating a wildlife-friendly yard. Minnetonka homeowner and horticulturist Heather Holm discusses funding, grant-writing, planning and implementation at the Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Boulevard, Minnetonka, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.. Free. The public is welcome to attend.

This presentation is sponsored by the West Metro Chapter of Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteers. The chapter exists to learn about our natural world, teach others, and conserve our natural resources. We do this through service projects, field trips, events and meetings in the west metro area. More information about the Master Naturalist program is available at http://www.minnesotamasternaturalist.org.

Mary Beth Pottratz
MaryBethPottratz@msn.com

Saint Paul Public Library Named Master Naturalist Tom Wilcox Volunteer of the Year
Date: May 17th, 2012

The Saint Paul Public Library named Tom Wilcox as its 2012 Volunteer of the Year during the library's annual adult volunteer appreciation event yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, downtown St. Paul, Minn.

Wilcox has volunteered at the Collectors' Corner Neighborhood Trading Place at the Rice Street Library weekly since it opened in fall 2009. The Collectors' Corner is a place where kids of all ages can bring in natural objects, journal entries, photographs, rubbings or drawings of the object and share what they know about the object to earn points. The points can then be used by the trader to trade for other items at the trading place.

The Collectors' Corner Trading Place is a program to bring the Science Museum of Minnesota's Collector's Corner to new audiences, and to create community partnerships, and provide new science opportunities.

Through his work at Rice Street Library, Wilcox engages the children who bring in objects to share and trade. He embodies the mission of the Minnesota Extension Service Master Naturalist program and promotes awareness, understanding and stewardship of Minnesota's natural environment and helps develop well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service.

"Our dedicated volunteers are the key to providing a quality trader experience at our Collectors' Corner Neighborhood Trading Place," said Mary Margaret Sullivan, Manager of Rice Street Library. "Tom has been instrumental in helping us provide a welcoming atmosphere where children can engage in science and have fun."

Wilcox, a veteran of the U.S. Army, was employed at BNSF Railway for 37 years, working with main frame computers and in customer service. He also served as a union collective bargaining representative for 22 years at BNSF Railway.

Since becoming a Master Naturalist, Wilcox has volunteered for the Department of Natural Resources at the State Fair and at Fort Snelling State Park, as well as doing additional volunteer work for the Science Museum.

Wilcox also enjoys travel, backpacking, hiking, canoeing, animal tracking, nature studies and local history, including native cultures.

Wilcox is among 858 adult volunteers who participated in the Saint Paul Public Library's volunteer activities in 2011. Adult and youth volunteers together contributed 28,700 volunteer* *hours. Volunteers support special events, tax preparation, paw pals reading, summer reading programs, library gardens, literacy mentors, computer classes, leisure time activity classes, homework centers tutors, and assistance with support services within the library.

May 20 through May 26 is Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, not only in Minnesota, but across the nation. To help you and your organization be prepared for this week, I have been working with my partners from the University of Minnesota Extension, the Department of Natural Resources, and the United States Department of Agriculture to assemble information and suggestions to help raise awareness during this week.

The purpose of EAB Awareness Week is to increase the number of citizens who are informed about emerald ash borer, emphasizing this year's theme,

"The Three P's of EAB: Prepare, Protect, and Plant":

Prepare for your ash tree to be infested with emerald ash borer. Know the signs and symptoms of EAB. Know your options and what to do if your tree becomes infested. Depending on your city's shade tree pest ordinance, you can choose to take down your tree, treat your tree, or do nothing.

Protect areas not yet infested with emerald ash borer by not moving firewood and adhering to quarantine boundaries. If you are within 15 miles of an EAB infestation, you can protect your tree with insecticide treatments.

Plant a variety of native trees.

Items attached:
1. Gubernatorial Proclamation, declaring May 20 - May 26 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week by Governor Dayton

2. A letter for you to send to your organization's members

3. A tree tag (there are two on one page) for you to print and use to tag ash trees in your area, or to pass along to your members.

Beyond the materials I have attached, there are additional materials to aid you in observing EAB Awareness Week:

Recommended outreach material for small business and homeowners in or near the EAB quarantined counties.
Does my tree have emerald ash borer?
Insects commonly confused with EAB
Homeowner's Guide to Insecticide
Homeowner's Guide to a Healthy Yard
Ash Tree Waste Disposal Sites (within quarantined counties)
Map of EAB infested areas

Recommended outreach material for Minnesotans not near an emerald ash borer infestation
Does my tree have emerald ash borer?
Insects commonly confused with EAB
Homeowner's Guide to a Healthy Yard
Map of EAB infested areas

Available material for request in hard copies:
All listed above
EAB table top display (limited quantity available)
Firewood bookmarks
Firewood tri-fold brochures
EAB credit card sized ID handout
Recognizing insect galleries in ash trees
EAB biological control tri-fold brochures

Thanks for your time, and I hope you will join MDA and partners in observing EAB Awareness Week. If you know of other organizational leader you feel should have this information, please feel free to pass this email along.

Liz Erickson | Communications Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Plant Protection Division
625 Robert Street North | Saint Paul, MN 55155-2538
(P) 651-201-6536 | (C) 763-219-9386 | (F) 651-201-6108 | liz.erickson@state.mn.us
SaveOurAsh.Net

Need to move your firewood? You can with MDA certified firewood.
Look for the logo.

June 2: Landscape Revival: Native Plant Expo and Market

Roseville Rainbow Foods ? Community Pavilion
1201 Larpenteur Avenue West, Roseville, MN 55113

Would you like to represent the MN Master Naturalists at our booth? Anytime
between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

http://www.saintpaulaudubon.org/events/2012/06/landscape-revival

Please contact suemartinez@usfamily.net

River Clean Up Plans: Public Comment Period Ends May 29th

Minnesotans value clean water and want our rivers, lakes and streams to be clean, safe and healthy.
In a recent bipartisan poll commissioned by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership[1], 84% of Minnesotans said they were "very" or "somewhat concerned" about pollution of the Mississippi River.

They have good reason to be concerned.

Both the south metro section of the Mississippi River, and the Minnesota River, are clogged with dirt and soil particles (sediment) that pollute the river and harm aquatic life, navigation and recreation. This excess sediment is also causing Lake Pepin to fill in at 10 times its natural rate.

To address this, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has developed draft clean up plans ("Total Maximum Daily Load studies" or "TMDLs") for both rivers.

Problem: The TMDLs suffer from three major flaws that must be corrected if we hope to pass clean and health water on to the next generation.

Solution: In order to achieve the goals set forth by these cleanup plans, the MPCA must amend the South Metro Mississippi and Minnesota River TMDLs to:
Provide Accountability for Farm Operations: While cities and regulated industries are required to meet TMDL goals, field agriculture operations are given voluntary reductions with no effective accountability mechanism in place - and no contingency plan should these voluntary actions fail to achieve pollution goals.
Fund the Most Important Projects First: Minnesotans expect our taxpayer resources to be used wisely. The MPCA should commit to target limited resources, including Legacy Amendment money, to the projects with the best 'pollution-reduction-per-dollar' value for taxpayers.
Set Milestones & Timelines:The State should amend the TMDLs to include specific benchmarks and measurable milestones for improvement, and report back to the public annually on our progress.
Act Now: Tell the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency that you want strong river clean up plans for the Mississippi & Minnesota rivers.

Visit our action page:
http://mnaction.org/takeaction.asp?aaid=1165

Deadline: Comments must be received by the MPCA on Tuesday, May 29th at 4:30pm.

Contacts: Mary Spivey, Education Coordinator at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, spive007@umn.edu, (763) 434-5131
Jennifer Menken, Bell Museum of Natural History, menke004@umn.edu, (612) 626-7133
Matt Hodson, University News Service, mjhodson@umn.edu, (612) 625-0552

Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve hosts 24-hour lineup of ecology activities June 8-9
- Unique 24-hour event is free to the public, engaging citizen scientists of all ages at world-renowned research site -
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/17/2012) --The University of Minnesota invites the public to participate in a nearly nonstop lineup of ecology-themed activities at Cedar Creek Field Day and BioBlitz from 5 p.m. Friday, June 8 through 5 p.m. Saturday, June 9 at the university's Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, 2660 Fawn Lake Drive, East Bethel. Part contest, part festival, part educational event and scientific endeavor, the 24-hour event engages citizen scientists in a race against the clock to count the animals and plants within a specific area.

The event is co-hosted by the U of M's Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve and Bell Museum of Natural History. All events are free and open to the public.

This year's lineup of ecology-themed events and activities will give the public a unique opportunity to explore the site of one of the longest-running ecology experiments in the world and contribute valuable data about the state of the flora and fauna at the field station. Visitors will learn about the history and research of Cedar Creek and its unique habitats through tours, interpretive walks and discussions with scientists. In addition, BioBlitz activities provide a chance for visitors to explore the plants, fungi, insects and other animals found at Cedar Creek in greater depth.

"Field Day and BioBlitz offer a rare opportunity for people to literally immerse themselves in all aspects of ecology at a world-renowned research site," said Mary Spivey, education coordinator at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve.

Some of the highlights of Cedar Creek Field Day and BioBlitz:

Friday night, June 8 (5 to 10 p.m.), the Bell Museum will bring its ExploraDome to Cedar Creek, offering programs on astronomy and more! The dome is a portable, immersive learning environment where participants experience "hands-on, minds-on" learning. Visitors will also have the chance to embark on a nighttime insect collecting adventure.
Saturday, June 9 (6 a,m. to 4 p.m.), visitors can tour Cedar Creek, hike along Cedar Creek's scenic trails, hear from Cedar Creek researchers as they talk about their areas of expertise and accompany scientists as they survey the area for everything from insects to birds, fish to mammals.
In addition, members of the Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery Project will give a talk on red-headed woodpecker behavior and artist Glenn Terry will discuss his latest painting venture, "100 Images of Cedar Creek."
For directions to Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, please go to www.cedarcreek.umn.edu

Schedule of Events

Friday, June 8
5-10 p.m.
5 p.m.-dusk Beginner BioBlitz trail (ongoing, self-guided)

5 p.m.-10 p.m. ExploraDome programs in main building (on-going)

7 p.m. Cedar Creek artist-in-residence talk

8 p.m. Evening animal survey - bats, frogs


9 p.m. -10 p.m. Evening insect collecting

Saturday, June 9
6 a.m.-5 p.m.
6 a.m. Bird Walk

8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Beginner BioBlitz trail (ongoing, self-guided)

8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Glenn Terry art exhibit

8 a.m. Small mammal survey

9 a.m.-5 p.m. BioBlitz resource fair

9 a.m. Snake walk (limited to 10, sign up day-of)


10 a.m. Fish survey

11 a.m. Ants

Noon Insect sweep netting


1 p.m. Geocaching


2 p.m. Camera trap retrieval (limited to six, sign up day-of)


4-5p.m. Species Identification and number countdown

For more information on Cedar Creek Field Day, please click here.

For more information on BioBlitz, please click here.

Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is operated by the university's College of Biological Sciences, which provides degree programs and conducts research in all areas of biology, from molecules to ecosystems. David Tilman, Regents Professor of Ecology and one of the top-cited ecologists in the world, is scientific director of Cedar Creek.

The Bell Museum of Natural History is Minnesota's official natural history museum, where more than four million specimens support ongoing research and teaching at the U of M. The museum strives to discover, document and understand nature, and promote informed stewardship of our world. It is part of the university's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and welcomes nearly 85,000 visitors a year.

Related Links

Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve: http://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/
Bell Museum of Natural History: http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/

Harmon the Bald Eagle Chick
What an interesting past couple of weeks for TRC, and especially for a young eaglet who at just a few weeks old has amassed quite a following. A nest camera through Minnesota Bound features a bald eagle family. On May 4, thousands of people watched as the eaglet, less than three weeks old, struggled for hours trying to free its entrapped wing. With the chick getting weaker, the Fish and Wildlife Service issued a special permit to allow intervention at the nest. After climbing into the nest and freeing the chick's wing, tree-climber and avian expert Jim Mussell noted the chick's poor condition and chose to remove it from the nest, bringing it to TRC for medical evaluation and care. (Click here to see the rescue video.)

The eaglet, called "Harmon", arrived at TRC very depressed, slightly dehydrated and exhausted. The wing that had been entrapped was swollen and bruised and there were puncture wounds on the eaglet's back.

We tended to the most critical things immediately -rehydration and wound care. The puncture wounds were infested with maggots, which were removed immediately as they can do tremendous tissue destruction in a very short time. Over the next 24 hours, Harmon's wounds were treated and retreated, medications for pain and inflammation were given as well as food, and further diagnostics were done. Blood was drawn to check for infection and he was also checked for parasites. (Click here to see a video of Harmon being fed.)

Critically aware of the risk that bald eagles often abandon a nest after disruption, we all waited and watched, hoping the parents would return after we replaced the eaglet in the nest. By mid-day, we began to consider our next steps, still hoping we would not have to take action. With a fresh US Fish and Wildlife Service special permit for intervention, we headed back out to the nest site. At almost exactly the same time that we tentatively planned to take action (7pm), we watched as the adult eagles finally entered the nest.

What did all of this teach us? The Raptor Center works quickly with our partners at the state and federal levels to assist raptors when and where needed. While our dedicated staff applies its unique expertise to care for an eaglet in trouble, they are also always learning more about population issues. We never cease to be astonished at the power of these magnificent creatures to capture attention. And we are all deeply grateful for the financial support many of you provide that allows us to do this amazing work.

Keep following our Facebook and blog; we love to share stories of other clinic cases and our winged education ambassadors.

Walker Art Center Nature Day
Three Rivers Park District is cooperating with the Walker Art Center for their Thursday evening "Open Field Day" on Aug. 16, 3-8 p.m. in the Sculpture Garden and WAC grounds.
We need volunteers to assist naturalists at stations: giving out self-guided sheets, talking about monarch butterflies and other bugs, demonstrating our small live animals, distributing binoculars and magnifiers, checking people's scavenger hunt sheets, and showing some mammal furs. Two shifts 2-5:00 or 5-8:30 pm, or both. Call Lee Ann to sign up by July 10th.

Parks and Trails Legacy Funding Project
Minnesota has a world-class network of parks and trails, providing access to pristine lakes and rivers, prairies, forests, paved trails, horse trails, and off-road areas. Currently, there is not full agreement on how best to allocate Parks and Trails Legacy Funds among the major state and regional providers: Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails, Metropolitan Regional Parks and Trails, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The 2011 State Legislature directed the DNR Commissioner to convene and facilitate a nine-member working group to evelop consensus recommendations for future allocations of this fund. Environmental Initiative has partnered with the DNR to facilitate this process.

For more information, view the project website or contact Emily Franklin at 612-334-3388 ext. 114.

Calling All Fleets!
Project Green Fleet is gearing up to apply for the next round of Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Environmental Initiative is currently seeking fleets and equipment owner/operators in high-pouplation areas in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, who are interested in improving the emissions output of their diesel enginges and bringing environmental, heath, and economic benefits to their region. Technologies can be applied to school buses, medium or heavy-duty trucks, marine engines, locomotives, and non-road engines including construction, logging, mining, or port operations equipment.

To participate or learn more, contact Eric David at 612-334-3388 ext.108. Act fast - fleets must be signed up to participate by May 18.

Minnesota Chemical Regulation and Policy Project
A draft final report documenting Phase II outcomes of this project is now available for public comments. The report describes proposals to advance risk assessment, inform decision makers with the best available science, and promote green chemistry in Minnesota. Although there was no consensus within the Work Group on these recommendations, the project provided a valuable forum for cross-sector dialogue, and the outcomes described in the report will inform ongoing discourse around chemical management and policy in Minesota and elsewhere.

Interested members of the public are encouraged to submit comments and feedback on the draft report in narrative form via email to Ellen Gibson by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 18. All comments received on or before this date will be included in an appendix of the printed final report, to be released in early June 2012. When submitting, please indicate whether you would like your comments to be attributed or anonymous.
Download the Draft Final Report (May 4, 2012) (PDF) »
UPCOMING EVENTS
Last Chance to Attend the Environmental Initiative Awards
Registration ends today for the annual awards dinner. Don't miss your chance to celebrate collaborative environmental projects from across the state, gather with hundreds of members of Minnesota's environmental community and cast your vote for the 2012 Partnership of the Year. Register or learn more »
OTHER NEWS
Thank You Members & Sponsors
Environmental Initiative thanks the following organizations for becoming Partnership Circle Members, for renewing support at the Partnership Circle levels or for sponsoring Environmental Initiative events.
3M
Andersen Corporation
Antea Group
Atomic/1543AD/Foundation/U4EA
Aveda
Barr Engineering
Best Buy
Bloomberg & Podpeskar LLP
Braun Intertec
CenterPoint Energy
District Energy St. Paul
Donaldson Company, Inc.
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
Ecolab Foundation
Emerson Process Management
Environmental Resources Management
Flint Hills Resources
Great River Energy
HealthPartners
Hoglund Bus and Truck
Hormel Foods Corporation
Jostens, Inc.
Larkin Hoffman Attorneys
Medtronic
Minnesota Environmental Fund
Minnesota Power
Northern Tier Energy, LLC
Otter Tail Power Company
Rochester Public Utilities
SEH, Inc.
Smiths Medical
Smith Partners PLLP
Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency
Stoel Rives LLP
Waste Management
Tennant Company
The Wedge
The Weidt Group
Thomson Reuters
Wenck Associates
Xcel Energy
Ziegler, Inc.
Environmental Initiative is grateful for all of our members who support our efforts to engage partners in collaborative environmental projects.

8:30-9:00 Meet and register in Hayfield, MN
9:00-11:00 Iron Horse Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
11:00-11:45 Lunch stop (Brownsdale)
11:45-2:15 Wild Indigo Prairie SNA
2:15-2:30 Return to Hayfield

Friends,
Please join West Central Clean Energy Resource Teams (WC CERT) May
23rd 9am - 12 noon in Appleton for a free event on financing tools and
opportunities that are currently available to assist local governments
in west central Minnesota. Register for this free event online at
http://wccertappleton.eventbrite.com or call 612-626-0555 . See below
for the agenda.

This free event is relevant for townships, cities, counties,
municipalities, school districts, municipal utilities, and other local
units of government in west central Minnesota.

CERTs would like to ask for your help in getting the word out about
this event! Please forward the invitation below to your city, county,
school district, and municipal utility leaders and administrators, to
help us get a great turn out for the May 23rd WC CERT event in
Appleton. Let them know about this free event so that they can learn
about current opportunities for your local government to finance clean
energy projects in your community.

We hope to see you there! Register now for this free event and see
the detailed agenda at http://wccertappleton.eventbrite.com or call
612-626-0555 .

Thanks for your help!
~the CERTs team

***************************************************************

Dear City, County, School District, Muncipal Utility, and other local
units of government leaders, Administrators, Commissioners, Facility
Managers, Physical Plant Directors, and staff,

You are invited to join West Central Clean Energy Resource Team (WC
CERT) May 23rd 9am - 12 noon in Appleton, Minnesota for a free event
on on financing tools and opportunities that are currently available
to assist your local government in funding local government clean
energy projects in west central Minnesota. Register for this free
event online at http://wccertappleton.eventbrite.com or call
612-626-0555 .

This meeting is relevant for counties, cities, municipalities, school
districts, townships, municipal utilities, and other local units of
government in west central Minnesota.

This event is free and open to the public.

AGENDA:
9:00 Welcome & Introductions
9:10 Overview of Options: Demystifying the Alphabet Soup of Acronyms
9:25 Measuring Building Peformance with B3: Building, Benchmarking, & Beyond
9:35 Panel: Energy Efficiency Financing Tools for Local Governments
(GESP, PBEEEP,
Performance Contracting)
• Greg Ackerson, McKinstry; representing Energy Services Coalition
• Keela Bakken, Harris Energy Services; representing Energy Services Coalition
• Peter Berger, Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources
• Eric Rehm, Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources
10:15 Q&A/Discussion
10:25 Break and Networking
10:45 Local examples of Projects: City of Hutchinson
11:05 Q&A/Discussion
11:15 Resources from Utilities
• Lisa K. Fischer, Energy Services Representative, Missouri River
Energy Services
• Bill Klyve, Energy Management Representative, Otter Tail
11:35 PACE: What is it and how can it help my business or city?
11:45 Q&A/Discussion
11:55 Next Steps to Move Your Project Forward
12:00 Adjourn

Register for this free event, see the complete agendas, get
directions, and learn more at http://wccertappleton.eventbrite.com or
call 612-626-0555 .

We hope to see you May 23rd! Please forward this invitation to your
colleagues from other cities, counties, school districts, municipal
utilities, and local governments!

~ Jeff Vetsch, Lissa Pawlisch, Joel Haskard & the CERTs team

--
Margaret A. Kozak
University of Minnesota's Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Event Programming Coordinator
411 Borlaug Hall
1991 Upper Buford Circle
St. Paul, MN 55108
Tel.: 612-626-0555
Fax: 612-625-1268
Email: makozak@umn.edu
www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org

Looking for great energy stories and project models? Subscribe to the
MN Energy Stories Weekly Digest! http://bit.ly/mnenstories

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cleanenergyresourceteams
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mncerts

Project WET Classroom Kits for 5 Minnesota Teachers
In the March update we announced the National Project WET office received a generous donation by WaterFilters.net of Zumbrota, MN for five Project WET Classroom Sustainability Kits. I received MANY emails (thanks for reading the updates!) but the first five that replied and received the materials were:
Judi Micholic, 7th grade Science Teacher at Shakopee Middle School in Shakopee
Patty Johnson, Learning Specialist at Oak Hills Elementary in Lakeville
John Schmidt, Middle School Teacher at Discovery Middle School in Alexandria
Peggy Rude, 5th Grade Teacher at Grand Meadow Public Schools in Grand Meadow
Barb Johnson, Community Education Director for Wabasso Public Schools in Wabasso
Congrats and thank you for including water education in your classrooms!

K-12 Teacher Summer Workshops
Project WET is partnering with other programs to offer some excellent, in-depth summer institutes for teachers. Be sure to register for one of these if you haven't attended previously! The new WET 2.0 Guide will be offered at all these workshops.
WET 2.0 Refresher Workshop for WET Facilitators: June 21 at Itasca State Park. pre-conference session at the MAEE Conference. Contact April for more info.
St. Croix River Institute: June 25-27 in the St Croix Valley
Project WET, Project WILD and MinnAqua Summer Institute for Grade 7-12 Educators: July 10-12 in Collegeville
Mississippi River Institute: July 23-25 at Fort Snelling State Park
WaterWorks! A Drinking Water Institute: August 6-8 in St Cloud

Other Summer Workshops, Resources & Events
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge offering FREE Field Biology courses this summer for Elementary Educators.
3 CEU Credits available. Gather practical tips and first-hand experience to incorporate into your classroom teaching. Use field equipment, improve your identification skills, and discover the WOW facts that will impress your students. Free lesson ideas, worksheets, and resource materials for your classroom are all included. Topics include wetlands, woodlands, prairies, and winter science. To Register Visit: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/87LXZ38 Questions? Contact Suzanne Trapp @ 952-361-4502 , Suzanne_Trapp@fws.gov
University of Minnesota K-14 course, Water Quality and the Environment offered June 25-June 29
30 CEUs available. 2 graduate credits available for additional fee. Limited number of travel stipends for attendees outside Metro area. Registration deadline: June 8, 2012
Water quality plays an integral role in our lives. Water can reflect global history, and current land and water use practices impact water quality and aquatic ecology in lakes, rivers, and groundwater. In this institute, we will explore current global water quality issues as well understand how water quality is changing Minnesota's lakes and streams. Participants will learn about a variety of curricula such as Project WET, learn about water curricula associated with a portable planetarium, and learn how to use insects as a way to measure water quality. Additional information http://igs.cla.umn.edu/outreach/profdev.html Register online: http://igs.cla.umn.edu/outreach/registration.html
Science MCA-III Item Samplers Are Available
The Minnesota Department of Education has released online Science MCA item samplers for grades 5, 8 and high school. These online item samplers can be found at on the Minnesota Assessments Portal at http://mnstateassessments.org/itemsamplers.html . The Science MCA item samplers must be accessed using Firefox or through AIR's secure browser. If you have further questions concerning the Science MCA or science assessment resources please contact us at: Dawn Cameron, dawn.cameron@state.mn.us or Jim Wood, jim.wood@state.mn.us
The Minnesota Association for Environmental Education Annual Conference: Rec-reate, Re-create is a conference for all who teach or support environmental education--in classrooms or communities. The 2-day event is at Itasca State Park, June 21-22, 2012. You'll find concurrent sessions and pre-conference workshops about outdoor classrooms, innovations in environmental education, new approaches for serving specific types of audiences, and ideas to nurture the creative soul through environmental education. For more information and to register, visit: http://www.minnesotaee.org/2012

The first public draft of the Next Generations Science Standards is open for review May 11 - June 1. This will be an opportunity to influence the future of science education. The draft will be available at www.nextgenscience.org.
There will meetings throughout the state starting Monday to receive information and give feedback. Go to the following address to register for the meetings and receive location information. http://bit.ly/NGSSDraftReview
Bemidji May 14
Marshall May 15
St. Cloud May 16
St. Paul May 16
St. Peter May 17
Roseville May 21 & 23
Rochester May 22
Duluth May 24
Moorhead May 24

Greetings,

Saint Paul has been selected as one of twenty sites in the U.S. to plant cherry blossom trees for the 100th anniversary of Japan's gift of 1000 sakura trees that now grace Washington D.C.

The trees will serve as an enduring symbol of the friendship between Japan and Saint Paul. The Saint Paul-Nagasaki Sister City affiliation has been commemorated by exchanges of official gifts and delegations on important occasions, enriching the cultural heritage of both cities.

Volunteers are needed the morning of June 9th from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. to help plant trees in Como Regional Park near the lily pond. A formal ceremony and tree dedication will follow.

Additional details regarding the ceremony will be relesed as the date draws near.

To register online to volunteer for this event, please visit www.stpaul.gov/parks/environment

For additional information, please contact Andy Rodriguez at Andy.Rodriguez@ci.stpaul.mn.us

Attention Educators & Administrators: Summer Workshops, and a Conference!

As the school year comes to a close, you may be looking for an opportunity to reflect, restore, and rejuvenate. Cascade Meadow is excited to be involved with two education workshops this July that we'd like to tell you about (plus a conference in June!).

1) "Teaching Outside the Box: An Introduction to Integrating Environmental and Outdoor Education in Grades K-12."

What: The Minnesota Department of Education and Cascade Meadow are coordinating a one-day workshop this summer designed for school teachers and administrators from any content area that are NEW to integrating environmental and outdoor education into formal classrooms and delivered by experts from MDE and our many partners. The workshop will provide an overview of the benefits to environmental and outdoor education, how it can be integrated into multiple content areas and achieve academic standards, tips and skills to take kids outside, hands-on training on quality programs, and resources and community partners to further support school efforts in this area.

Why: Emerging research from across the country is showing that using the environment and the outdoors as an integrating context for learning results in higher student test scores and academic performance, more advanced critical thinking skills, greater achievement motivation and more responsible behavior by students in their school and community.

When: Wednesday, July 11, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: Cascade Meadow Wetlands & Environmental Science Center, 2900 19th Street NW, Rochester, MN 55901

Cost: The workshop only costs $10/person and will include lunch and clock hour certificates

Registration: Space is limited. To register, please fill out page 2 of the attached flyer ("MDE Regional Workshop Flyer 2012") and send it along with payment to the address listed.

Questions? Contact Jeff Ledermann at the MDE, jeff.ledermann@state.mn.us or 651-582-8602
_________________________________

2) Nature of Science and Engineering in Biology: a module for grades 7-12 life science teachers
What: The Southeast Service Cooperative, Hamline University and Winona State University have formed the SE Minnesota Math and Science Teacher Partnership, and are offering this 5-day professional development module. You'll learn how to fit new engineering standards seamlessly into your life science curriculum! What's more, you'll practice strategies for creating engaging new experiences for your students using the local ecosystems as a context for biology and engineering concepts.

When: July 16-20, 2012, full-day sessions

Where: Rochester, MN; various locations (Cascade Meadow will host one day of the module)

Cost: Full stipends are available, with the completion of the cohort participation agreement. See the attached forms for more information ("MSTP Science Summer Cohort Agreement 2012" and "MSTP Science Summer Program Info July 2012")

Registration: Space is limited, please return the completed MSTP Science Cohort Participant Agreement (attached) to Kari Kubicek, MSTP Project Coordinator, at kkubicek@ssc.coop by Wednesday May 16.

Questions? Contact Kari Kubicek at the email listed above.
___________________________

And just because you might want to get out of town, up to the forests of Itasca State Park, check out this great education conference, organized by the Minnesota Association for Environmental Education (if you decide to go, be sure to say hi to Cascade Meadow Education Program Coordinator Stefan Theimer- he'll be there!).

3) Minnesota Environmental Education Conference
Rec-reate, Re-create is a conference for all who teach or support environmental education--in classrooms or communities. The 2-day event is at Itasca State Park, June 21-22, 2012.
Conference attendees will re-create their work through learning and inspiration, as well as rec-reate to find the play, joy and rejuvenation that allows us to enjoy our work. No other conference in Minnesota draws together the same diverse attendees from schools, nonprofits, universities, government, and private business to share ideas about teaching Minnesotans. Join us! http://minnesotaee.org/2012

Questions about the conference? Call or email Stefan.

Stefan Theimer
Education Program Coordinator
Cascade Meadow Wetlands & Environmental Science Center
stheimer@cascademeadow.org
218.349.8221

Rec*reate, Re*create
Minnesota Environmental Education Conference
Itasca State Park, June 21 & 22, 2012
www.minnesotaee.org/2012
Join educators from around Minnesota as we explore how
play and creativity can enhance our craft!

Upcoming events:

Nuts & Bolts of a Timber Sale (Grand Rapids, May 10)

North Shore Landowners Community Meeting (Finland, May 11)

Spring birding day at the Saint John's University Arboretum (Collegeville, May 12)

2012 Minnesota Forest Health Update: What to Look for in Your Woods (Online, May 15)

Minnesota Forestry Association's Spring Field Days (Grand Rapids, May 18-19)

Ash management, with timber sale visit (Lake City, May 31)

Recreational Trail Design (Schroeder, June 2)

Pollinator Conservation Planning Short Course (Duluth, June 13)

Itasca County Firewise Field Trip (Grand Rapids, June 15)

Property taxes and family forest stewardship (Online, June 26)

Details and many more events are on the class calendar.

In the news...

Dayton signs bill changing how 2.5 million acres of northern Minnesota land is managed http://ow.ly/aLeDZ

Governor signs license fee increase bill: http://ow.ly/aL1tT

Keep Your Eyes Open for Ticks! http://ow.ly/aL1r6

Family Outings: Let the great outdoors be your family playground http://ow.ly/aL1m1

Amid vast acres of dying birch trees, residents planting the seed to restore North Shore forests http://ow.ly/aJufx

MNDNR has a peregrine falcon live nest cam from downtown St. Paul http://bit.ly/Hj1qiw

If you missed Rebecca Montgomery's phenology presentation in April, a full recording is at http://ow.ly/aEuUh

UMN's Mark Seeley shares MN climate data, emphasizes need to adapt infrastructure for changing conditions http://ow.ly/aGlBe

Legacy money approved for Northeastern Minnesota fish and wildlife projects http://ow.ly/aEgfo

Know thy woods: On the value of monitoring

You may have noticed a lot of content lately addressing forest health, phenology, and the importance of monitoring your woods. That's no coincidence. Read about why we think monitoring your woods is so important.




May 15 webinar: Forest health: What to look for in your woods this summer

Next week we welcome Jana Albers back for a preview of what will be feeding on your trees this summer. Jana is a forest health specialist with the Minnesota DNR. Her past webinars, which are developed for family woodland owners, have been popular, and this one is sure to be as well. Get the details, and register, here. And bring your forest health questions!


MN Tree Farm Awards, MN Forestry Association Spring Field Days
The Minnesota Forestry Association's Spring Field Days will be at the Forest History Museum in Grand Rapids on May 18 and 19. The event includes presentations, field tours, and the Minnesota Tree Farm awards recognizing outstanding tree farmers from around the state. Get all the details here.

UMN Extension's Yard and Garden News

Every month, UMN Extension faculty and staff publish the free Yard and Garden News. Much of the content is of interest to woodland owners--the May issue addresses forest tent caterpillars and photos and videos of a number of spring ephemerals. Check it out.


Northern Minnesota phenology report: Ovenbirds
One of the most often heard and least often seen birds of the Minnesota woods is the topic of John Latimer's May phenology report. Read about the ovenbird here.

Meet a Minnesota family forest owner

Every month the Minnesota Forestry Association profiles one of its members. This month they check in on Roger and Linda Howard of Aitkin, MN. After years as Aitkin County Land Commissioner, Roger remains active working to improve his own woods. Get to know them here.

Other items you may have missed
Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends from Eagleview Farms, David and Karen Kettleson, both of whom face surgery this spring. The Kettlesons are former Minnesota Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year. David is a frequent participant in UMN Extension webinars and a variety of other Extension forestry projects over the years. We hope to see him back online soon.
Like trees on Lake Superior's north shore? There's a community meeting on May 11.
There's lots of new content on our Discussion Board. Questions and answers always welcome.
The KAXE / KBXE Spring Watch Facebook page on Facebook is (still) going crazy.
Thinking about planting trees this spring? See our tree planting page.

For complete articles, go to www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu

The public is invited to attend the Duluth Parks & Recreation Commission's next monthly meeting Wed., May 9, 5 pm at Duluth Heights Community Center, 33 West Mulberry St (just off Arlington Ave). Complete agenda available at Parks & Rec office or www.duluthmn.gov/parks. For more info, 218-730-4300 .

Parks and Recreation has moved to the ground floor of City Hall, 411 W 1st St. Phone numbers remain the same and office hours are M-F, 8-4pm.

'Parks Fund' breathes new life into city parks and trails! Parks and Recreation is very excited to have the opportunity to do the maintenance and projects that we know have been needed for many years in our parks and trails. With the Parks Fund, we can all help make our park spaces better for people of all ages and abilities. Despite dedicated employees, increased utilization of volunteers and work programs, our parks have never reached their potential. Duluth is blessed with almost 12,000 acres of park spaces and many miles of trails that need care and attention and we just haven't been able to reach that goal. To bring our park and trail system up to a basic level of maintenance, it will take some time to catch-up. We have momentum now. With committed non-profit organizations, devoted volunteers, dedicated staff, and the Parks Fund - we can make a difference! See details in the first section.

Trail and Bikeway Plan - http://www.duluthmn.gov/parks/trail_bikeway_master_plan.cfm
Parks and Recreation Master Plan - http://www.duluthmn.gov/parks/master_plan.cfm

Want to get updates in a more timely manner? Join us on FaceBook! Search for "Friends of the Parks, Duluth, MN." http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Parks-Duluth-MN/163663577007084

You can also get updates at the City of Duluth's Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Duluth-Minnesota/197321860309981?ref=tsp or to Parks & Rec's page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DuluthParksMN/210522078966064 or, sign up for all Parks & Recreation press releases & other City announcements at http://www.duluthmn.gov/ - click the yellow button on the left that says "Subscribe via E-mail."

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1 - What's Happening in our community...and opportunities to get involved
2 - "Spotlight on the Parks" - Parks Fund Supplies Grant Opportunities!
3 - Community Networking
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1 - What's Happening.....
Check out the new gardens going in on the boulevard on 5th Avenue West! City staff planted eight Spring Snow Crabapples and 40 shrub roses. A much needed makeover to the civic center entrance!

Morgan Park received a new gazebo! Well, not exactly 'new,' but the gazebo at Enger was removed to make way for the new, larger gazebo currently being built there, and the old one was moved to Morgan Park! It will be repainted with a new color scheme. Check it out!
Longview Tennis is getting some makeovers - bleachers, stairs, landscaping and court repairs! The tennis court at Fond du Lac is getting some much needed attention as well!

Indian Point Campground is receiving new, accessible bathrooms!

Like apple trees? Then you will want to begin a treasure hunt searching for about 125 apple trees being planted in our parks beginning May 8.

New dugouts are going in at the Merritt Park softball field! Other field improvements include those being completed by our Roving Field Crew! You'll see great improvements at the fields at Portland and Piedmont, and a new building going up at the Jean Duluth soccer fields! Stay tuned for more updates!

May 17, at 10:30 am is Arbor Day in Duluth! Join the Mayor in Chambers Grove as he pronounces this Arbor Day in Duluth. The new "Tree City USA" signs have also been installed and will be unveiled. Tree planting activities in Fond du Lac commence after the ceremonies.

The spring Duluth Quarterly is available: check out that issue and all past issues: http://www.duluthsuperiormagazine.com/City-of-Duluth-Quarterly-Archive/#.T4SQgMD362I.facebook

The City of Duluth is being recognized for its partnership with Community Action Duluth and two of its programs: The Seeds of Success & the Duluth Stream Corps. These two arms of CAD have been working with the City of Duluth, & the City will be honored at a special dinner at Clyde Iron on May 18! Some project highlights: The City of Duluth offered up little used park lands to grow food, and has worked with the Stream Corps for tree planting projects, including large white pines and storage of tree planting materials. More info at http://www.communityactionduluth.org/programs.html.

The Chester Park master planning process is underway. Several dozen people met last week to discuss ideas about the park. There is an all day "Open House" scheduled on May 23, 11-6 pm. Stop by anytime during the day to the chalet and offer up your ideas and suggestions. More meetings to be scheduled. For more information about the planning process, contact Kathy Bergen, parks and recreation's division manager kbergen@duluthmn.gov.

Global Youth Service Day & "Clean and Green" - more than 500 youth and over 100 adults participated in this year's GYSD project. The them was 'Streaming us Together" and the focus was on pulling out garbage from our many streams, with an emphasis on plastics and their enduring life. "Clean and Green" is now underway! If you have a group that wants to help out with cleaning up a stream near you, contact Amy at anorris@duluthmn.gov of 218-730-4312 to register and to get heavy duty garbage bags from the city. The Riverfront Communities conducted a clean up event May 5th covering the area from Riverside to Fond du Lac. We thank them for their annual clean-up event!

Kingsbury Creek Restoration Project. The Duluth Audubon Society is teaming with the city of Duluth and the Duluth Stream Corps to work on the west side of Kingsbury Creek above the zoo to help remove invasive species and replant native species. Stay tuned for planting days that you can help with! Save this date: May 17, beginning at 1 pm: Students from Denfeld High School will be planting trees in the area in celebration of Arbor Day!

Hartley Park Restoration Project. Hartley Nature Center and the City of Duluth held a public education program about buckthorn. About 30 people came out to view a slide show and to go on a tour of the removal and restoration of areas in Hartley Park and to learn about methods and materials needed. Next educational program: May 9, 6:30-8 pm. More info 218-724-6735 .

Ski Trails - Five folks from the Northern Minnesota Track Club went to work on ski trails in Magney Snively on Thurs, May 3. The idea is to dry out and harden the trails over the course of the season. Next work dates are May 10, 17, 24 and 31. For more info contact Luke at lmoravec@duluthmn.gov or 952-270-7951 .

Volunteers from the Duluth Cross Country Ski Club also have started brushing and other work on the Spirit Mountain Trails. For more info about upcoming work dates there contact Dave at dmarkman@duluthmn.gov or 320-339-0305 .

Disc Golf - About 30 volunteers came out on a sunny warm April day to help re-construct and re-hab the disc golf course near Lake Superior College. More work is needed. Dates will be announced soon or contact Dave at dmarkman@duluthmn.gov or 320-339-0305 for more info about how to get involved.

Mountain Bike Trails - COGGS (Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores) host trail work days on the Piedmont, Lester and Hartley Trails on a weekly basis. For more info about when and where to meet to get involved, contact Adam at adamsundbergdc@gmail.com or 218-340-6110 . Work is currently being done by BARR engineering to finalize and Environmental Assessment Worksheet prior to any new trail work beginning on the Duluth Traverse. We will let you know when the public comment period for the EAW begins!

Superior Hiking Trail update: still looking for volunteers to help out with their construction and maintenance projects. M-F May 7-11, M-Th May 14-17, M-F May 21-25, T-Th May 29-31. All tools and training provided, and there is a need for all abilities. For details about where projects will be, Larry Sampson lbsamspon@msn.com 218-451-0003 .

Duluth Area Horse Trail Alliance is planning work days to brush out the DWP. First work day is on National Trails Day, June 2. For more info, Kathy Shopa at kkstable@cyberport.net.

Check out the new documentary "Carless in Duluth" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf-TViTHRCk

Projects in Northeastern MN are included in the latest state Legacy Amendment appropriations. Read the article here: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/229998/
Interested in Forest Tent Caterpillars? The MN DNR updated its website: see more info at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fid/april2012/ftc-northeast.html
Parks & Recreation sponsored skating sessions at the Heritage Sports Center, 120 S 30th Ave W. Free sessions for pleasure skating. Bring your own skates. More info: Pam ppage@duluthmn.gov or 218-730-4388 . May 9, 16, 23, 30, 7-8:30pm & June 8, noon-4pm.

Parks and Recreation offers "Turf Time" at the Heritage Sports Center, 120 S 30th Ave W. Thursdays 4:30-6:30 PM. May 10, 17, 24, 31. Opportunity for youth ages 7-17 to socialize & participate in organized game activities at the Indoor Turf Facility. A variety of equipment, participants & discussion topics. Snack provided. All participants must be part of a group with an adult leader or parent who is able to assist and participate. FREE. More info call 730-4388.

Parks and Recreation "Rink Rat" program - The City of Duluth, DAHA, & the Duluth Heritage Sports Center offer a spring "Rink Rat" Hockey program for children ages 6 - 11. This opportunity is designed to give those interested in trying out the sport of hockey a chance to do so in a non-competitive, indoor environment with experienced adult interaction & supervision. Each session includes games & fun drills, followed by an informal game where participants will be equally rotated in for playing time. FREE but limited to 30 participants. Some equipment may be available for use but participants must be able to provide (or borrow) their own Helmets, Elbow/Knee pads & Stick. Space can be reserved and more information requested by calling 730-4388. May 9, 4-5pm, May 12, 12:45-1:45 pm, May 16, 19, 23 4-5pm, May 26 9:30-10:30am, June 8, 15, 22, 29 6:30-7:30 pm. More info call 730-4388

Parks and Recreation hosts Ultimate Frisbee at Heritage Sports Center, 120 S 30th Ave W. Free. Kids will learn how to play the game of Ultimate Frisbee! It's a fun, fast moving game similar to football, played with a frisbee but with very little physical contact. Show up for direction, skill practice, and pick- up games with well-seasoned players. May 10, 17, 24, 31 7-8 pm. More info call 730-4388.

Bayfront Family Center is open for groups and families Mon-Thurs, 11-7pm. Equipment available for people to check out: Frisbee Golf, Kites, Volleyball, Kickball and Croquet. Free. More info call 730-4388.

Play Time at Duluth Heights. Unstructured, free, rain or shine playtime for preschoolers. Wednesdays 9-12 at the Duluth Heights Community Center, 33 Mulberry St. More info call 730-4388

There's one more item on the to-do list for Minnesota boaters as they prepare to head to the lakes and rivers - a new law requires all watercraft to have a sticker listing the rules for preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. To read more, http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/04/23/invasive-species-decal/
Get news directly from the City of Duluth by subscribing to department, commission, and news releases, visit www.duluthmn.gov and click on the orange "Subscribe" icon. It's easy and fast.

Re-Leaf Duluth! The City of Duluth is looking for volunteers to help with its tree inventory! No experience is needed. Training and materials provided. Tree ID and Condition Rating Trainings on Saturday, May 19, 9:30-11 am at Grant Community Center, Sunday, May 20, 1-3 pm at Evergreen Senior Center (City Center West), and Tuesday, May 22, 6:30-8 pm at Portman Community Center. More dates to be added. For more information, contact Shawna MullenEardley at 763-300-2982 .

2012 Movies in the Park Schedule at Leif Erikson Park - See the complete schedule at http://www.duluthmn.gov/parks/pdf%20files/movies_in_park_2012.pdf

Ski Hut sponsors a Monday Night Ride each week at 6 pm. Meet at Ski Hut on E. 4th St. COGGS sponsors a Tuesday Night Ride each week. Contact adamsundbergdc@gmail.com for more info.

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3 - "Spotlight on the Parks" - Parks Funding to Support Various Projects!

The City of Duluth is making $50,000 available as part of the Parks fund to support projects and initiatives which leverage community volunteers to enhance and improve city parks and recreation. Each project will receive a maximum of $5,000. Grants will range from $500-$5,000.

"The Neighborhood Grant program is designed to provide direct support for community groups and organizations to add value in our City parks," said Mayor Don Ness. "These neighbors are passionate about these parks, neighborhoods, and their projects. A small amount of financial support can leverage tremendous value in the form of private donations and volunteer time."

The City is partnering with the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation to accept and process applications. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee with recommendations for funding presented to the Parks Commission then for final approval from the City Council.

"We're honored to work with the City of Duluth on this important initiative to maximize local community engagement for the advancement of our neighborhood parks and recreational opportunities," says Holly C. Sampson, President of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation. "Our grant making expertise, paired with the strong history of our Duluth Legacy Endowment Fund and its community volunteers, will help foster sustainable, vibrant neighborhoods."

Summary of grant guidelines:

Projects must:
·Take place entirely or primarily on existing recognized units of Duluth's parks, recreation, and trails system; ·Support the mission of Duluth's Parks and Recreation Division to fulfill the essential recreational, educational, cultural, and environmental needs that create a dynamic community; and ·Encourage both financial and volunteer efforts.

Priority will be given to projects that support one or more of the following key elements of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan:

· Improve the quality of existing parks (especially neighborhood parks),
· Focus on connecting the community through trails and bikeways,
· Have fewer, but higher quality recreation buildings,
· Enhance stewardship of natural resources,
· Expand partnerships with schools for community recreation and gathering, and
· Increase use and recognition of volunteers and volunteer groups.

ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible to apply for funding, an organization must:
· Be classified as a charitable organization under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or have another 501(c)(3) willing to serve as a fiscal agent for the project, and
· Be primarily located in or provide services to residents within the City of Duluth.

Interested groups or organizations can submit inquiries to the Community Foundation for eligibility. The Community Foundation will then request formal proposals from eligible applicants. The formal proposals for this year's funding are due May 25, 2012.

The application materials are available online at, http://www.dsacommunityfoundation.com/grants/Funding_Inquiry.shtml or by calling the Community Foundation at (218) 726-0232 .

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3 - Community Networking (if links don't work, copy & paste them into your browser ) ***new since last newsletter***

***May 7, 5:15 pm - Duluth Flower and Garden Society monthly meeting at Grant Community eRc Center, 901 E 11th Street. More info at http://www.duluthgardenflowersociety.com/ They are getting ready for their big "annual" plant sale to be held at the Rose Garden on May 26. Next meeting: June 4.

***May 9, 6:30-8 pm. Working on a Community Invasion: Hartley Nature Center and City of Duluth needs your help. Hartley Nature Center is hosting a community informational session to inform residents about this plant and how to control it. Free. HNC has secured a grant from the Minnesota Power Foundation to fund an educational and restoration
demonstration project. www.hartleynature.org. For more info on
the project, Brett Amundson at 724-6735 or bamundson@hartleynature.org.

***May 9, 6-7:30 pm - Wild Ones Native Plant Society Gardening "work and learn" night at their garden on the Lakewalk at the west end of Leif Erickson Park. More info, carol_andrews@hotmail.com

***May 12, 8-10pm - "Feel the Love" for Hillfest! Reggae with Prince Paul and the Conscious Party at the Twins Bar, 501 E 4th St. $5 at the door - fundraiser to benefit the 2012 Hilliest.

***May 12, 8:30-2 pm - Plant the Duluth Community Orchard! Last summer, Duluthian's rallied to win a 50+ tree heritage apple orchard for their community from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, sponsored by Edy's Fruit Bars. The UMD Sustainable Agriculture Project is pleased to be the site for this orchard. Come one, come all to help us plant the orchard! Dress for the weather and plan on day of fun, workshops, snacks provide by Eddy's fruit bars! Come for all or part of it. Info: Cindy Hale, 218-525-0094 , cindy@clovervalleyfarms.com.

*** May 15, 7pm - Tree Commission monthly meeting. We are looking for folks who are interested in protecting Duluth's street and wild trees, and want to get involved in writing the City of Duluth Master Tree Plan. City Hall, Rm 106A. More info, Tree Commission Chair Jim Temmerman, lemmerman.j@gmail.com.

***May 16, 6:30 pm Lake Superior Rose Society meeting at Valentini's, 1400 London Rd. More info: http://www.lsrsduluth.org/apps/calendar/showEvent?calID=5640704&eventID=175791303

***May 17, 10:30 am - Arbor Day in Duluth! Join the Mayor in Chambers Grove as he pronounces this Arbor Day in Duluth. The new "Tree City USA" signs have also been installed and will be unveiled. Tree planting activities in Fond du Lac commence after the ceremonies.

***May 18 - Bike to Work Day! There will be two bike commuter stations:
Duluth: MN Power Plaza (Lake Ave & Superior St); Superior: City Center Park (Tower Ave & Belknap St) Stop by for free coffee and refreshments to refuel on your morning commute to work. Local bike mechanics will perform free bike safety checks. Learn to put your bike on a DTA bus (Duluth commuter station). Need a shower after your morning commute? The YMCA of Duluth and the University of Wisconsin Superior (Wellness Center) are offering free shower facilities for cyclists on May 18th! Showers will be available for normal business hours at each location. 77% of Duluthians and 84% of Superiorites commute alone to work each day... LET'S BREAK THE CHAIN! Carless in Duluth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf-TViTHRCk www.dsmic.org/btw

***May 19 - Duluth Audubon Society May Program "Bringing Back Piping Plovers" Presented by Julene Boe, Executive Director, St. Louis River Alliance. With a grant from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program, the St. Louis River Alliance, in partnership with the Wisconsin DNR, the City of Superior, and Douglas County, has begun a five-year project to attract nesting Piping Plovers to the St. Louis River Estuary. And since Piping Plovers have not been know to nest locally in over 25 years, this is challenging. Julene will discuss the project in detail and explain why it is paramount to help these fantastic birds. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth, 835 West College Street, Duluth 7:00 pm. Free and open to everyone. More info at janedas@q.com

*** May 19 - 1st Annual Duluth Traverse Gala at Northland Country Club. A Fundraiser for A Shared Trail Vision. COGGS will be hosting the First Annual Duluth Traverse Gala: A Fundraiser for a Shared Trail Vision at Northland Country Club. To register for this event, you can go http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Duluth-Traverse-Gala-2012-1. This event is to raise funds for the construction of the Duluth Traverse, a multi-use, human-powered singletrack trail system that will stretch from Lester Park to Jay Cooke State Park. This trail system will be built by professional trail building contractors and will be purpose built for mountain biking but open to all human-powered recreation, including hiking, trail running and snowshoeing. The Gala will consist of a dinner, presentations about the Duluth Traverse and it's progress, silent auction and live jazz music. Please attend and help support this amazing project that will improve the quality of life for all citizens of the Twin Ports and our visitors.

***May 20 - 4-7 pm - Friends of the Lakewalk Annual Meeting at Bayfront Festival Park. Join us for free food and fun and hear about what your "Friends of the Lakewalk" are doing. This is also the annual meeting and all members are invited to vote in a slate of directors during a short business meeting. We are looking for folks who want to get involved. For more info, contact Jennifer Boyle at jennifer.r.boyle@gmail.com. RSVP to fotlduluth@gmail.com.

***May 21, 7 pm - Todd Lindahl will be presenting on "A River Runs Through It: History of the Knife River Drainage on the North Shore." Presented by the NLAS at the Superior Public Library. Info: suemulholland@aol.com or 624-5489

***May 23, 11-6pm - Chester Park Master Plan Open House. Stop by anytime during the day to offer your ideas and suggestions on Chester Park and future park and trail development.

***May 24, 3:30-4:30 - Grand Opening of Web Woods Nature Trail built by Eagle Scout Josh Thompson. More info Amy Norris anorris@duluthmn.gov.

***May 31 - New horse trail group announces logo contest...Artists and designers - especially those with a special love for the outdoors or horses - are needed to help a new Duluth area trail-building group develop a logo. The Duluth Area Horse Trail Alliance is holding a logo contest that will be the center-piece of their promotional campaigns.

The newly formed group is made up of equestrians who want to help expand and connect multi-use trails through the south end of St. Louis County and into Carlton County and Jay Cooke. Bikers, hikers and horse riders will all benefit by pooling their combined goal for 50 miles of connected trails.

A special award ceremony and unveiling will announce the winner who will receive $75 cash and merchandise generated with the logo. Artwork submissions, or questions about the contest, should be emailed to agullion49@gmail.com or mailed to Anne Gullion, 1885 Connors Road, Cloquet, MN 55720. Please note the following guidelines for each submission:
• Deadline for entries is May 31, 2012 by 5 p.m.
• Two complementary logo versions are needed: one with the full organization name (Duluth Area Horse Trail Alliance) and one with just the artwork. A suite of options and variations may be submitted.
• Logo design should be clean and simple, incorporating group name, horse (or horse and rider) and trail themes.
• Winning entry becomes property of the Duluth Area Horse Trail Alliance.
• Entries can be submitted as hand drawings or computer art (at least 300 ppi, EPS format preferred).
Mailed submissions will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed and stamped envelope.

****June 11 - Duluth XC Ski Club Summer Juniors begins June 11 and registrations are rolling in! Coaching staff includes Craig Hertz, Sarah Allen, and Paul Schommer, who are excited to help athletes from Duluth-area ski teams develop skills, fitness, and strength.

Join us on FaceBook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Parks-Duluth-MN/163663577007084

MNA eNews May 7, 2012
Spring is a GREAT time to get out and appreciate natural phenomena in Minnesota. MNA is offering at least one field trip every month in 2012. Another spectacular field trip is available next weekend! Saturday May 12 - Spring wildflowers at Eloise Butler Flower Garden

Spring Woodland Wildflowers at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary
When: May 12, 2012; 10:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m.
What: Come visit the nation's oldest public wildflower Garden to see native woodland wildflowers in bloom! We'll look for bloodroot, trout lilies, trilliums, and more. Bring binoculars for a little spring migratory bird watching.
Where: Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary, Minneapolis, MN
To Register: Email Lauren Borer (thuja27@gmail) by May 11, 2012.

FREE MNA Naturalist and Volunteer Training
Habitat Ecology at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis.

Monday, June 11, 2012 from 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Join an experienced Garden Naturalist as you stroll OUTSIDE through Theodore Wirth Park's classic gems, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and the Quaking Bog. Discover the different habitat that fosters diverse types of plants, animals and birds.

Registration begins May 1st, 2012 by phone only at 612-363-4722 (Lauren Borer)

ONLY 50 SPOTS AVAILABLE

2012 MNA Conference Update--Registration Now Available!

Early birds will get the worm--or at least a discount on this year's MNA Conference at Deep Portage Learning Center in Hackensack, MN. The 2012 Conference Registration Form is now available on the MNA Conference webpage. Key note presenters and the pre-conference field trip itinerary will be announced June 1 and full conference details will be released in August. Register now before busy summer hits--and save!

First Annual MNA Amateur Photo Contest

MNA members are invited to start taking photos this year to enter MNA's first ever annual member photo contest.

Members may enter one photo in one or more of the following categories: Minnesota Biomes, Minnesota Animals, Minnesota Plants, Minnesota Phenology, Minnesota Waters and Teaching in Nature.

Submissions will be displayed for voting by conference attendees at the 2012 MNA conference in November at Deep Portage Learning Center. For contest rules, to submit a photo and more information, see the MNA Amateur Photography Contest webpage on the MNA website. Help spread the word--share, print and post the contest flier (attached).

2012 MNA Conference Update--Presenters Wanted

Planning is well underway for the 2012 MNA Conference themed: The Dirt on Nature, what's happening beneath our feet. The MNA Conference Planning Committee is seeking applications for presentations for the upcoming 2012 conference November 9-11, 2012 at Deep Portage Learning Center in Hackensack, Minnesota. Conference strands include: Natural History & Research, Teaching & Interpretation, Parks & Facilities, Leadership & Administrative Skill Building, Hot Topics and Careers & Young Professionals.

Conference presenters qualify to attend the conference at a discounted rate. For more information and to apply, see the attached application or visit the MNA Conference webpage on the MNA website. Have a great conference presentation idea or comment? Contact MNA Conference Planning Chair Katie Pata (Katie.Pata@co.dakota.mn.us).

Save the date! First Annual MNA Picnic! Pack a picnic basket, bring your family and join MNA members for a fun family gathering "Naturalist Style" at the Elm Creek Park Reserve playground. Mingle with other MNA members, meet your MNA Board, play lawn games and enjoy a beautiful evening in the park!

Where? ELM CREEK PARK RESERVE, Three Rivers Park District, Maple Grove, MN

When? Friday July 20, 2012 from 5 pm - 8 pm

With the end of session hopefully in sight I wanted to send out a summary of what has been signed into law to date. As of today here is a summary of the various bills that have been signed into law that relate to the DNR.

Omnibus Lands Bill (SF 1750, Chap 236)

The bill:

Authorizes the DNR to issue road easements to individuals on school trust lands, provided that the easement term is limited to 50 years.
Provides for establishment of a segment of the Heartland Trail that connects the trail to Itasca State Park.
Amends Minn. Stat. sec. 92.50 to allow DNR to issue real estate leases for a term of 21 years instead of 10 years.
Provides for an expedited process for exchanging state-owned land located in the BWCAW for federally owned lands located outside the BWCAW and provides for private sale of the surplus lands. In addition the bill states that the goal of the exchange should be that the state receives at least as many acres of land as the number given in exchange by the state.
Contains small boundary changes for two state parks, two state recreation acres, and two state forests.
Exempts portions of the Mississippi River within the boundaries of the cities of Dayton and Ramsey from the state wild, scenic, and recreational rivers system.
Authorizes the DNR to sell two parcels of land in Dakota and St. Louis Counties.
Authorizes the sale of tax-forfeited lands in Beltrami, Big Stone, Goodhue, Hennepin, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Morrison, St. Louis and Washington Counties.
Authorizes St. Louis County to sell tax-forfeited lakeshore lots that are currently leased and to sell property known as the Chris Jensen Health & Rehabilitation Center and adjacent property by private sale.

School Trust Lands Bill (HF 2244, Chap 249)

This bill addresses the oversight of and management of the school trust lands. The bill:
Converts the Permanent School Fund Advisory Committee (PSFAC) to the Legislative Permanent School Fund Commission. The Commission is made up of 12 legislative members, with equal representation of members from the senate and house and majority and minority parties. The PSFAC includes citizen members with expertise in natural resource or finance, but there are no citizen members for the new Commission.
Creates a new director of school trust lands. The director is appointed by the Governor, housed in the Department of Administration, and is authorized to employ up to five employees.
Provides that the new Commission advises the commissioner of natural resources and the school trust lands director on the management of school trust lands and reviews legislation affecting school trust lands.
Provides that the new director of school trust lands recommends management policies for school trust lands. The director's duties are specified in Section 10 of the bill and include: determining the market value of school trust lands, proposing legislation changes to improve asset allocation, developing strategic plans, and recommending strategies for leases, sales and exchanges.
Removes fire protection costs as a certifiable cost against revenue from the school trust lands.
Provides that the commissioner of natural resources must give precedence to long-term economic return if there is an irresolvable conflict between maximizing the long-term economic return and protecting natural resources and recreational values on school trust lands.
Requires a report by the commissioner of natural resources by December 31, 2013, that inventories and identifies all school trust lands that are under a designation or policy that prohibits long-term economic return. The report must include a plan to compensate the school fund through purchase or exchange for such lands. By July 1, 2018, the permanent school fund shall be compensated for all school trust lands included under a designation or policy that prohibits long-term economic return. Future designations that prohibit long-term economic return must be compensated for before designation or application of policy to the lands.
Removes restriction that prohibits sale of school trust lands bordering public waters without legislative approval.
Provides that costs of new director of school trust lands and new Commission shall be paid from school trust revenues in FY14 and FY15.
Provides that the bill is effective July 1, 2013.
If there is a disagreement between the new director of school trust lands and the commissioner of natural resources on fiduciary duties, the director is directed to report the disagreement to the Governor and the new Commission.

Policy Bill Summary (HF 2164, Chap 272)

This bill is the Omnibus Environment and Natural Policy bill. Most of the DNR provisions in this bill were agency initiatives.

Section

2 General exceptions. Amends § 84.0895, subd. 7. Allows the commissioner of natural resources to issue general permits to governmental subdivisions or to the general public to take, import, transport, or sell any portion of an endangered species for certain purposes. (DNR provision)

3 Forests for the future revolving account. Amends § 84.67. Removes a requirement of the commissioner of natural resources to submit a report to the legislature on the use of the forests for the future revolving account. (DNR provision)

4 Apprentice rider validation. Adds § 84.76. Allows a person 12 years of age or older who does not have the required safety certificate to ride a snowmobile/ATV/off highway motorcycle in up to two trail-riding events sponsored by the DNR that are designed for apprentice riders. Requires the person to be accompanied by an adult in a manner that allows for uninterrupted visual contact and verbal communication. (DNR provision)

5 Acts prohibited. Amends § 84.91, subd. 1. Prohibits a person who has been convicted under § 169A.20 for driving a snowmobile or ATV while impaired or who refuses to comply with the testing requirements under § 169A.50 to § 169A.53 from operating any snowmobile or ATV for one year (current law prohibits operation of "the" snowmobile or ATV rather than "a" snowmobile. (DNR provision)

6 Prairie and grassland public grazing program. Commissioner of natural resources shall establish a prairie and grasslands public grazing program. Commissioner shall enter into cooperative farming agreements or lease agreements with livestock owners to annually graze prairie and grasslands administered by the commissioner. Must maintain a list of lands grazed under the program. Goal of program is to be financially self-sufficient. Revenues received shall be deposited in game and fish fund and are appropriated to the commissioner for purposes of the program. (DNR supports)

7 Service provider. Amends § 84D.01, subd. 15a. Adds a person moving boats or other water related equipment as part of a service provided to members of yacht clubs, boat clubs, marinas, or similar organizations to the definition of "service provider" making the person subject to the new aquatic invasive species training and permit requirements passed last session. (DNR provision)

8 Bait harvest from infested waters. Amends § 84D.03, subd. 3. Allows the harvest of bullheads, goldeyes, mooneyes and other fish from infested streams or rivers for use as bait by noncommercial anglers provided certain conditions are met. (DNR provision)

9 Prohibited activities. Amends § 84D.05, subd. 1. Technical. (DNR provision)

10 Exceptions. Amends § 84D.09, subd. 2. Technical. (DNR provision)

11 Launching prohibited. Amends § 84D.10, subd. 1. Expands the prohibition on placing a watercraft or trailer with aquatic invasive species on it to apply to the placement of all water-related equipment. (DNR provision)

12 Persons transporting water-related equipment. Amends § 84D.10, subd. 4. Exempts portable bait containers used while ice fishing from the water draining requirements unless fishing on waters designated as infested with viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). Prohibits a boat lift, dock, swim raft, or associated equipment that has been removed from the water from being placed into another water body for at least 21 days. (DNR provision)

13 Inspection authority. Amends § 84D.105, subd. 2. Allows the commissioner of natural resources to delegate inspection authority for watercraft and related equipment to tribal and local governments that assume all responsibility for inspection programs on public waters within their jurisdiction and requires a plan, reporting and certain standards to be met. Allows conservation officers and other peace officers to require water-related equipment be removed from a water body if necessary to implement aquatic invasive species control measures. Allows the commissioner to require mandatory inspections before a person places water-related equipment into a water body. Allows inspection stations to be established and establishes location, staffing, and other requirements for the stations. Also allows commissioner to delegate this authority to LGUs with an approved plan. (DNR provision)

14 Service provider permit required. Amends § 84D.108, subd. 1. (DNR)

15 Civil penalties. Amends § 84D.13, subd. 5. Doubles penalties for civil citations related to invasive species violations and for a person who violates any provision of the invasive species laws (chapter 84D) more than once. (DNR provision)

16 Authority of local government. Amends § 85.018, subd. 2. Allows a local government unit to designate a grant-in-aid trail for concurrent motorized and nonmotorized use. (DNR provision)

17 Fee for certain parking and campsite use. Amends § 85.052, subd. 3. Allows for half price camping fees for people residents with a federal interagency access pass. (House Provision)

18 Disabled persons. Amends § 85.053, subd. 7. The intent is for half price state park passes for people residents with a federal interagency access pass. (House Provision)

19 Violation of rules. Amends § 85.20, subd. 1. Reduces a misdemeanor penalty to a petty misdemeanor penalty for a person at a state park or other unit of the state's outdoor recreation system who willfully destroys certain living natural resources or property, or violates other rules of the unit. The penalty applies unless another penalty is imposed by statute. (DNR provision)

20 Pass in possession. Amends § 85.46, subd. 1. Establishes a petty misdemeanor penalty for a person who fails to comply with the existing horse pass requirements. Reduces from misdemeanor to petty misdemeanor the penalty for a person who fails to comply with the existing horse pass requirements. (DNR provision)

21 Aquatic invasive species prevention program. Adds § 86B.13. Requires the commissioner of natural resources to establish a statewide course for preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species and to issue an aquatic invasive species trailer decal to those who complete the course. Allows the commissioner to contract with others to provide the training and testing. Requires a person pulling a trailer with water-related equipment to display the decal by July 1, 2015, but specifies that only warnings can be given for violation of this provision. (DNR provision)

22 Acts prohibited. Amends § 86B.331, subd. 1. Prohibits a person who has been convicted under § 169A.20 for operating a motorboat while impaired or who refuses to comply with the testing requirements under § 169A.50 to § 169A.53 from operating any motorboat for 90 days between May 1 and October 31 (current law prohibits operation of "the" motorboat rather than "a" motorboat). (DNR provision)

23 Mineral management account. Amends § 93.2236. Requires the balance of the minerals management account that exceeds $3,000,000, which is currently distributed to the permanent school fund and the permanent university fund in proportion to the total revenue received from mineral leases on those lands, to also be distributed to counties in proportion to the revenue from mining leases on tax-forfeited lands. (Legislative initiative, DNR neutral )

24 Commissioner's authority. Amends § 97A.401, subd. 1. Allows the commissioner to issue general permits to governmental subdivisions or to the general public for certain activities related to wild animals, including the collection of specimens for zoological purposes and the taking and transportation of wild animals for certain purposes. (DNR provision)

25 Suspension for failure to appear in court or pay a fine or surcharge. Amends § 97A.421, subd. 4a. Clarifies that the commissioner shall suspend game and fish license and permit privileges of a person who fails to appear in court or fails to comply with other court orders regarding a violation of the game and fish laws until the court has notified the commissioner that the person has appeared in court or paid any fine/surcharge due. Amends sec. 103F.211 to allow removal of logs and dead trees from shoreland without a permit under certain conditions. (DNR provision)

26 Certain aquatic life prohibited for bait. Amends § 97C.341. Allows the importation or possession of live, frozen, or processed bait from waters known to have VHS if the bait has been processed to inactivate VHS according to DNR rules. (DNR provision)

39 & 40 Removal of logs; dead trees and branches. Amends § 103F.321. Removal of logs and dead trees and branches from the shoreland is exempt from any permit requirements when the logs or dead trees and branches present safety hazards, unless required by local government unit. Person must obtain permission from land owner or manager. (DNR okay)

43 De minimis. Amends sec. 103G.2242 to increase de minimus exemptions for some wetland types. (BOWSR Issue)

46 Exemptions. Amends sec. 103G.245, subd. 2 to allow removal of logs and dead trees near the waters surface without a permit. (See sections 39 & 40)(DNR okay)

47 Permit applications. Amends sec. 103G.245, subd 3. Department's general permit bill to streamline permitting. (DNR provision)

48 Water allocation priorities. Amends sec. 103G.261 by deleting language suggesting that water diversions to other states or Canada should be discouraged. Existing language contains no criteria about why diversions outside Minnesota should be discouraged and makes us vulnerable to appearing arbitrary in matters of Interstate Commerce. (DNR neutral)

49 Legislative approval for diversion. Amends sec. 103G.261 to provide criteria for legislative approvals of water diversions. This new language provides additional criteria the legislature must consider in evaluating proposed diversions. The language is general with some ambiguous words that could be improved upon but is better than nothing. With the deletion of 103G.261 (f), this language provides at least some general criteria to guide decisions on diversions. (DNR neutral)

50 Permit requirement. Amends sec. 103G.271, subd. 1. Department's general permit bill to streamline permitting. (DNR provision)

51 Monitoring Equipment. Amends sec. 103G.301 to require that the costs for monitoring wells be shared proportionally by water appropriators impacting a particular water feature. (Senate provision)

52 - 58 Amends various sections of Chapter 103G. Department's general permit bill to streamline permitting. (DNR provision)

84 Land and mineral resources management. Technical amendments to Environmental Trust Fund appropriation for woody biomass project (DNR provision)

87 Legislative report on state parks, recreation areas, trails, and state forest day use areas. The commissioner of natural resources shall prepare and submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate legislative committees with jurisdiction over environment and natural resources policy and finance concerning the long-term funding, use, expansion, and administration of Minnesota's system of state parks, recreation areas, trails, and state forest day use areas. (DNR okay)

88 Environment and natural resources trust fund; appropriation extension. The availability of the appropriation is extended to June 30, 2013. (Okay)

91 Lottery-in-lieu appropriation extension. Amends has a lottery in lieu extension - extending appropriations from 2009 until June 30, 2013. (DNR okay)

92 Forest resources council study. The study shall evaluate existing and potential financial incentives for private forest land management and include recommendations for state policies that will ensure that private forest lands are sustainable and continue to contribute to Minnesota's economic vitality as well as provide access to the public to hunting and fishing resources. (DNR okay)

94 Protect aquatic habitat from Asian carp. The commissioner shall consult

with the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees and divisions with jurisdiction over natural resources and energy. Adds requirement to legacy funding bill (SF 2493) for the commissioner to consult with committee chairs and ranking minority members of environmental committees before entering into a contract to design or construct Asian carp barriers. (DNR okay)

97 Contingent amendment and repeal; 2012 law. If H.F. 2171 or its equivalent is not enacted in 2012 and S.F. 2493 or its equivalent is enacted in 2012, then S.F. 2493, article 4, section 2, or its equivalent is repealed and the appropriation in article 4, section 3, of that act is reduced by $1,000,000. (DNR supports)

98 Repealer. Repeals the following: § 84.946, subd. 3 (requiring reporting on natural resource asset preservation and replacement appropriations) (DNR provision); § 86A.12, subd. 5 (requiring reporting on the natural resources capital improvement program) (DNR provision); § 89.06 (1983 report on making the nursery and tree improvement program self-supporting); § 90.042 (report and public meeting requirements regarding timber harvest plans) (DNR provision); § 97A.4742, subd. 4 (requiring a report on the lifetime fish and wildlife trust fund) (DNR provision); § 103G.705 (stream protection and improvement loan program)( DNR provision); § 115.447 (report on new wastewater treatment systems requiring permits; effluent violations; conditions posing imminent public health threat); § 115A.07, subd. 2 (PCA's waste management activities and legislative recommendations); § 115.965, subd. 7 (PCA report on enforcement actions and exemptions regarding toxic packaging); 116.02, subds. 7 and 8 (no longer needed with the elimination and modification of the duties of the MPCA Board proposed in the bill); § 216H.07, subd. 4 (legislative recommendations to achieve greenhouse gas reductions); Laws 2011, ch. 107, sec. 105 (boat aquatic invasive species (AIS) rule decal transitional enforcement); various PCA rules (part 7002.0025, subp. 2a establishing fees for newly-permitted air facilities; part 7011.7030, adopting by reference the "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Generic Maximum Available Control Technology"; part 7021.0010, subp. 3: defining "offsets" for regulation of sulfur dioxide emissions under the acid deposition control program; part 7021.0050, subps. 1, 2, and 3: specifying acid deposition control requirements; and part 7041.0500, subps. 5, 6, and 7, expired provisions regarding sewage sludge management); § 86B.508 (boat AIS rule decal requirement); 86B.811, subd. 1a (boat AIS rule decal penalty).

Game and Fish Bill Summary (HF 2171, Chap 277)

This is the Omnibus Game and Fish bill which was amended in Conference Committee to include most of Governor Dayton's hunting and fishing license fee proposals from last session.

Article 1 Background:

Section 1 (Mission and Efficiency)

This language broadens commissioner authority to include planning and implementing to recruit new and retain existing outdoor recreation participants including but not limited to anglers, hunters, and campers. DNR Initiative

Section 2 (Electronic Transactions)

This language provides that game and fish licenses related to hunting, trapping, angling, commercial netting and fishing, and other activities will be available by electronic transactions regardless of whether a biennial appropriation has been enacted. General funds used as a contingency to achieve this would be replaced with the eventual appropriated funds. (House and Senate language)

Section 3_(Land Gifts)

This language directs that deeds conveying land or an interest in land to the state must indicate whether the state may resell the donated land or interest in land. The commissioner must notify the donor of the option to express this in the deed. (House position)

Sections 4 - 9, 86 (Snowmobile registration)

Sections 4 to 9 combines three-year snowmobile registration ($45) and state trail stickers ($30) into one three-year registration. If enacted, purchase of a state trail sticker will no longer be optional for snowmobiles registered in Minnesota. The total fee for the combination registration fee ($75) is the same as for the total of the current registration fee and trail sticker. The combined registration is good for three years.

Out-of-state snowmobiles will no longer have the option of purchasing a 3-year sticker for $30; they will be required to have an annual trail sticker ($35). This amendment is projected to generate additional annual revenue of approximately $650,000. The bill dedicates 60% of revenue generated through registrations and stickers to grant-in-aid snowmobile trail funding.

The language also provides that a snowmobile registered by an Indian tribal government to a tribal member, which has not been outside the reservation boundary for more than 30 consecutive days, is exempt from registration. (Minnesota United Snowmobilers Assn)

Section 86 (Transition)

Provides direction for the transition period before the new registration requirements in sections 4 to 9 are fully implemented. The provision affects snowmobiles with trail stickers that expire before their respective registrations. If the trail sticker expires before registration is renewed under the new law, a valid trail sticker must be purchased and displayed until the current snowmobile registration is renewed. At renewal, a combined registration and trail sticker may be purchased. (MnUSA)

Section 10 - (Metal traction devices)

This language allows the use of snowmobile metal traction devices (studs) on paved state and other public trails unless the trails are specifically closed to stud use by the local jurisdiction or the commissioner. This is the opposite of the current situation where studs may be used only on trails designated for stud use. (MnUSA)

Section 11 (Bait Harvest from Infested Waters)

This language allows the harvest by hook and line of bullheads, goldeyes, mooneyes, sheepshead, and suckers for bait from infested waters for noncommercial personal use. Fish removed must be used in the same body of water and must not be moved live from the water body. DNR Initiative

Sections 12 - 15 (Watercraft Licensing)

This language exempts from licensing requirements any nonmotorized watercraft ten feet in length or less (increased from 9 feet); removes length as a factor in license fees for canoes, kayaks, sailboards, paddle boards, or rowing shells (all are $10.50); and retains two-tier license structure for sailboats over 19 feet and for sailboats 19 feet or shorter. DNR Initiative.

Section 16 - 17 (Shooting Range Performance Standards and Best Practices)

This language defines shooting range standards as best practices described in the National Rifle Association's Range Source Book: A Guide for Planning and Construction. (House intiative)

Section 18 (Public Shooting Range Accessibility)

This language requires that a publicly owned or managed shooting range in the seven county metropolitan area must be available twice during the spring and twice during the summer for DNR firearms safety training. Fees may be charged to cover direct costs. Cities of the first class (cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants) or ranges on the same premises as correctional facilities are exempted. (House initiative)

Sections 19 and 35 (Deer Bonus Permits and Owners of Agricultural Land)

This language expands the definition of bonus permit to include free antlerless deer licenses issued to landowners or tenants of at least 80 acres of agricultural land. These licenses may be issued in permit areas that allow the taking of antlerless deer without a lottery application. DNR Initiative

Sections 20 (References to "Brush Wolf")

This technical change eliminates all references to "brush wolf" (also known as coyotes). DNR Initiative

Sections 64, 68, 84, 90 (References to "Gray" Wolf)

This technical change replaces all references to the "gray" wolf and simply refers to "wolf". DNR Initiative

Sections 22, 48, 69 (Elimination of Obsolete Language)

This language eliminates language that is obsolete or redundant. DNR Initiative

Sections 21, 44, 45 (Deer and Small Game License Donations and Surcharges)

This language eliminates an obsolete reference to a 2010 report on the effectiveness of the venison donation program. DNR Initiative

This language also eliminates the use of nonresident hunting license surcharges and deer license donations for the venison donation program. Instead the surcharge on deer bonus licenses are appropriated for deer management including the cost for processing deer for the venison donation program. (House position)

The $5 surcharge on nonresident hunting licenses, donations from deer license purchasers ($1, $3, or $5), and donations from small game license purchasers ($1, $3, or $5) will be used for the administration of a walk-in access program. (House position)

Sections 23, 42, 43, 46, 50 - 52,55, 60 - 63, 65, 71, 85 (Wolf License, Fees, Account, and Season)

This language creates clear authority for the commissioner to issue a wolf license; to charge a fee for the license and application; establishes a wolf management and monitoring account in the Game and Fish Fund to receive license revenues for wolf management, research, damage control, enforcement, and education; to limit the number of wolves taken; to limit the number of hunters and trappers; and other aspects of a wolf season. DNR Initiative

Section 24 (Vacating Refuges Open to Hunting)

This language authorizes the commissioner to vacate refuges that have been open to hunting and trapping for at least five years, without having to go through a formal public process. DNR Initiative

Section 25 (Migratory Waterfowl Sanctuary)

This language expands commissioner authority and allows for designating a migratory waterfowl sanctuary without necessarily receiving a petition signed by at least ten residents. Authority is also expanded to limit access to waterfowl sanctuaries to include times other than only during the open migratory waterfowl season. DNR Initiative

Section 26 (Waterfowl Feeding and Resting Areas)

This language expands commissioner authority to either designate a waterfowl feeding and resting area after describing the area in a public notice and receiving public comments or after receiving a petition signed by at least ten residents. DNR Initiative

Section 27 (Walk-In Access Program)

This language establishes a walk-in access program to provide public access to wildlife habitat on private land for hunting effective March 1, 2013. DNR Initiative

Section 28 (Portable Stands)

This language would allow for two additional options for a hunter to identify a portable stand left overnight in a wildlife management area by a person hunting with a valid bear license. (House/Senate provision)

Section 29 (Replacement Deer Licenses)

This language is a technical change clarifying that this section of Minnesota Statute refers to replacing deer licenses. DNR Initiative

Sections 30 and 47 (Replacement Turkey Licenses)

This language authorizes the commissioner to issue replacement turkey licenses if the original license and unused tags are submitted and the applicant pays a fee ($5) to replace the license. DNR Initiative

Section 31 (Issuance of Big Game License After Conviction)

This language would revoke a person's privilege of purchasing a deer license for: 1) one year if they are convicted of baiting deer, 2) doubles the revocation period for a person convicted of illegally taking a trophy deer scoring over 170 inches. DNR Initiative

Section 32 - 34, 59 (Application for License)

This language standardizes the price of hunting license applications (i.e., moose, elk, turkey, bear) to $4 per person. (House position)

Section 37 - 38 (Nonresident Deer Licenses for Youth)

This language is a technical change that clarifies that both resident and nonresident youth big game licensing requirements and specifies that both resident and nonresident youth, including those age 10 or 11, must pay a fee. Obsolete language is removed from Section 37. DNR Initiative

Section 36, 39 - 41 (Excluding Wolf Take from Small Game, Lifetime License Types)

This language excludes the taking of wolves from small game youth, lifetime small game hunting, lifetime sporting, and lifetime sporting with spearing option license types. DNR Initiative

Section 49 (Taking With Firearms in Certain Areas)

This language restricts taking of wild animals with a firearm within 500 feet or private property unless the land is a licensed shooting preserve or within 500 feet of a fenced enclosure with livestock of one acre or less without permission of the owner, occupant, or lessee. (House/Senate provision)

Section 53 (Hunter Satisfaction Survey)

This language clarifies that the commissioner shall collect hunter information on participation and satisfaction using established social science methods. (House provision)

Section 54 (Blaze Orange Requirements)

This language amends the current blaze orange requirements for small game hunting by providing an exception for archery deer hunters to take small game without blaze orange while stationary or while hunting small game by falconry. DNR Initiative

Section 56 (Use of Radio Equipment for Hunting)

This language allows for (a) radio communication between a handler and a dog and (b) use of a remote controlled motorized decoy for taking migratory waterfowl or mourning doves. DNR Initiative

Section 57 (Use of Mechanical or Electronic Assistance by Physically Disabled)

This language initiative allows physically disabled hunters to use a mechanical or electronic device to hold or discharge a firearm or bow. DNR Initiative

Section 58 (Deer Hunting and Baiting)

This language clarifies baiting definitions related to normal agricultural practices. DNR Initiative

Section 66 (Removal of Beavers)

This language expands authority from Road Authorities to include Local Government Units to remove beaver and associated dams for silvicultural purposes. Methods to remove the beaver by employees are loosened to include any method other than poison or artificial lights. DNR Initiative

Section 67 - 68 (Coyote, Fox, and Wolf Control)

This language authorizes the commissioner to determine by written order in the State Register the payment amount for each coyote, fox, or wolf taken by certified predator controllers. DNR Initiative

Section 70 (Hunter Must be Concealed)

This language expands commissioner authority to designate areas for the taking of waterfowl in open water. This authority would allow designation of border waters, large lakes or other areas for open water hunting. DNR Initiaitive

Section 72 (Body-Gripping Traps)

This language restricts the use of body-gripping traps greater than 6-1/2 inches and less than 7-1/2 inches (also known as Conibear 220 traps) on public lands and waters unless the trap is recessed seven inches or more from the top and front of an enclosure, no attractants are within 20 feet of the trap, or the trap is elevated at least three feet from the surface of the ground or snowpack. (House / Senate position)

Section 73, 74 (Ice Shelter Identification)

This language exempts portable shelters on ice of waters of the state that are attended by an individual from the identification requirements prescribed in law. If the shelter is unattended then the shelter would need identification. (House position)

Sections 75 and 83 (Winter Open Season for Trout in Boundary Waters Canoe Area)

This language clarifies that the winter season for trout species in lakes (and undesignated trout streams) entirely within the BWCA is January 1 to March 31. The winter season for trout species in lakes (and undesignated trout streams) outside or partially within BWCA is January 15 to March 31. DNR Initiative

Sections 76 - 78 (Minnow Importation and Uses)

This language restricts the manner in which minnows imported from other states (that may be coming from waters infested with aquatic invasive species or disease) are transported. Containers must be tagged and tracked on permit paperwork. Permitees must disclose certain viruses. Live minnows used for feeding at a licensed hatchery or farm may only be obtained within the state effective July 1, 2013. Only dead minnows may be imported for feeding at these facilities. Designated containment facilities may be issued permits to import minnows for later export with specific conditions to avoid spreading aquatic invasive species and pathogens. Designated facilities and their premises, equipment, and vehicles are subject to inspection. Permitees may be required to furnish evidence of financial responsibility. DNR Initiative

Section 79 - 80 (Temporary Drawdown of Public Waters)

This language defines "shallow lake" and clarifies that permits for temporary drawdowns may include shallow lakes managed for fish, wildlife, or ecological purposes. Public hearings must be conducted presenting the management plan and outlining when and how temporary drawdowns will be conducted. Periodic temporary drawdowns are not considered takings from riparian landowners. DNR Initiative

Section 81 (Recreational Purpose and Noncommercial Aviation Activities)

This language expands the definition of recreational purposes in MS 604A.20 ("....promote the use of land owned by a municipal power agency and privately owned lands and waters by the public for beneficial recreational purpose...") to include noncommercial aviation activities (i.e. use of private, nonstaffed airstrips for takeoffs and landings related to recreational purposes). (Senate provision)

Section 82 (Laws 2011 First Special Session, Fish and Wildlife Management)

This language allows that up to ten percent of the Fish and Wildlife management appropriation from the heritage enhancement account (increased from five percent) may be used to expand hunter and angler recruitment and retention activities including grants to organizations and securing public shooting range availability in the seven county metropolitan area for participants in the DNR firearms safety instruction course. (Senate position)

Section 84 (Restitution Value for Wolves)

This language changes through rule the restitution value for wolves to $500 now that the species is no longer listed on the federal Endangered Species Act. DNR Initiative

Section 87 (Twin Lakes SNA)

This provision requires the department to conduct public hearings to determine if hunting should be allowed on the Twin Lakes Scientific and Natural Area (SNA). Archery hunting is currently allowed on this SNA and a couple of local landowners are opposed to this activity there. The department can comply with this legislation. (Senate position)

Section 88 (Records Management)

This language would require DNR Enforcement to prepare and submit a report to the legislature for developing a records management system. The report must include projected costs for planning, implementing, maintaining and administering a comprehensive records management system and associated technology and equipment improvements. (House position, DNR supports)

Section 89 (Report to Legislature - Risks of Introducing Invasive carp Through Fish Transportation)

This language mandates a report from the commissioner by February 15, 2013 after consultation with the aquaculture industry and other affected parties on the risks of introducing invasive carp species through transportation of fish between water bodies with recommendations on necessary changes in statutes, rules, or permitting procedures. DNR Initiative

Section 91 (Repealer)

M.S. 87A.02, subdivision 1
M.S. 97A.045, subdivisions 8 and 13
M.S. 97A.065, subdivision 1
M.S. 97A.095, subdivision 3
M.S. 97A.331, subdivision 7
M.S. 97A.485, subdivision 12
M.S. 97A.552; 97B.645, subdivision 2
M.S. 97C.031
M.S. 17.4993, subdivision 2, is repealed on July 1, 2013.

Article 2 Background:

Section 1 (Land Acquisition)

This language stipulates that revenue for the sale of game and fish licenses may not be used to purchase land in fee title or easements except for revenues from the small game license surcharges and hunting and fishing stamps. (House position)

Section 2 (Deer Licenses)

This section stipulates that fifty cents from each annual deer license and fifty cents from each lifetime deer license shall be credited to the wolf management and monitoring account effective March 1, 2013. (Senate position)

Section 3 (License Period)

This language establishes a three year individual angling license effective March 1, 2013. DNR Initiative

Sections 10 - 27, 30 - 33, 38 (Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping License Fee Increases or Adjustments)

This language increases angling, hunting, and trapping licenses effective March 1, 2013.

Trout and Salmon stamp exempt from: NEW consecutive 72-hour angling license,

Section 4 (Validity of Licenses)

This language stipulates that if a licensee's age, residency or student status changes then licenses to take wild animals will be valid for the balance of the license year effective March 1, 2013. DNR Initiative

Section 5 - 9 (Youth Licenses)

This language adjusts the license age requirements for turkey, resident small game, nonresident small game, big game, and nonresident angling license types. (House / Senate)

Section 28 (Electronic Licensing Commission)

This language stipules that the commissioner shall retain the commission and issuing fees for all license fees effective March 1, 2013.

Section 29 (Firearms Safety Certificate Required)

This language clarifies that residents under the age of 18 would not be required to have a Firearms Safety Certificate under existing programs in state law effective March 1, 2013.

Section 34 (Invasive Species Account Transfer)

This provision transfers $500,000 from the Game and Fish Fund to the Invasive Species Account in fiscal year 2012 and, in combination with Section 36 of the bill, offsets a $1 million reduction in a fiscal year 2013 Environmental Trust Fund appropriation to the invasive species program (see SF 2493, Article 2, sec. 2).

Section 35 (Invasive Species Appropriation)

This provision increases the appropriation from the Invasive Species account by $1 million for fiscal year 2013, to offset the $1 million reduction in the fiscal year 2013 Environmental Trust Fund appropriation for invasive species (see SF2493, Article 2, sec. 2). The dollars come from a transfer from the Game and Fish Fund account that is supported by an increase in the nonresident fishing license surcharge (Article 2, sec. 20) and the overall increase in hunting and fishing licenses.

Section 36 (Walk-In Access Account Transfer)

This language authorizes the transfer of $616,000 from the venison donation account to the walk-in access account and is available until spent.

Section 37 (Repealer)

We will be preparing an end of session of session summary shortly after session.

As always if you have questions about any of the information contained in this message or any other legislative issue please feel free to contact me at bob.meier@state.mn.us or at 651-259-5024 .

Make sure you get outside and enjoy our great states natural resources!

Bob Meier

ALL PROGRAMS ARE HELD AT THE MAPLEWOOD NATURE CENTER UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

To register for Nature Center programs please send in a check to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 E 7th St., Maplewood, MN 55119, by the date indicated in the description, or register on-line at www.malewoodnaturecenter.com by clicking on the Quick Link. For free events, pre-register online or by calling the nature center at 651-249-2170 .

Our mission is to enhance awareness and understanding of land, water and wildlife resource; to empower the community to become stewards of the environment.

Family Programs

May

MAPLEWOOD FROG CHORUS TOUR
Join us for an evening tour of Maplewood's best frog listening sites! We will meet at Maplewood Nature Center, learn about local frog species, their calls, and then hit the road to try out our new identification skills! Transportation provided. For Adults and families with kids age 7+.
Date: Friday, May 11, 2012. Time: 7:30 - 9:30 pm.
Fee: $5 per person, Call, 651-249-2170 to pre-register by credit card or mail/drop-off payment to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood, 55119.
Location: Maplewood Nature Center

ARBOR DAY EVENT - LIONS PARK TREE PLANTING
CELEBRATE AND HELP PLANT TREES AT LIONS PARK
MAY 12 IS ARBOR DAY IN MAPLEWOOD
Saturday, May 12 9:30 to Noon Free
Stop by to observe tree planting techniques or lend a hand. Observe tree planting demonstrations at 10:00 and 11:00. Find out about Maplewood's tree purchase rebate. Enjoy refreshments and tree-rific activities for kids. Ask our city forester for tips on pruning, planting, tree care, and tree pests. Learn the latest on emerald ash borer and how to look for signs of it
Thank you to St. Paul East Parks Lions Club and Maplewood Oakdale Lions Club for donating trees for Lions Park and for sponsoring this event.
Location: Lions Park in Maplewood, 618 Farrell St, Maplewood.
West of Century and South of Minnehaha.
Call 651-249-2170 for more information.
Registration for community groups is appreciated.

Peer Into the Pond
Children 5 and up with adult
Catch, identify and release snails, water bugs and minnows from our 600 foot floating boardwalk. View them live under our TV video cam. Is our pond healthy? Find out the answer.
Date: Saturday, May 19
Time: 10 - 11:30 am
Location: Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 E 7th St., Maplewood, MN 55119.
Fee: FREE! Call 651.249.2170 to register, by May 18

JUNE

CELEBRATE CLEAN WATER AT WATERFEST!
Saturday, June 2, 11:00AM -4:00PM
Families are invited to a day of lakeside fun at WaterFest 2012 at Lake Phalen.
Free activities include kayak and voyageur canoe rides, fishing lessons, geocaching, climbing wall, Raindrop Mystery Tour, birdwatching hikes and much more. Look for the
nature center's booth among other informative exhibits and hands-on learning stations regarding water quality, wildlife and the special features of our wetlands and lakes.

Sponsored by the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District,
the cities of St. Paul, Maplewood and North St. Paul,
Ramsey County and other partners.
Please visit www.rwmwd.org for more information.
Fee: All events are FREE!

SNAKES ALIVE!
Tuesday, June 12, 10:00 - 11:15AM
All Ages
Snakes rule!
Meet a real live snake: get up close and personal. Do a snakey craft, play dead like a hog-nose snake. Hike outside to play snake bingo.
FREE, Please call 651-249-2170 call to pre-register or go to info@maplewoodnaturecenter.com

WILD ANIMAL PUPPET SHOW
Wednesday, June 13, 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Best for ages 2 and up, small daycares welcome.
Laugh and sing along with our wild animals puppets as they teach us about their habitat. Go on a self -guided nature bingo hike afterwards!
Fee: $4 per family, prepay by June 12.
Call 651-249-2170 to pay by credit card or mail check to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood, 55119.


FISH CREEK FOREVER!
Explore the Fish Creek Greenway this year through hikes, naturalist presentations, and
stewardship projects! Learn how YOU can help preserve the last bit of blufflands near Fish Creek. Look for several upcoming Fish Creek Greenway events on the city's website, and in the upcoming city news.

THE GATHERING ON FISH CREEK BLUFF
Saturday, June 16, 1- 4:00 PM
Join us to celebrate the cultural and natural history of this beautiful new parcel overlooking the Mississippi.
* Live Raptors, Birding with binoculars, and Kite flying.
* Explore the hills and valleys of this remarkable site.
* Relive the history with Fur Trader Stories and more from the Maplewood Historical Society.
* Watch the Little Thunderbirds Drum and Dance Troupe, and participate in a Circle Talk by Jim Anderson, Tribal leader, Mendota Mdewakanton Community.
* Crafts, Root Beer, Scavenger Hunts and more!
Free event for all ages, no registration required.
Call 651-249-2170 with inquires.


JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS
Youth ages 10 - 14
Make new friends and learn about the outdoors.
Assist the naturalist with on-going trail projects at the nature center and nearby city-owned neighborhood preserves. Use hand tools to clear brush, pull buckthorn, plant and maintain wildflowers. Help take care of the live animals. Participants attending 5 out of 6 work sessions receive an award certificate and MNC button at the popcorn & punchawards ceremony, Aug. 7.

Tuesday, June 19 Informational meeting: Parent and child attendance required.
Time: 6:30 - 7:45 PM
Call 651.249.2170 to register for informational meeting. Limited to first 14 registrants.

Dates: Tuesdays, June 26, July 10, 17, 24, 31 and Aug 7 Time: 9:30 - 11:15AM
Fee: FREE
End of Season Project Tour and "Punch & Popcorn" Party will be held from 11:00 -Noon, on Aug 7

FIREFLY MAGIC NIGHT HIKE
Thursday, June 28, 8:30PM - 10:00PM
For families with kids 3-10 years
Fireflies are magical bugs with a built-in night light. Learn how and why they light up, and take a hike
in search of them. Listen to a firefly story.
Make your own glow-in-the-dark firefly to take home.
Early registration recommended.
Fee: $5/child. Prepay by June 26, 651-249-2170 to pay by credit card or send check to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood, MN 55119.

A LITTLE BATTY!
Saturday, June 30, 10:00 - 11:15 am
Families with children 3 and up
A bat program for younger folks!
What do bats eat?
Where do bats live?
How do bats help people?
Hear a bat story, play a bat game, make a bat craft and eat a bat snack! Hike the trails to look for bat clues.
$4/child Prepay by June 27. Call 651-249-2170 to pay by credit card or send check to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood, MN 55119.

JULY

READING THE LANDSCAPE - NATURE SLEUTHS!
Saturday, July 7, 10-11:30 AM
For children 10 and older with Adult, adults welcome.
On this MNC hike, look for clues in the landscape that indicate how use has changed over time. Discover some fun facts about the center's history as you go.
Free, Pre-register by July 6, 651-249-2170

TURTLE TALES
Saturday, July 14, 10-11:00AM
Families with children ages 3 and up
Take a hike to look for turtles, touch and see one up close. Share your turtle stories, and discover the several kinds that live in Minnesota.
Fee: $3/child prepay by July 14. Call 651-249-2170 to pay by credit card or send check to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood, MN 55119.

STORYWALK: WALK, READ, LEARN, FUN
Sunday, July 15th, 2:00-4:00 PM
Come and enjoy a story with your friends and family while exploring the great outdoors. As you walk, you will be able to read Roxaboxen by Alice Mclerran together page-by-page along the walking paths. Staff and volunteers will be available to answer questions about the National Children's Study, libraries and the nature center.
* Brought to you by the National Children's Study-Ramsey County, City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, Ramsey County Libraries, and the Saint Paul Public Library.
Free and open to the public.
Questions? Contact us at 612-626-5437 .
The original StoryWalk™ Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.

STAR MAIDEN STORYTIME
Thursday, July 19, 6:30 - 7:45 pm
Best for ages 3- 8 years old with adult.
Learn the legend of the Water Lily and the Star Maiden. Stroll along the pond edge and boardwalk to discover what secrets the Lily Pads hold.
Free, please call, 651-249-2170 , to register by July 18.

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR FAMILIES
Saturday, July 21st, 9 - 11 AM
For kids, 8 and up, and accompanying adult.
Learn some tips and techniques for capturing nature moments with a point and shoot camera. Bring your camera or use a digital camera from the Bridge to Nature Program to take photos outdoors.
Co-sponsored by Maplewood Nature Center and the MN DNR.
FREE Pre-register by July 19. Call 651-249-2170 or go to info@maplewoodnaturecenter.com

FISHING CLINIC FOR BEGINNERS
Sponsored by the MN DNR-Minn-Aqua
Ages: Adults, & Children 8 and up, accompanied by an adult

Session 1: Saturday, July 28, 9:30-Noon:
At the nature center, learn fishing rules and safety, how to
tie a knot, bait a hook practice casting, learn about fish.
Session 2: Tuesday , July 31, 6:30PM-8:30PM:
Fish at Silver Lake in North St. Paul and practice what
you learned! All equipment provided.
FREE. Pre-register by Friday, July 27, call 651-249-2170 or go to infop@maplewoodnaturecenter.com
Rain date: Wednesday, August 1, 6:30-8:30PM

AUGUST

FUN WITH THE SUN
Friday, August 3, 12:30-2:00 PM
Raindate: Wed. August 8
Learn about the nature center's solar panels, make a solar boat or car while you bake a treat in the solar oven.
Fun for ages 8 and up.
$10 per family. Prepay by July 30. Call 651-249-2170 to pay by credit card or send check to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood, MN 55119.

SUPER SPIDERS
Saturday, August 11, 10:00 - 11:30AM
Ages 4-10, with adult, 11+
Spiders are nature's bug zappers!
Meet live spiders and learn about webs and spider silk.
Put together a spider identification book to take home.
Hike to look for orb, funnel, jumping and crab spiders.
Wear shoes suitable for hiking.
Fee: $4/child Prepay by August 9. Call 651-249-2170 to pay by credit card or send check to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood, MN 55119.

MARVELOUS MONARCHS
Saturday, August 18, 1:30-3:00PM
For adults and children age 7 and older
Visit the butterfly garden and prairie to look for Monarch Butterflies.
Learn how monarchs are faring in the wild and how we know.
Learn what you can do in your yard to help monarchs survive.
Fee: $4 per child, preregister by August 16. Call 651-249-2170 to pay by credit card or send check to Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 7th Street East, Maplewood, MN 55119.

BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES
At Southwood Nature Preserve, North St. Paul
Wednesday, August 22, 10:00 -11:30 AM
For families with kids ages 3 and up.
Hike with a naturalist to explore this great city preserve. Use nets and bug boxes to catch and release insects in the prairie and the pond. Match what you catch on our insect charts.
Pre-register by August 20, call 651-249-2170 or go to info@maplewoodnaturecenter.com
Dress for the weather, program goes rain or shine.
Meet at the deck off on the north side of Holloway Ave.

TREE FROGS AND TOADS
Saturday, August 25, 10:00-11:00 AM
All Ages
Visit with a live toad and tree frog and learn about their habits. Watch them slurp up a bug for a treat. Explore the nature center to look for secret hideaways.
Free, Pre-register by August 23. Call 651-249-2170 or go

Adult Programs

MAY

Rainbarrel and compost bin Sale
Saturday, May 5- Roseville City Hall,
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Roseville City Hall parking lot, 2660 Civic Center Drive, Roseville, MN 55113
This multi city sale provides you with a one time opportunity to purchase Rain barrels ($55), Compost bins ($45), Compost turners ($15), and Kitchen pails ($7) at Roseville City Hall!
If you can't make it, limited supplies of these same rainbarrels and compost bins are also available at Maplewood Nature Center on a first come, first serve
basis. 2659 7th St. Ea

Friends of the Mississippi

Calendar of Events
MOUNDS PARK NATIVE PLANTING

Saturday, May 19 -- 9:00-11:30 am
Indian Mounds Park, St. Paul

FMR has been working with a youth group from Harding High School to restore the bluff prairie at St. Paul's Indian Mounds Park, removing invasive species and replacing them with native species. Join this important effort by planting prairie plants and shrubs at this naturally and culturally significant park! These native plants will help anchor the soil on the steep bluff, preventing erosion and filtering stormwater runoff while improving wildlife habitat. This project also opens up sight lines which provide a spectacular vista of the Mississippi River valley.

To learn more, or sign up, please see the event listing or contact sue at srich@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x14.

TRAILSIDE PLANTING

Saturday, June 2, 2012 -- 9:00-11:30 am
Crosby Park, Mississippi River Gorge, St. Paul

Be part of the award-winning restoration of Crosby Park! Help plant vegetated slopes along a path near the newly renovated east entrance to the park. These native plants will help filter runoff from the parking area and path and prevent erosion into Crosby Lake and the Mississippi River.

To learn more, or sign up, please see the event listing or contact sue at srich@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x14.

HELP TEND THE CROSBY PRAIRIE

Wednesday, June 13 -- 6:00-8:00 pm
Crosby Park, Mississippi River Gorge, St. Paul

Be part of the award-winning restoration of Crosby Park! Join other River Gorge Stewards and staff from FMR and Saint Paul Parks and Recreation as we tend Crosby Park's demonstration interpretive native prairie. The 3-acre prairie includes a more formal garden with 1,000 native prairie plants and species markers to educate and inform visitors, as well as a more naturalized area.

To learn more, or sign up, please see the event listing or contact sue at srich@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x14.

EXPLORE URBAN WETLAND ECOLOGY AT CROSBY PARK

Saturday, June 16 -- 9:30-11:30 am
Crosby Park, Mississippi River Gorge, St. Paul

Join experts from FMR and Capitol Region Watershed District to learn about the fascinating ecology of an urban wetland! We'll explore the plant life in and around Crosby Park's Upper Lake and the surrounding marsh, and learn about the important role these plants play in providing habitat and filtering pollutants from water. We'll also use dip nets to get a closer look at macroinvertebrates living in the lake, and discuss what these tiny creatures reveal about the impacts of water pollution.

To learn more, or sign up, please see the event listing or contact sue at srich@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x14.

WORKNIGHT IN THE RARE PRAIRIE

Thursday, June 28 -- 6:00-8:00 pm
Sand Coulee Scientific and Natural Area, Hastings

On this summer evening, volunteers will learn to identify and help halt the spread of spotted knapweed with FMR Restoration Ecologist Karen Schik. Less than 1 percent of our original native prairie habitat remains -- come help preserve this important part of it!

To learn more, or sign up, please see the event listing or contact Katie at kclower@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x23.

PADDLE OR VOLUNTEER FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER CHALLENGE!

Saturday-Sunday, July 28-29, 2012
(volunteer shifts and check-in begin July 27)
The Twin Cities stretch of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers

This year, the Mississippi River Challenge offers three route options -- choose from a half-, one- or two-day paddle. All feature a beautiful stretch of river paddling as well as music and festivities at Historic Fort Snelling!

Learn more or register to paddle at MississippiRiverChallenge.org.

Join the Riverfront Support Crew! Help FMR staff with boats, refreshments, first-aid and more. Sign up for two or more Support Crew shifts and you'll be invited to join the party at Historic Fort Snelling, normally $25, on us!

Let us know you're interested via the Riverfront Support Crew volunteer form!

SCHEDULE YOUR STENCILING OUTING!

Now through mid-October, 2012
City of Saint Paul

If you're looking for a great service outing that is educational, active, outdoors and provides a significant community benefit, consider storm drain stenciling. It's just one and a half to three hours in length, and can be set at a time and St. Paul location convenient for your group. Reservations are now being taken for April through October 2012.

For current event listings and more information on the events listed above, please visit our events calendar page at www.fmr.org/participate/events.

Please note that FMR's Volunteer Coordinator, sue rich, is typically in the office Tuesday through Thursday. She is available via email at srich@fmr.org, by phone at 651-222-2193 x14, or through FMR's online contact form.

From Bozeman

Dear Network,

This month, Dennis Nelson accepted the Clean Water America Alliance's 2012 U.S. Water Prize on behalf of the Project WET Foundation. The award recognizes watershed-based approaches toward water sustainability, and the Project WET Foundation was chosen in the education category. The Clean Water America Alliance singled out Project WET's worldwide network as a key part of the decision to award Project WET one of the six 2012 U.S. Water Prizes. (The other winners were PepsiCo Frito-Lay Inc., the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the Philadelphia Water Department, the Salmon Falls Watershed Collaborative and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.) This recognition of the Project WET network directly recognizes your hard work and dedication to water education in the United States, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your part in this honor.

Happily, I'll be able to tell many of you that in person next month at our conference in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The Conference Planning Team has planned an exciting conference for us with special recognition to Kim McCoy. Kim in her first year as a coordinator took on the task of not only chairing the team but hosting it at her home institution, Bridgewater State University.

Discover Water: the Role of Water in Our Lives pilot test across the United States is well underway in 24 states and 60 classrooms with 3,202 students participating. Games and digital media offer a powerful innovation for environmental educators to reach students with conservation messages. The preliminary results for the pilot test show that teachers are using the website in their classrooms. We are also asking for direct feedback from students. One child reported his/her new knowledge of virtual water, "I discovered that we use water for a lot of different uses like drinking, cooking food, and producing power with it. It's amazing that water is used in a factory!"

This month we also gained better insight as to how to teach about Water and Climate Change. While at NSTA, we conducted a writing workshop for educators K -12 to discuss how and what to teach about climate change in their educational setting. This will assist us developing educational materials about this complex topic.

To end, I want to welcome our three new host institutions (see below). It is very gratifying to see our program grow in reach and numbers.

Warmest regards,

Laurina

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New Host Institution & Program Staff Changes

Please join me in welcoming our newest Host Institutions:

The National Great Rivers Research & Education Center
(Part of Lewis & Clark Community College)
Natalie Marioni (Coordinator)
Environmental Educator
One Confluence Way
East Alton, IL 62024
618-468-2783
618-468-7211 (fax)

Living River Environmental Center
Matthew Miller (Coordinator)
Director
P.O. Box 143 or
186 Mikes Road
Brierfield, AL 35035
205-665-4535

Kentucky Division of Water
Nonpoint Source and Basin Team Section
200 Fair Oaks Lane, 4th Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601
Michelle Shane (Coordinator)
Environmental Education Specialist
502-564-3410 x4936

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Zayed Future Energy Prize for Global High Schools

The Zayed Future Energy Prize, launched in 2008 and managed by Masdar, represents the vision of the Late Founding Father and President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, who
championed environmental stewardship as an integral part of UAE history and heritage. This annual award celebrates achievements that reflect impact, innovation, long-term vision and leadership in renewable energy and sustainability.

The Global High Schools category is open to educational institutions targeting students in High Schools from grades nine and above, with one recipient in each of five major regions: The Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and
Asia. Each region's winner will be allocated up to $100,000, with the actual granted amount based on submitted financial information pertaining to the requirements of a proposed project.

For more information, please visit this link.

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News from the EPA & Other Agencies

EPA Celebrates American Wetlands Month in May

EPA Publishes Human Benchmarks for Pesticides in Water

2012 Draft National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change Open for Public Comment

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Potential Grants

The following grants may be of interest to your organization. Please be aware that many of these grants have rapidly approaching application deadlines.

Environmental Sustainability

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News from the Project WET Portal

Correlations Update: The 2.0 Activities are currently being correlated to several standards: The Common Core Standards, National Science Standards, Ocean Literacy Standards and Technology Standards. The tables for these standards are currently being built and tested on the Portal. You may, at times, see some standards attached to the Blue Planet Activity. Please disregard these "tests." We will announce when these are ready for each activity.

You can download the Portal Users' Guide (pdf) through this link.

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Upcoming Conferences

Project WET will be represented at the following conferences where we will either have a booth, a speaker or both. If you are attending, please come and find us or possibly volunteer to help. Thanks.

2012 NAAEE: October 10-13 in Oakland, CA

2013 NSTA: April 11-14 in San Antonion, TX

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Coordinators' Council News

The Coordinator's Advisory Council has been working on updating the Work Plan for the Coordinator Network, from the WETteam reports submitted after last September's conference. The Work Plan helps to establish priority for WETteam projects, based upon several factors: need for the project (such as Early Childhood, Storm Water and Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products), coordinator interest in the project (a topic that shows up in multiple WETteam reports such as Laurina's request for a working definition of 21st Century Learning) and potential for the project to really happen (will there be funding or support from WET USA or the Foundation for the project?). All projects need to align with the ideas and goals of WET USA, so we are working closely with Laurina and Theresa on the development of the Work Plan.

At our business meeting on Tuesday, May 22 of the Conference in Massachusetts, we will discuss the Work Plan, as well as the updates/revisions to the Strategic Guidelines for the Coordinator Network. Along with all of the business, we also plan on enjoying visiting and catching up with other coordinators in Massachusetts! I would like to encourage you to attend the conference, if at all possible. The Conference Planning WETteam, along with Kim McCoy from Massachusetts have put in a lot of time to make our Business Meeting and Conference a great event!

The results of the 2012 Coordinators' Council Elections are in and there are no changes in the council for 2012.

Region 1: Joni Scharfenberg (Alaska)
Region 2: Erica Cox (Missouri), Council Chair
Region 3: Kevin Kopp (New Jersey)
Region 4: Brian Brown (California)
Region 5: Philip Osborne (Arkansas)
Region 6: Jo Adang (Georgia)
At-Large: Cindy Etgen (Maryland)

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WET Team Updates

The WET Teams have begun working on their 2012 work plan goals and will report their progress through the year.
The Storm Water group has begun meeting again on the third Tuesday of each month at 3PM Eastern. The Pharmaceuticals group

Conference Planning:
Cindy Etgen, Council Rep
Kim McCoy, Chair
Meeting: Last Wednesday of the month at 4 PM ET

Development:
Philip Osborne, Council Rep & Acting Chair
Meeting time TBD

Instruction and Training:
Erica Cox, Council Rep
Jennifer Holmes, Chair
Meeting: Third Wednesday of the month at 2:30 PM ET

Products and Publications:
Brian Brown, Council Rep
Anne Lewis, Chair
Meeting: Second Wednesday of the month at 2 PM ET
The team has been discussing how to move forward with an early childhood guide and 21st Century Teaching & Learning and welcomes coordinator feedback.

Research and Evaluation:
Kevin Kopp, Council Rep
Holly Thomas-Hilburn, Chair
Meeting: Third Thursday of the month at 2 PM ET

Ad-hoc Groups:

Technology in Education:
Jo Adang, Council Rep
Tasha Krecek-Lynch and Mary Ann Stoll, Co-Chairs
Meeting: Last Tuesday of the month at 1 PM ET

Pharmaceuticals & PCP in Water:
Barbara Miller, Chair
Meeting: First Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM ET
Barbara Miller Wins 2011 AWEA James Bailey Educator of the Year Award.


Accessing Conference Calls

To access a Team conference call, follow these instructions:

Dial: 866-740-1260
Access: 8578855#

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We invite you to join us in educating children about the most precious resource on the planet - water.

Please forward this email to anyone you believe has an interest in what we do.

Sincerely,
Theresa Schrum
Project WET
Theresa.Schrum@projectwet.org
406-585-4189 (direct)
866-337-5486 (toll free in the USA)

We are announcing the May/June From Shore to Shore newsletter is now posted on http://shorelandmanagement.org/shore_shore/.

Also included in this announcement are three articles:
The Gentle Winter of 2011-2012 and Minnesota's Water
Lake and Stream Monitoring Opportunity
Newly-required Aquatic Invasive Species Rules Decals

From Shore to Shore Newsletter

Greetings Shoreland and Water Quality Steward!

The May-June 2012 issue of the "From Shore to Shore" newsletter is now posted on the website for you to view and/or download. To access it, please go to: http://shorelandmanagement.org/shore_shore/

This issue includes the following articles:
Climate, Communities, Sea Grant
Mosquitofish Misnomer - Don't Judge a Book by its Cover, or a Fish by its Name
Minnows - One of Minnesota's Smallest, Yet most Important Fish
Wild Rice is Not a Weed
Please feel free to share the newsletter with others; reproduce articles for other newsletters (please credit "From Shore to Shore" as the source); and submit shoreland and water quality articles, pictures of projects, upcoming local events, and suggestions for topics for upcoming issues. Your input and feedback are always welcome!

If you have difficulty accessing the website, please let me know. Also, please notify Barbara LaPlante, bja@umn.edu, if your email address changes. If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an email to bja@umn.edu with "Unsubscribe to From Shore to Shore" in the subject line.

Karen Terry, Extension Educator-Water Resource Team
University of Minnesota Extension
Regional Office, Morris
WC Research/Outreach Ctr.
46352 State Highway 329
Morris, MN 56267
Voice: 320-589-1711
Fax: 320-589-4870
Email: kterry@umn.edu

The Gentle Winter of 2011-2012
and Minnesota's Water
by Cindy Hagley, Environmental Quality Extension Educator, chagley@umn.edu
Compared to Minnesota long-term averages, the winter of 2011-2012 was relatively snow-free. In a typical low-snow winter, Rich Axler, water resources scientist at the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth, said cold temperatures without the insulating effects of snow could1:
Increase frost depths, resulting in damage to wastewater systems and water lines.
Cause ice on lakes and streams to be thicker than normal. In small streams, shallow lakes, and wetlands, the extra ice can reduce liquid water volume, which can lead to low oxygen and reduced habitat for fish.
Allow streams to freeze solid, resulting in winterkills of fish and other aquatic biota.
Not this year! This winter was not only low on snow, but temperatures were unusually warm, resulting in some broken records. For example, the Minnesota Climatology Working Group reported, "2012 will go down as one of the more memorable early ice out seasons in Minnesota history. Many lakes in the state set new ice out records, including lakes that have ice out data for 75 years or more."2

Here's what the experts tell us the unusual winter means for Minnesota's waters:

Photo courtesy
of Minnesota Sea Grant
Despite the lack of snow cover, frost did not penetrate deeply because of warm temperatures, resulting in less damage to water systems and an early start to the growing season.
Thin ice and lack of snow allowed light to penetrate the water, resulting in increased photosynthesis by algae and some plants.
Photosynthesizing plants release oxygen, helping to prevent winterkill in some shallow, productive lakes.
Lake ice-out dates were three to four weeks earlier than historical averages, 3 providing a head start on the growing season that could result in excessive algal and plant growth by mid-summer.
The unusual conditions favor adaptable invasive aquatic plants such as curly-leaf pondweed or Eurasian watermilfoil.

Drought: Since the autumn of 2011 was the driest in Minnesota's modern climate record, many lakes and streams had low water levels going into winter. Lower than normal precipitation over the last eight months left the water levels of many Minnesota lakes low when compared with historical averages for this time of year. The U. S. Drought Monitor4 as of early April depicted nearly every Minnesota county as experiencing drought, from moderate throughout most of the state to severe in parts of the northeast and much of south.



Such drought decreases soil moisture and increases the risk of wildfires. Without adequate snowmelt, temporary wetlands (vernal pools) may not hold enough water for frog populations to breed and mature. In the northeast, the drought resulted in an extremely short period of snowmelt runoff, low peak flows, and low base flow in streams. This concerns fisheries biologists particularly along the North Shore of Lake Superior.5


MN DNR staff have had to truck trout around waterfalls because fish returning from Lake Superior are struggling to pass hurdles that are usually surmountable. Without much soil moisture to start with, the base flows of streams may remain low as the year progresses. Low flow can stress coldwater species like trout and the insects they eat since less water often leads to higher stream temperatures, and the combination of reduced flow and warmer temperatures can result in less oxygen.




Want to know more? Listen to an interview with researcher Sapna Sharma (Climate, Weather, and Breaking Ice) at www.seagrant.umn.edu/radio/sgf/

References
1 http://www.nrri.umn.edu/default/asknrri/default.htm
2 http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/ice_out_recap_2012.htm
3 http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ice_out/index.html
4 http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_state.htm?MN,MW

5 http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/understanding/WQprimer.html



Lake and Stream Monitoring Opportunity
by Laurie Sovell, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, laurie.sovell@state.mn.us
Do you live near a lake or stream in Minnesota, or visit one regularly? If so, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) needs your help! Join more than 1,500 Minnesotans who track the health of their favorite lake or stream through the Citizen Lake or Citizen Stream Monitoring Programs. These collaborative programs combine citizen knowledge and interest with MPCA technical expertise to help meet the water monitoring goals of the state.

Volunteers measure water clarity in their lake or stream weekly throughout the summermonths, using simple equipment provided by the MPCA. For lakes, volunteers need to have access to a boat, to measure water clarity using a Secchi disk from a deeper location on the lake. For streams, volunteers collect a sample of water from the stream bank or a bridge crossing, using a device called a "Secchi tube" to measure water clarity.

Photo courtesy
of Paul Andre

Water clarity, or transparency, is an important indicator of the health of a lake or stream. The MPCA uses water clarity data to track water quality trends over time and to make decisions on watershed protection and restoration. Stream transparency is used as a surrogate for turbidity, and is an important screening tool to decide where additional stream monitoring and improvements are needed. Additionally, lake data are used to characterize biological productivity, and to provide a basis for water quality goal setting statewide. For some lakes and streams, data collected by volunteers is the only data available, making this work very valuable.

Photo courtesy of Scott Andre



Some volunteers have participated in the MPCA's water monitoring program for over 35 years. Long-term volunteers report that monitoring has given them a new way of learning about the lake or stream they love, and volunteers enjoy sharing their knowledge with neighbors who also care about clean water. To become a volunteer or learn more about the program, visit the MPCA's website at
www.pca.state.mn.us/cmp, or call 651-296-6300 (Twin Cities) or 800-657-3864 (Greater Minnesota).


Newly-required Aquatic Invasive
Species Rules Decals
www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic_qa.html

Are you planning to be out on the water this year in any type of watercraft? If so, you should be aware of the newly required Aquatic Invasive Species Rules decal. This decal, according to a state law passed in 2011, must be attached to every watercraft that is launched and/or operated on any waters of the state. The decal is meant to protect our lakes and rivers by decreasing the instances of aquatic invasive species being transported from one body of water to another; it lists the steps water enthusiasts should take to prevent such contaminations. Preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species is important to all of us - do your part! More information is available at www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic_qa.html.

The June 2nd, Landscape Revival - Native Plant Expo & Market is only 1 month away.

This is to remind you to update your website calendars and Facebook events to make sure they are current. So far my "landscape revival MN" google search is not as good as it was last year. This is the 2012 link to the detailed information on the St. Paul website.
http://www.saintpaulaudubon.org/events/2012/06/landscape-revival

As you can see from the list of 2012 participants below, our 2nd annual event promises to be excellent. This year the Expo participants and Market participants will be mixed throughout the Pavilion to distribute the traffic more evenly.

The volunteer greeters will have tan cobbler aprons with our logo on the front. They will count attendees using stickers as people enter.
This year, Boy Scouts (v.s. Cub Scouts) are going to help with carry-out and curb-side pick-up.

Let me, Tina, or Val know if you have questions or concerns. Be ready to open at 9 AM. Thanks, ke

PS I will bring the remaining cards to Living Green. I will be in the Blue Thumb booth at 1:30 PM Saturday.

Hello Volunteers,

Below are a few upcoming opportunities, as well as information to check out the newly designed Como Pool, free of charge! If you have any questions, or you are interested in any of the volunteer activities listed below, please contact me. Thanks!


Como Pool Soft Openings

The new Como Pool will be hosting soft openings from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Saturday May 19th and Sunday May 20th, and you are invited to attend!

Admission is free on both days. Bring your friends and family to give the facility its first test run. There is no need to pre-register, all you have to do is show up.

It's a good opportunity to check out the pool before the official grand opening!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arbor Day Tree Planting - Hamline Avenue

Volunteers are still needed to help plant trees along Hamline Avenue this Saturday, May 5th, from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. This is a family friendly event!
For more information, or to register, visit www.stpaul.gov/parks/environment

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoy cycling? Check out this awesome volunteer opportunity below. We are looking for volunteers interested in working with the National Parks Service Bike with a Ranger program at Harriet Island.

Interested volunteers can contact me for more information.



Job Title: Bike with a Ranger Volunteer

Location: 1100 N. Hamline Ave, Saint Paul

Project Duration: Summer 2012

Hours: Saturdays 10 am - 1 pm Four rides over the summer.

Description of Duties: Represent Saint Paul Parks and Recreation during the National Park Service Bike with a Ranger rides in Saint Paul Parks. Volunteers will assist riders with ABC quick checks of participant's bikes, provide interpretation at a point of interest, and ride sweep. Volunteers will carry a National Park Service radio and be expected to model good cycling behavior.

Time Commitment: Minimum of two Rides in Summer of 2012 (Must be available for a short training on June 16th)
Dates: Saturday June 23rd 10am - 1pm Harriet Island Regional Park
Saturday July 21st 10am - 1 pm Harriet Island Regional Park
Saturday August 18th 10am - 1pm Harriet Island Regional Park
Saturday September 15 10am - 1pm Harriet Island Regional Park

Required Skills:
Enjoy speaking to individuals or groups and working with people from diverse backgrounds and ages
Enthusiasm for the environment and being outdoors
General Biking Skills
Desired Skills (not required):
Basic knowledge in one or more of the following areas: natural resources, history, environmental studies, interpretation, education
Field experience in natural history interpretation and/or outdoor education
Self-motivated to learn as much about Saint Paul Regional Parks as possible.
Special Requirements:
Volunteer must be 18 years old or older
Must possess a valid driver's license
Must have personal cell phone while volunteering
Must be available for a short training on June 16th.

Andrew Rodriguez
Volunteer Coordinator
Andy.Rodriguez@ci.stpaul.mn.us
651-632-2411
Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
Www.Stpaul.Gov/NaturalResources

Project BudBurst Community Newsletter
May 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrate Mother's Day with Project BudBurst May 13th!

By sharing a Project BudBurst observation over Mother's Day weekend, you will be
creating a long-lasting record that will honor moms this month and also help scientists
in future years better understand how plants respond to environmental change.
Share this experience with a special mom in your life. Head outside to a park or
your yard with a Project BudBurst Single Report form [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JfE-SQLpfIKlomvw0s2sZRnCgQbray_jgXACxWhru69ezrxe_KY4RllzFIDI1F8sEDuKwLAifjU81iNbSzFGfo_zslI7W8ccCvEP-rYSqQRhVMiPfLXH_TQQAsNw4QfnD7iyFp4p5s0l5P1pQ_11nK9XLiKQ0d-_QJtawTBDlysSR97m7FZIipecgSTuSIcy26cIaoMkFu8qHS5l4i8pbM6mwDmWN1GTSIVj0DTlCewN6wa3C82D6QqQrw2I4y65wGMhKAGGvEIJaC6j2vZPMiBTIPqV9odSCo12OkUQKY45iWziHA2BFQ==]
and make an observation or two of a tree, shrub, or wildflower in bloom! Together
you can smell the blossoms or admire the new leaves, creating memories with a special
mom in your life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earth Day at the Denver Botanic Garden
Project BudBurst was honored to be part of the Denver Botanic Garden's Earth Day
celebration last month. Their staff encouraged participation in our Cherry Blossom
Blitz Campaign by creating signs about the campaign which were placed strategically
by cherry trees throughout the gardens.
Staff and volunteers had already recorded First Flower dates on all of the signs
for specific cherry trees. On Earth Day, several fantastic docents enthusiastically
shared information about Project BudBurst with visitors and encouraged them and
encouraging them to make and report observations.
We had a great time visiting with staff, volunteers, and thousands of visitors while
at our booth at the Gardens on Earth Day. Thank you to everyone who came out to
celebrate with us!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cherry Blossom Update
Thanks to everyone who participated in our first Cherry Blossom Blitz [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JfE-SQLpfIJEGuQJcla6b9Y3vqv1SEIQawgOwpPgKiIXQ6yF-AKS3_oz_bsfXF6vg0OwfeoGo_AqflYZvbO1BqsEXAhqcbsaYcVuy1MB25ypZaElgQB_5eZ2y18z-RM69u8cfch5b-fOjORiH-tRMRjQmDKGr1wK88O6FZBUE6bbYqffJbPZ3LInh1dM75zsJ3jseyuGYZlDy3jJoqpqp9Hx5JcPW4wciYeKAIWoqxaxlkcU3_VE1GoQIbNtmhAu]!
We received many observations of these beautiful blossoms from around the country.
Although blossoming has finished in many areas, we are still interested in other
phenophases such as when your cherry tree is in full leaf, when it produces first
and full fruit and when the leaf color changes in the fall, so we invite you to
keep submitting observations! Your contributions are helping us get a better understanding
of cherry tree activity around the country! We are very excited that we will have
lots of good data to share with scientists who have requested this data for their
computer models.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BudBurst Academy Update
The third cohort of the Project BudBurst online course for educators is underway.
We have had such good response to PBB501/551 Project BudBurst for Educators, that
we have several new courses in development. The next course will focus on how to
use Project BudBurst data using exciting new online tools to help with data analysis
and visualization. We will be piloting this course in June and expect to offer
it later this summer. We will give a full update next month on our online courses
as we open registration for our summer sessions later in June.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PBB Blog: Coastal Alaska, Project BudBurst and Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Alaska is a land of extremes and often seems to be out of synch with what is going
on in the rest of the country. This past week I had the opportunity to be up in
Juneau to see how spring is progressing up there. Learn more from Dr. Paul... [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JfE-SQLpfII-c5rER82d1cUg39qKCaL5uH9baldacs9eysCXgucvHs2Y3gQtFNF9Fnp9xWOtR4lbW3Y7wCMv3rgQ3qwBE-tTxg9vjEbEv068x5zR6yXX7J3V2fq7xi1nk2Hx1WEgHdyMxrGqIiJK8o6V8YUWypDHo-OlXRTcBDmTwgzaOvNU2NzLgkUTorUdh3R3eFnU4UCGmAohkHj7GL9cujZff9VFiZrreFNEafAhoBc7nMOEaGDAvXfil0ZJGGR0xyo4a5GR4gwKXsPnKZhCMuZmW7_rD97zY5fqopMEaqZYft5pJ9AyuCERCynKAQ0z113DDfgB1o1inDHSYvqFlxPGrM0C]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome New Wildlife Refuge Partners:
William L. Finley and Alligator River
April was a busy month for the BudBurst at the Refuges program as we welcomed two
new partners! William Finley National Wildlife Refuge [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JfE-SQLpfIIyufFVGp-D6QhFeGCw4BIoO0IhE0RvpwKWZic0REShdl6mtv8CP7wC-4uR7izyaa_NrlJPgp3iJgRKsDjZfnCyySm5YoRrcA69Xy5aCZapt_RtB77ywJdYJ2zJY4-hv5-HPyBim7PdCVrQRaGVe66uGBWQ085diSUTk9-3QxrlfsAC3rCiF_Pkl19labtxTol69hCMNzS_BvTBaAEFoZzlggIGiDOeyb64BaMja0PdhdqX5XMfMie0-kf0sbr8OvFcOR7W3TsOsBClzWrM8Eef7GCLzfKM6AQ=]
in Oregon and Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JfE-SQLpfIKyBc9drJdRLXpNj5ksOuGSLbLlUarlguER-0hPO4IB_Wr_J6PWghvRQCG7CZhsyVaL2h48nTvknhE9anVTDGRq6pfUsuMYCYduYUHB4Z6gHJVCf_Cea2kFYYE00T1UeMJaVlJ7DCVfOjmUDAf6gRdhqMOMbG-dF2zzVxi021rFPKDDUtutjNNIQYYf7V2VY2vpVffVegF35QAiQg160ywfQYdqWqv2wILu_B6GqwII9N5Wxxb0hDHbqpWuwCcZJAa0zVk-9tQKl5u4SckvWwWpJ-ZmpPqETUs=]
in North Carolina now have resources for you to explore. Learn about the plants
that are of interest to these important wildlife habitats when you visit the BudBurst
at the Refuges homep [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JfE-SQLpfIJKub6M9Sx6qxV1VtEDNrJWj2meiwDTOcyVCJuflV9yfyxBc9vE-CGOOcdhzZWcdZR6I6yrT16qPK_jpTu8qWnsLZzVl9LVYB1REcpVHTLM_aO-2ZZGk7O9ZAfAAcrTrZRxPf--5ORVmaPWqxIwlXOfVTXDYTcUBXTFWlhGqzt2F0134jBHBRoRPyxok0pv381t4vLcUMIx8Sfir13DHGEWNzV-jTPJUYy1Dlor-QTxbjZL1c1tPdp743zs9XumqEDD-9QLa22bz4IGl_TZhBf6]age
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001JfE-SQLpfIJKub6M9Sx6qxV1VtEDNrJWj2meiwDTOcyVCJuflV9yfyxBc9vE-CGOOcdhzZWcdZR6I6yrT16qPK_jpTu8qWnsLZzVl9LVYB1REcpVHTLM_aO-2ZZGk7O9ZAfAAcrTrZRxPf--5ORVmaPWqxIwlXOfVTXDYTcUBXTFWlhGqzt2F0134jBHBRoRPyxok0pv381t4vLcUMIx8Sfir13DHGEWNzV-jTPJUYy1Dlor-QTxbjZL1c1tPdp743zs9XumqEDD-9QLa22bz4IGl_TZhBf6].
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May BudBurst Challenge
This month's challenge is to share an Project BudBurst observation in honor of a
special mom in your life. When you enter your data, please make a note in the
comment section or send an email to budburstinfo@budburst.org We will share Mother's
Day stories in a newsletter next month.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Many Faces of Project BudBurst
Project BudBurst would not exist without the enthusiasm and dedication of the thousands
of participants who submit observations. Below is just a sampling of folks we'd
like to recognize this month.

* All of our participants in the Cherry Blossom Blitz campaign.
* Becky K. and the Denver Botanic Garden Staff for encouraging their visitors to
participate in Cherry Blossom Blitz and Project BudBurst.
* Sallie G., Kirsten K., Jessica M., Cindy H., and the rest of the staff and volunteers
at Finley and Alligator River NWR's for participating in Project BudBurst.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nature's Calendar

There are so many active plants this month that we couldn't possibly list them all!
Here are just a few to watch for:

Blooming

First Leaf

American pasqueflower

Bitter root

California fuschia

Colorado blue columbine

Common yarrow
Darkthroat shootingstar

Switchgrass

Black elderberry

Curl-leaf mountain mahogany

Jamaica dogwood
Oregon grape

Canada thistle
Blue grama grass
Western wheatgrass
American linden
Balsam poplar
Boxelder

Fruit Ripening

Balsam poplar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As always, we appreciate your participation in Project BudBurst. Your observations
are making a difference.

Sincerely,

The Project BudBurst Team

Project BudBurst is co-managed by the NEON and the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Conservation Conversations' singular focus is energy efficiency education and outreach by delivering information and resources that are meaningful and relevant to how people live and work. We provide resources to teachers, families and communities helping them to reduce their energy use by 10%. Our materials are in Spanish and English -- and educate about the benefits of reducing your energy use to save energy, save money and reduce your environmental impact.


Registration is open for the 2012 MAEE Annual Conference on June 21-22, 2012
Journey to Itasca State Park for the 2012 MAEE Conference! Join imaginative educators and administrators transforming their offices, classrooms, and personal lives into something fresh, rewarding and extraordinary. We will explore how play and creativity can enhance our work and professional life.

Jeffers Foundation Announces WRAP Award Recipients
The Jeffers Foundation WRAP (Waste Reduction Awareness Program) Award winners are Bayview Elementary School in Waconia, Clara Barton School in Minneapolis, and Garlough Environmental Magnet School in West St. Paul. This award recognizes elementary schools for outstanding achievement in the area of reducing food and non-food waste in their school lunch programs. Each winning school received $5,000 and a plaque.

2012 Hamline Rivers Institutes - FREE for Educators
Hamline University's Center for Global EE presents its acclaimed Rivers Institute, a 3-day field-based professional development opportunity that helps area educators improve their students' literacy, engineering skills and science knowledge through the lens of watershed education. Two institutes will be held this summer -- one on the St. Croix River June 25-27, and one on the Mississippi River July 23-25.

2012 Minnesota Naturalists' Association (MNA) Conference Call for Presentations
MNA is recruiting presenters to lead concurrent sessions, activities, development and networking opportunities, workshops and more for their annual conference which will be at Deep Portage Learning Center in Hackensack, MN on November 9-11. This years theme is The Dirt on Nature, what's happening beneath our feet.
Deadline: July 31, 2012

Investigate Minnesota's Changing Climate at the Will Steger Foundation's 7th Annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education
The Summer Institute will be August 7 - 8 at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley. Grades 3-12 formal and informal educators will receive training on and a copy of our revised, interdisciplinary and standards-based Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum and online classroom. It will enrich your teaching of climate change and help you bring climate literacy to your educational setting.

How to Compost Correctly
Compost happens -- from farmers' fields to the forest floor, soil microbes break down dead plant and animal material into soil organic matter, all without fancy bins and tumblers or understanding the meaning of terms like carbon-nitrogen ratio. This article provides step-by-step instructions for successful man-made composting.

Volunteers needed to monitor the health of Minnesota lakes and streams
Do you live near a lake or stream in Minnesota, or visit one regularly? If so, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) needs your help! Join more than 1,500 Minnesotans who track the health of their favorite lake or stream through the Citizen Lake or Citizen Stream Monitoring Programs.

5 Parent-Tested Tips to Limit Kids' Screen Time
Today's kids are spending more time than ever sitting in front of a screen-an average of 7 and a half hours a day! So how can you limit screen time without fighting with your kids? Skip the battles and try some of these ideas from the National Wildlife Federation to minimize the time your child spends glued to a gadget.

2012 Living Green Expo: May 5th - 6th
The Living Green Expo will take place Saturday, May 5 from 9am - 6pm and Sunday, May 6 from 9am- 4pm at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. A combination of more than 300 exhibitors, workshops, and demos will showcase the latest in green and sustainable living. The first 200 visitors each day will receive a free Chinook Book.

Endangered Species Day: May 18th
Endangered Species Day is a celebration of our nation's wildlife and wild places. Started in 2006 by the U.S. Congress, Endangered Species Day is an opportunity for people young and old to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions that people can take to help protect our nation's disappearing wildlife and last remaining open space.

Create an Educational Video to Help Protect Water and You Could Win $500
Minnesota's lakes and rivers need your help! In order to educate and inform citizens about the best way to prevent the spread of invasive species, Carver County Water Management Organization is hosting a video contest. Create a 2-3 minute, clever, entertaining and educational video on aquatic invasive species and demonstrate how to do a boat inspection. First place entry is $500, 2nd place is $300.
Deadline: May 18, 2012

2012-2013 Minnesota GreenCorp Member Applications
MPCA is accepting applications from individuals interested in AmeriCorps service with Minnesota GreenCorps during the 2012-2013 program year. Up to 28 full-time members may be placed with local governments and nonprofit organizations statewide for 11 months to serve on projects in the areas of: Energy Conservation, Waste Prevention and Recycling, Living Green, and Green Infrastructure. Members must complete 1,700 hours of service.
Deadline: May 30, 2012

Articleeadline
General EE Resources

Teacher Workshop: Teaching Outside the Box - An Introduction to Integrating Environmental and Outdoor Education in Grades K-12
Designed for school teachers and administrators from any content area that are NEW to integrating environmental and outdoor education into formal classrooms and delivered by experts from MDE and our many partners, these one-day workshops will provide an overview of the benefits to environmental and outdoor education, how it can be integrated into multiple content areas and achieve academic standards, tips and skills to take kids outside, hands-on training on quality programs, and resources and community partners to further support school efforts in this area. Cost $10/person and includes lunch and clock hour certificates. This workshop will be offered 5 times from June through Sept.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, a multi-language Textbook/Workbook
These free english-as-a-second-language (ESL) textbooks/workbooks were written so both teachers and tutors could teach immigrants how to speak, read and write English and to communicate information about reducing, reusing and recycling to immigrants with limited English skills, so that they would be more willing and able to participate in local recycling and waste reduction programs. The three editions editions are translated into a total of twelve languages: Hmong, Korean, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Bosnian, Somali, Farsi, Arabic.

If you would like a free classroom set of Edition A (Hmong, Korean, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, and Chinese) please contact the MPCA's Resource Center at resourcecenter.pca@state.mn.us or 651-757-2120 .

Celebrate Arbor Day Guidebook
This free 24-page Guidebook is a valuable resource for anyone planning or participating in an Arbor Day celebration. It offers a smorgasbord of ideas that you can pick and choose from to best fit your event and needs. It includes a history of Arbor Day, instructions for planting a tree, a planning calendar, classroom ideas, songs, poems and quotes about trees, sample proclamation, information on selecting and planting trees, and more!

Environmental Quiz
Developed by the U of M, this 25-question environmental quiz contains questions addressing forest resources, population growth, consumption and other environmental concerns. It is a great tool to use as the first part of a teaching unit to help students maintain interest in the discussion, for stimulating questions, or for providing a basis for more in-depth investigation of issues raised. In March 2012 the quiz was updated with new statistical information from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the USDA Forest Service.

Funding Resources

Bush Fellowship Program
The Bush Foundation is currently accepting applications for new fellows from all over Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Bush Fellowship is an opportunity for individuals to increase their capacity for and improve their practice of leadership while working with others to solve tough problems in their communities.
Deadlines: May 4, 2012 and July 9, 2012

Brower Youth Awards
The Brower Youth Awards has launched the 2012 prize search for outstanding grassroots environmental leaders across North America. We celebrate young activist leaders, ages 13-22, leading the way to a green, just future. Each of the six recipients of the Brower Youth Awards will receive a $3,000 cash prize, a professionally produced short film about their work, flight and lodging accommodations for a week long trip to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Deadline: May 14, 2012

Community POWER Grants
Announcing, the NEW Community POWER grant program. We've many changes including offering three types of grants, online applications, one-step process, and increased flexibility. The grants are still open for environmental projects to schools, organizations and congregations for funding levels up to $5,000 and $12,000. Applications should propose new and innovative ways to educate and actively engage residents to recycle and reuse more, reduce waste and toxicity, compost yard and food waste, and plan green events.
Application Deadline: May 25, 2012

Captain Planet Foundation Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation provides grants to schools and organizations for activities that: promote and support high-quality educational programs that enable children and youth to understand and appreciate our world through learning experiences that engage them in active, hands-on projects to improve the environment in their schools and communities. Preferential consideration is given to requests seeking seed funding of $500 or less and to applicants who have secured at least 50% matching or in-kind funding.
Deadline: May 31, 2012

Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) Mini Grants for Water Quality Projects
Mini Grants for up to $2,000 are available for small or short-term water quality projects initiated by the watershed community. Nonprofit organizations, officially recognized neighborhood groups, schools, local units of government, and business and professional associations are eligible to apply. Individuals, home owners associations and condominium associations, and private businesses may partner with eligible applicants in order to apply.
Deadline: June 1, 2012

National Education Association (NEA) Student Achievement Grants
Student Achievement Grants provide $2,000 and $5,000 awards to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection.
Deadline: June 1, 2012

National Education Association (NEA) Learning & Leadership Grants
Learning & Leadership Grants provide opportunities for teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to engage in high-quality professional development and lead their colleagues in professional growth. The grant amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study.
Deadline: June 1, 2012

Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest
2012 is the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and therefore this year's Sense of Wonder contest will focus on water. Entries must be developed by a multi-generational team of two or more individuals. Teams may submit a poem, an essay, photograph, or a dance video that captures captures water around us. Contestants will share through one of these distinct mediums their own interactions with and reflections about the sense of water.
Deadline: June 1, 2012

Richard C. Bartlett Environmental Education Award
The 2012 Richard C. Bartlett Environmental Education Award will go to a high school teacher (grades 9-12) who successfully integrates environmental education into their curriculum and engages students in interdisciplinary solutions to environmental challenges. The award recognizes an educator who can serve as an inspiration and model for others. The winner will receive $5,000 and two merit winners will receive $750 each.
Deadline: June 8, 2012

Spring is a GREAT time to get out and appreciate natural phenomena in Minnesota. MNA is offering at least one field trip every month in 2012. There are TWO spectacular field trips available over the next two weekends.

Saturday May 5 - Bird banding at Warner Nature Center - $2 for current MNA members, $7 for nonmembers

Saturday May 12 - Spring wildflowers at Eloise Butler Flower Garden

Full descriptions at this site, or see below: http://mnnaturalists.org/events/field-trip-opportunities/

Bird Banding at Warner Nature Center
When: Saturday May 5, 2012 9:00 a.m.-Noon
What: Participants will visit mist nets and watch the entire banding process from netting to release. Be prepared to hike.
Where: Warner Nature Center, Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota
Cost: MNA members: $2; non-members: $7
Special Notes: Participants pay cash at the door.
To Register: Call 651-433-2427 (extension 10).

Spring Woodland Wildflowers at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary
When: May 12, 2012; 10:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m.
What: Come visit the nation's oldest public wildflower Garden to see native woodland wildflowers in bloom! We'll look for bloodroot, trout lilies, trilliums, and more. Bring binoculars for a little spring migratory bird watching.
Where: Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary, Minneapolis, MN
To Register: Email Lauren Borer (thuja27@gmail) by May 11, 2012.

At Dodge Nature Center we are excited to be offering the 2 presentations - "A Walk In the Woods", presented and led by U of M Minnesota Forest Ecologist Lee Frelich, Weds, May 9 and Kenny Salwey's, The Last River Rat, Friday, June 15.

For more information click on our calendar at http://www.dodgenaturecenter.org/!

Erica Wheeler, keynote speaker at the NAI National Workshop in 2007: I'm coming to your region to do a few events with FWS and wondered if there might be a few other places that would be interested in having a program with me. I offer sense of place performances and workshops. More on that here http://www.ericawheeler.com I live on the east coast, so since I'll already be in your area, this makes it affordable way for people to have me! The dates I'll be in the region are:

1. June 23rd Dubuque IA

2. . Sat, July 7th Thomson, Il

3. Friday Sept. 21, La Cross, WI

Erica Wheeler is an award-winning singer/songwriter with a background in environmental studies. In response to the changes she witnessed in the American landscape during her years on the road, she developed her Soulful Landscape programs, to help people reconnect with places. Through her work, she helps to foster personally meaningful connections between people and place, inspiring the foundation of caring needed to engage in stewardship.

She has offered her Soulful Landscape programs at conferences, events and learning centers across the country. Her work connecting people and place has been feature in Orion, Yes! and Yankee magazines. With six CD's to her credit, she has been feature on syndicated radio programs such as "All Things Considered" and "Voice of America." Her latest CD, "Good Summer Rain" was sponsored in part by the Trust for Public Land, a national land conservation organization, and was winner of the 2008 National Association for Interpretation Media Awards for "Best Interpretive Music."

FREE MNA Naturalist and Volunteer Training
Habitat Ecology at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis.
Monday, June 11, 2012 from 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Join an experienced Garden Naturalist as you stroll OUTSIDE through Theodore Wirth Park's classic gems, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and the Quaking Bog. Discover the different habitat that fosters diverse types of plants, animals and birds.
Registration begins May 1st, 2012 by phone only at 612-363-4722 (Lauren Borer)
ONLY 50 SPOTS AVAILABLE

Save the date! First Annual MNA Picnic! Pack a picnic basket, bring your family and join MNA members for a fun family gathering "Naturalist Style" at the Elm Creek Park Reserve playground. Mingle with other MNA members, meet your MNA Board, play lawn games and enjoy a beautiful evening in the park!
Where? ELM CREEK PARK RESERVE, Three Rivers Park District, Maple Grove, MN
When? Friday July 20, 2012 from 5 pm - 8 pm

MNA members are invited to start taking photos this year to enter MNA's first ever annual member photo contest. http://mnnaturalists.org/events/amateur-photo-contest/

Minnesota Naturalist Association
MNA Info Committee
P.O. Box 75127
St. Paul, MN 55175
MNAinfochair@gmail.com

June 9 Nature Hike at Priory Preserve in Maplewood
By lothe013 on April 23, 2012 2:06 PM | No Comments
Nature Hike at Priory Preserve in Maplewood
Sat. June 9, (National Get Out Doors Day) 10:00 - 11:30
(Adults, families and children 8+)
The Priory Preserve was set aside by the residents of Maplewood to preserve a bit of the wild in this city. It is a place to discover and enjoy nature. From the silver maple tree arching over the north entrance to the woods, prairie, and wetlands beyond, this 46 acres preserve is full of diversity. As you walk the trails watch for the numbered posts that correspond to the newly created nature guide. Twelve stations along the trail highlight the preserve's stories.
The Priory Preserve Interpretive Trial was developed by Master Naturalist Janie O'Connor, with support from volunteer graphic designer Leslie Hawkes, and staff member Ginny Gaynor. Join us June 9th to hike the interpretive trails with the guide's authors, exploring different habitats and the continually changing landscape. Trail Distance is less than 1.5 miles with varying but not steep terrain.
Meet at Larpenteur Ave. entrance (900 ' west of Century Ave.- also called hwy 120) across from Hill-Murray High School. For GPS-ers: 2625 Larpenteur Ave E. Maplewood, MN 55109.
Register by calling 651 249 2170

Nature Hike at Priory Preserve in Maplewood
Sat. June 9, (National Get Out Doors Day) 10:00 - 11:30
(Adults, families and children 8+)
The Priory Preserve was set aside by the residents of Maplewood to preserve a bit of the wild in this city. It is a place to discover and enjoy nature. From the silver maple tree arching over the north entrance to the woods, prairie, and wetlands beyond, this 46 acres preserve is full of diversity. As you walk the trails watch for the numbered posts that correspond to the newly created nature guide. Twelve stations along the trail highlight the preserve's stories.
The Priory Preserve Interpretive Trial was developed by Master Naturalist Janie O'Connor, with support from volunteer graphic designer Leslie Hawkes, and staff member Ginny Gaynor. Join us June 9th to hike the interpretive trails with the guide's authors, exploring different habitats and the continually changing landscape. Trail Distance is less than 1.5 miles with varying but not steep terrain.
Meet at Larpenteur Ave. entrance (900 ' west of Century Ave.- also called hwy 120) across from Hill-Murray High School. For GPS-ers: 2625 Larpenteur Ave E. Maplewood, MN 55109.

FREE MNA Naturalist and Volunteer Training
Habitat Ecology at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis.
Monday, June 11, 2012 from 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Join an experienced Garden Naturalist as you stroll OUTSIDE through Theodore Wirth Park's classic gems, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and the Quaking Bog. Discover the different habitat that fosters diverse types of plants, animals and birds.
Registration begins May 1th, 2012 by phone only at 612-363-4722 (Lauren Borer)
ONLY 50 SPOTS AVAILABLE

Outdoor Ethics Workshop
Mn Valley National Wildlife Refuge presents, "A Forum on Creating Responsible Outdoor Behaviors". As more families spend time outdoors, there is an impact to natural areas. Hear research on outdoor impacts, Learn LNT Principles and Try activities that you can incorporate into YOUR nature programs to influence behaviors.

For Outdoor Educators, Park Services, DNR, USFWS, USFS, USFWS employees, Naturalists, Interpreters, Camp Staff, Interns and Volunteers. June 19th. 9:00 - 11:30. Bloomington Visitor Education Center, 3815 American Blvd. East Bloomington, MN. Free. Outdoor Ethic pamphlet, ethics tag and copies of activities provided.

For registration and more information go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LNT2012.

These may be job opportunities some of your members would be interested in:

These Area Naturalist positions will be located at Lake Bronson and Buffalo River State Parks, to provide interpretation and outreach education at the park and provide outreach to Scientific and Natural Areas. It will seek citizen partnership opportunities with key communities. It is responsible for identifying and interpreting the natural, scientific, historical and recreational aspects of these facilities and the area. This involves developing, implementing, publicizing and updating of interpretive plans as well as non-personal interpretive applications and developing environmental education curriculum and opportunities in partnership with schools. This position also works with the Regional Naturalist to develop non-personal interpretive products, especially those using digital technology

Working Title: SNA/Park Naturalist
Class/Option: Interpretive Naturalist 2
Position: 01007562 Location: Lake Bronson State Park
Bargaining Unit: MAPE
Employment Condition: Temporary Full-Time
FLSA Status: nonexempt Temporary Position End Date: October 22, 2012
Days of Work: Varies Hours of Work: Varies
Work Area: Lake Bronson State Park Previous Incumbent: N/A
View at: https://statejobs.doer.state.mn.us/JobPosting/View?_posting=12DNR000213

Working Title: SNA/Park Naturalist
Class/Option: Interpretive Naturalist 2
Position: 01014033 Location: Buffalo River State Park
Bargaining Unit: MAPE
Employment Condition: Temporary Full-Time
FLSA Status: nonexempt Temporary Position End Date: October 22, 2012
Days of Work: Varies Hours of Work: Varies
Work Area: Buffalo River State Park Area Previous Incumbent: N/A
View at: https://statejobs.doer.state.mn.us/JobPosting/View?_posting=12DNR000214

Peter Buesseler, Regional Manager
DNR Division of Ecological and Water Resources
2115 Birchmont Beach Rd. NE
Bemidji, MN 56601
218-308-2626

Save the date! First Annual MNA Picnic! Pack a picnic basket, bring your family and join MNA members for a fun family gathering "Naturalist Style" at the Elm Creek Park Reserve playground. Mingle with other MNA members, meet your MNA Board, play lawn games and enjoy a beautiful evening in the park!
Where? ELM CREEK PARK RESERVE, Three Rivers Park District, Maple Grove, MN
When? Friday July 20, 2012 from 5 pm - 8 pm

Investigate Minnesota's Changing Climate at the Will Steger Foundation's 7th Annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education: August 7 and 8, 2012 at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley, MN
The Will Steger Foundation's Summer Institute for Climate Change Education will enrich your teaching of climate change and help you bring climate literacy to your educational setting. Mileage and accommodations are available for those traveling over 150 miles round-trip within Minnesota.
Learn more and apply online: http://classroom.willstegerfoundation.org/about/summer-institute/summer-institute-2012

--
Minnesota Naturalists Association
MNA Info Committee
P.O. Box 75127
St. Paul, MN 55175
MNAinfochair@gmail.com

From new curricula and free resources, to streaming cameras and student inquiry... here are our top stories this spring!

Youth become Nature Detectives
Help young people connect to and learn about their local environment and birds through scavenger hunts, outdoor bingo, food web tangles and tagging games, and hands-on fun. We are thrilled to unveil our first out-of-school-time kit: "Afterschool Investigators: Nature Detectives!" It's perfect for afterschool programs, camps, scout, and youth groups. The lessons are easy to use and the kit full of reusable supplies. Use the coupon code "newafterschool" to get $10 off the kit through May 1, 2012.

Submit Student Projects this Year
Have your students already completed bird-related projects this year? Or would you like to end your school year with authentic investigation? Remember, we collect and publish kids' work in our annual student research magazine!

Fifth Year for Online Inquiry Course
Would you like to help your students conduct scientific investigations, but you'd like a little bit of help and practice? In the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "Investigating Birds" online course, you will conduct your own investigation, have a chance to try lessons and resources that you can use with your students, and get feedback on your ideas for implementation in your classroom.
You can participate from anywhere, and log in at your convenience. This exciting, hands-on course runs for 5 weeks, from June 25-July 30, 2012. Four CEU credits from Cornell University are available.

Get Inspired by Live Bird Videos and Free Lessons
Cornell Lab's new heron and hawk nest cams can bring live high-definition video of these species directly into your classroom. When you're watching these amazing live videos, you'll find that science questions naturally arise. Several teachers who were inspired by the educational potential of the cameras have helped us develop an exciting resource that we are thrilled to share with you.

Help us write a book!
Do you teach with any citizen science projects? Please share your ideas! We're looking for contributed lessons to our Birds, Butterflies, Bullfrogs, and Beyond book, to be published in 2013 by NSTA Press! If your lesson is selected, you can become a published author, and all authors will get a free copy of the book. The deadline to submit your lesson is May 15, 2012.

Connect with BirdSleuth
We are brand new to Twitter, and have started tweeting like a bird! We invite you to become a follower on Twitter and also on our Facebook page. Both of these sites are wonderful ways to receive BirdSleuth news and announcements, network with other educators, and generally learn about STEM education and Cornell Lab programs. Join us online! We'd like to earn 2,000 Facebook "likes" by the end of the school year. Join our Facebook page and then invite your like-minded friends to join in the BirdSleuth fun. If we reach 2,000 fans before June 1, we will randomly select five Facebook friends to win our Nature Detectives kit!

Efforts to fend off the Asian carp invasion are receiving a good deal of media attention these days. However, while some proposed strategies to control the invasive species are moving along quickly, others remain stagnant. Meanwhile the dreaded fish continues to leap and bound upstream.

Below is a roundup of the latest Asian carp developments -- from their spread to Congressional action (or inaction) to the potential closure of the St. Anthony Falls Lock -- a move supported by the majority of respondents to FMR's ongoing poll (see right) "Should we lock the locks?"

Asian carp on the move

March 1st, three fishermen held up the Asian carp they caught on the Mississippi River near Winona, a photo was snapped and Minnesota's much-needed poster child for stopping the Asian carp invasion was born. The image and news of the fishermen's catch went viral and within days a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress calling for the closure of Upper St. Anthony Falls lock in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, concerns continue to grow about the spread of Asian carp into tributaries of the Mississippi River, and even the potential for the agile fish to find pathways from one river basin to another.

Asian carp heading to St. Croix River, by Margaret Ontl, Hudson Star-Observer, April 6, 2012
Asian carp in northern Iowa near Minnesota border [includes video], by Perry Beeman, Des Moines Register, April 6, 2012
Mississippi CARP Act introduced in March, includes lock closure

A bill was introduced in March in the U.S. House and Senate to address the invasion of Asian carp into Minnesota's treasured waters. Six of Minnesota's ten Federal lawmakers are co-authors on the bill. If you haven't yet, please take a moment to thank them for their leadership and ask our four hold-out representatives to sign on. See "How you can Help" in our March update.
VIDEO: Congressman Paulsen talks Supreme Court and Asian carp, U.S. Congressman Erik Paulsen fields questions from constituents in Maple Grove and Plymouth, MapleGrovePatch.com, April 3, 2012
City of Minneapolis, National Park Service, FMR and others voluntarily reduce lockages

Stopping the Asian carp invasion is a complex issue. So it's a bit ironic that the simplest, least expensive option for stopping the upstream spread of these marauding invaders is also the most controversial: closing the Upper St. Anthony Lock in Minneapolis. The CARP Act suggests this bold move, but only mandates closure once Asian carp are found upstream of Hastings. Some folks think waiting for either Asian carp (or for Congress) to move forward is not the best strategy, and have stepped up to reduce or eliminate their usage of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Lock #1 at the Ford Dam. (The Lower St. Anthony Falls dam is much lower and thus would not serve as a fish barrier.)

After Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak vetoed an agreement between the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and Paradise Cruises, the company that operates a paddleboat from Boom Island, the park board renegotiated the agreement with the company not to use the locks. Mayor Rybak's office is also pushing ahead with a plan to close the Upper Harbor Terminal/Port of Minneapolis within six months. The Minneapolis City Council will officially weigh in on this next month.

The National Park Service and Wilderness Inquiry were among the first organizations to eliminate "locking through" as part of their paddling programs, and they have been encouraging others to do the same. Although the locks are operated for the purpose of commercial navigation, recreational traffic makes up more than half of the vessels that lock through in Minneapolis. Likewise, FMR's signature paddling event, the Mississippi River Challenge, features a new lock-free route this year and will start on the Minnesota River instead of Coon Rapids Dam.

Paddleboat cruises to stop using Mpls. lock in effort to keep Asian carp at bay, Eric Roper, Star Tribune, April 5, 2012
A new path for the 2012 Mississippi River Challenge!, FMR, April 17, 2012
Asian carp research boost?

A proposed University Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center appears to be headed for approval in the Minnesota State Legislature, assuming politics doesn't get in the way. Dr. Peter Sorensen, a University of Minnesota professor known for his innovative research on common carp is ready to take on Asian carp at a new center dedicated to research ways to deter, attract and eradicate Asian carp, as well as other invasive species such as zebra mussels.

Research center proposed, Bill enlists U in species fight, Dennis Anderson, Star Tribune, March 8, 2012
Installing barriers to slow Asian carp

Plans and funding are in the works for barriers to slow or stop upstream migration of the dreaded invasive species. At present, both the Minnesota House and Senate have passed bills that include funding to construct fish barriers on the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities, as well as funding for the research center. Gov. Dayton also supports the funding proposals. Some folks are advocating for electric barriers, but because of potential danger to boaters and other aquatic species, sonic/bubble barriers are also being considered.

Legacy funding tapped for Asian carp barriers, Erin Schmidtke, Session Weekly/Session Daily and tcdailyplanet.com, April 8, 2012
[Video] Bubble barrier may protect Minnesota waters from Asian carp Bill Hudson, CBS News, March 12, 2012

UMN Extension Announces Spring 2012 Woodland Webinar Series

The University of Minnesota Extension Forestry team is pleased to announce our spring 2012 Woodland Webinar Series. Building on the growing popularity of the past two years' webinar series, these presentations offer a convenient way to connect with University faculty and representatives from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Presentations are designed primarily for family woodland owners but may be of interest to natural resource professionals as well. There is no cost to attend.

"Webinars" are online presentations that include live questions and answers. Anybody with an internet-connected computer and speakers can participate, although those with dial-up connections may want to tune in from a library or other location offering a higher-speed connection. The UMN Extension Forestry team has been offering webinars since 2010, and they've been getting more popular every year. Attendees appreciate the ability to get immediate answers to their questions from UMN faculty and other knowledgeable presenters. They also value the convenience and low cost of participation.

This year's series includes the following presentations, with more likely to be added:
Phenology: Tracking Minnesota's Ever-Changing Forests
The State of Minnesota's Forests
Minnesota Forest Health Update: What to look for in your woods in 2012
Property Tax and Incentive Payments
For details and registration information, visit http://z.umn.edu/2012webinars .

The University of Minnesota Extension is an equal opportunity employer and educator.

The Minnesota Zoo is pleased to offer the 2012 Our World Speaker Series. This free series introduces you to experts in local and global wildlife conservation and environmental issues. Registration will open one month prior to each event. Space is limited so pre-registration is required.

Trumpeter Swans, Common Loons and the Minnesota Zoo

Speaker: Jimmy Pichner
Date: Wednesday, May 9
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

https://www.nc.mnzoo.state.mn.us/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=471

Mr. Pichner is the lead bird supervisor at the Minnesota Zoo where he has worked for over 30 years. Mr. Pichner will chronicle the Zoo's involvement with the Minnesota trumpeter swan restoration program which has gone from near extinction to over 4000 birds in the wild. He will also chronicle the first successful hatching and successful rearing of a common loon in captivity and his work with loon mortality in the wild.

Making Green Fire: On the Trail of Aldo Leopold

Speaker: Mr. Curt Meine
Date: Thursday, June 28
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Registration will open one month prior to this event.

The making of the film Green Fire has been a process of discovery for on-screen guide Curt Meine, Senior Fellow, Aldo Leopold Foundation. To explore Aldo Leopold's continuing influence on today's conservation movement, Meine visited hundreds of people practicing conservation all over the country. Meine will share remarks after the screening of Green Fire.

The Elephants of Tarangire: A Conservation Success Story

Speaker: Dr. Charles Foley
Date: Wednesday, July 25
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Registration will open one month prior to this event.

Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania is home to 2,500 elephants. Dr. Charles Foley, Director of the Tarangire Elephant Project, and his wife Lara, a native Minnesotan, have been studying these elephants for nearly 20 years. Join us to learn about their efforts in working with the local Masai communities to protect vital elephant migration corridors.

Conserving Minnesota's Prairie Butterfly Heritage

Speaker: Dr. Erik Runquist
Date: Tuesday, August 21
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Registration will open one month prior to this event.

A key feature of Minnesota's natural landscape is tallgrass prairie, but less than 1% still remains and many of its endemic species are endangered. Dr. Erik Runquist, the Minnesota Zoo's butterfly conservation biologist, will discuss the Zoo's work to save rare prairie butterflies like the Poweshiek skipperling and Regal fritillary, and how the public can help preserve this heritage.

Wildlife Heroes: Who is Saving the World's Animals?

Speaker: Mr. Jeff Flocken
Date: Monday, September 17
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Registration will open one month prior to this event.

Jeff Flocken has worked for the U.S. Government on international species conservation efforts; consulted on wildlife films, TV and books; and is currently the head of U.S. policy for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. His new book, "Wildlife Heroes", profiles 40 of the men and women tackling the greatest threats to animals and the species they are saving.

The Wonderful World of Bats

Speaker: Ms. Nina Fascione
Date: Wednesday, October 10
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Registration will open one month prior to this event.

Bats are essential to the health of our natural world and to many human economies, yet they are among the least studied and most misunderstood animals. Nina Fascione, executive director of Bat Conservation International, will discuss the essential role bat's play in our ecosystem, the threats they face, and how people are working together to protect them.

If you have registered and need to change or cancel your registration or if you have any questions, please feel free to email us at educate@mnzoo.org.

April 19 webinar: Phenology--Tracking Minnesota's ever changing forests

We're pleased to kick off the 2012 Extension Woodland Webinar Series on April 19 with Rebecca Montgomery of the UMN Department of Forest Resources. Webinars are free online presentations. To join, you just need an internet-connected computer with speakers. There's no charge to attend. Get the details, and register, here.

Wildfire Prevention Week April 15-21
At press time, the Jeep Fire has burned 1400 acres near Nimrod, MN and fire risk is high to extreme across Minnesota. This winter's light snow and the early spring have created a prolonged and dangerous fire season. Read about wildfire in Minnesota and how to protect your property.

Climate and Minnesota Forests: Reflections from a February event
A February 2012 symposium at the Cloquet Forestry Center addressed strategies to maintain Minnesota woodland health and productivity in a changing climate. This month we present a short research review for family forest owners. Check it out.

Managing black walnut in Minnesota

Mel Baughman, professor emeritus with Extension and the UMN Department of Forest Resources, has published and presented on black walnut management in Minnesota for years. He recently presented a webinar on black walnut management for the American Tree Farm System. A free recording is here.

Northern MN phenology report: Pelicans

This month John Latimer writes about one of Minnesota's largest birds, the pelican. This huge, lumbering bird with a 9-foot wingspan is certainly unusual. Read more in John's April report.

3rd MN Phenology Conference is in two weeks: April 27-29

Do you like keeping track of when the first flowers bloom, when birds appear at your feeders, when trees leaf out or change color? Consider attending the 3rd Minnesota Phenology Conference at the Cloquet Forestry Center in April. http://phenology.cfans.umn.edu/PhenologyConference/index.htm?utm_source=MMW%3A+April+2012&utm_campaign=MMWemail&utm_medium=email

Meet a Minnesota logger: Elmer Dobbs, now in his 65th year logging

"If you enjoy a job you'll work hard at it," Says Elmer Dobbs of Littlefork. Elmer sure enjoys logging in Minnesota--he's been at it for 65 years now. And he's seen some changes over that time. Get to know Elmer Dobbs here.

Other items you may have missed
Woodland Advisor Neal Chapman is interested in a seed exchange.
Like trees on Lake Superior's north shore? There's a community meeting on May 11.
The April Itasca Woodlands newsletter is out
The KAXE / KBXE Spring Watch Facebook page on Facebook is going crazy.
The Spring 2012 Woodland Advisor newsletter is out.
Thinking about planting trees this spring? See our tree planting page.

PROJECT UPDATES
Minnesota's Clean Air Dialogue
The first stakeholder meeting of Minnesota's Clean Air Dialogue will take place on Friday. Work Group members from business, government and nonprofits will identify and articulate the challenges associated with meeting new federal air quality standards for ground level ozone and fine particulate matter that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release. The group will also work to develop emission reduction and funding strategies to improve air quality and respond to these new challenges. Friday's meeting will include an overview of the current and projected state of Minnesota's air quality and the potential for new air quality standards.

Contact Mark Lundgren at 612-334-3388 ext. 105 with questions or for more information.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Business & Environment Series Events Announced
Registration is now open for all three sessions in the 2012 Business & Environment Series. Sustainability has become a necessary and integral consideration for organizations of all types, and this year's events will dig deeper into the biggest sustainability challenges - and opportunities - facing our partners. Sessions will feature expert presentations, peer-to-peer learning, and small group discussions to provide solutions and tangible takeaways to practitioners seeking to embed sustainability into the fabric of their organizations and minimize waste throughout their supply chains. Attend a single session, or receive a registration discount by reserving your spot at all three.
Register or learn more »

Up in the Air: What Changes in Federal Air Quality
Standards Could Mean for Minnesota
Environmental Initiative is hosting events in Minneapolis, Duluth and Rochester, where locally relevant speakers will discuss how proposed changes to federal air quality standards may affect Minnesota.

Registration is $10 for members, $15 for non-members and will remain open until Tuesday, April 10 for the Twin Cities Metro event, Tuesday, April 24 for the Duluth event, and Tuesday, May 1 for the Rochester event, or as space allows.

Contact Meleah Houseknecht at 612-334-3388 ext.104 with questions. Register or learn more »

Attend the Environmental Initiative Awards
Don't miss your chance to celebrate environmental partnerships with hundreds of environmental professionals at the Environmental Initiative Awards on Thursday, May 24. In addition to celebrating fifteen outstanding projects, event attendees have the important job of casting votes to select the 2012 Partnership of the Year award winner. You have to be in the room to cast your vote.

Full tables of eight, half tables of four and individual tickets are now on sale. We hope to see you on the pavilion patio!
Register »

OTHER NEWS
Thank You Members & Sponsors
Environmental Initiative thanks the following organizations for becoming Partnership Circle Members, for renewing support at the Partnership Circle levels or for sponsoring Environmental Initiative events.
3M
Andersen Corporation
Antea Group
Atomic/1543AD/Foundation/U4EA
Barr Engineering
Best Buy
Bloomberg & Podpeskar LLP
Braun Intertec
CenterPoint Energy
District Energy St. Paul
Donaldson Company, Inc.
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
Ecolab Foundation
Emerson Process Management
Environmental Resources Management
Flint Hills Resources
Gopher Resource
Great River Energy
HealthPartners
Hoglund Bus and Truck
Hormel Foods Corporation
Larkin Hoffman Attorneys
Medtronic
Minnesota Environmental Fund
Minnesota Power
Northern Tier Energy, LLC
Otter Tail Power Company
Rochester Public Utilities
SEH, Inc.
Smiths Medical
Smith Partners PLLP
Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency
Stoel Rives LLP
Waste Management
Tennant Company
The Wedge
The Weidt Group
Thomson Reuters
Wenck Associates
Xcel Energy
Ziegler, Inc.
Environmental Initiative is grateful for all of our members who support our efforts to engage partners in collaborative environmental projects.

WANTED: People With Science Hobbies
We need your help with a new National Science Foundation sponsored research study that will investigate characteristics and educational experiences of people who are active in science hobbies and citizen science. More and more people are engaging in science hobbies and schools and science centers would like to know more about characteristics of science hobbyists and how organizations might better support hobbyists' networking and education. Hobbyists and citizen scientists can be a wonderful asset to communities and support for science across the county. Please consider volunteering to participate by completing a survey about your science interests and background.

Participation is voluntary and information you share will not be reported by name and will be anonymous. All survey participants will be put in a drawing for a $100 gift card.

To sign up go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JDV6VJK.

If you have questions contact Vanessa Stevens at vcsteven@ncsu.edu.

From Bozeman

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

We are eager to send you March's wEt.MAIL since we have so many exciting things to report. I have recently returned from the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France. There were many visitors to the Project WET Foundation exhibit and booth with wonderful opportunities to network and build new relationships with national and international partners. We made numerous presentations all of which were well attended and received.

Theresa and Molly have also returned to home base in Bozeman having attended NSTA this past week. Again, we had many visitors to our booth and lots of positive interest in Generation 2.0.

I am pleased to report that our online Generation 2.0 refresher course is finished and is now ready to begin the review process. We will be offering the course very soon.

This newsletter is full of great information. One item I'd like to call to your attention to is our Water Education: Developing 21st Century Skills Conference next month. If you intend to attend, please complete your registration as soon as possible.

Many thanks for all you do for water education in the United States.

Laurina

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2012 USA Conference
Registration Opens

The online registration site for the pre-conference meetings and conference is now open. Attendees can register and pay using this website. If you need to register using a purchase order, please contact Theresa Schrum.

Registration Deadline is Friday, April 27.

Pre-conference Meetings:

Sunday, May 20: Coordinators' Council Meeting
Monday, May 21: New coordinator training
Tuesday, May 22: USA coordinator meetings

Conference:

Wednesday, May 23 - Friday, May 25

The conference is open to anyone interested in water education.

Field Experiences:

Half-day trips to the New England Aquarium in Boston and whale watching tours near Cape Cod will be offered on Tuesday afternoon. Registration for these is now open on the registration website.

Presenters:

The deadline for submitting a presentation has been extended to April 15. A presentation request form can be found here.

Merchandise:

You can order Project WET polo shirts for men and women and tote bags by using this order form. Deadline to order merchandise is May 1. All merchandise must be picked up at the conference.

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New Host Institution & Program Staff Changes

Please join me in welcoming our newest Host Institution:

Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center
721 NW 9th Ave. Suite 236
Portland, OR 97209
Tucker Lee
Program Director

Mary Hayes, Indiana Project WET Coordinator has accepted a new position. Warren Gartner will be temporarily taking over managing the Project WET Program. We wish Mary success in her new position.

Faith Shiramizu, Hawaii Project WET Coordinator has accepted a position with the Public Works Department. Joy Buccat will be taking over the Project WET Program. Aloha Faith and best of luck.

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Discover Water Pilot Study Openings

The Discover Water Pilot Study still has openings for about 5-10 educators of grades 3-6. Participation requires the completion of three short surveys over the span of about three months and the use of at least one unit of DiscoverWater.org in your classroom. More information can be found at this link.

Deadline to apply is Friday, April 6.

Participating, educators will receive complimentary classroom sets of Project WET materials as well as other goodies.

If you wish to participate, please complete the application found at this link.

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News from the Project WET Portal

Per requests from quite a few members, we now have a user search feature. If you are looking for another member, you can search for them. This new tab can be found on the "My Relationships" page.

Did you know....? If you purchase an item listed in the Reading Corner or Teacher Resource Sections through the Amazon.com link, Project WET gets a small percentage from Amazon. So click away!

You can download the Portal Users' Guide (pdf) through this link.

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News from the EPA & Other Agencies

EPA Releases Document for Identifying and Protecting Healthy Watersheds

EPA Unveils New Website on Nutrient Pollution for Homeowners, Students and Educators

Urban Waters Federal Partnership Launches Ambassadors Program to Support Revitalizing Urban Waterways in U.S.

(NOAA) Risk of major flooding in spring is low for the first time in four years

Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to predictions by NOAA scientists.

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Potential Grants

The following grants may be of interest to your organization. Please be aware that many of these grants have rapidly approaching application deadlines.

Youth Environmental Outdoor Education and Camps

Ocean Education Partnership Grants for Professional Development and other Capacity-building of Informal Science Educators and Volunteers

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Get mapped with MOST-Science!

MOST-Science is a nationwide study funded by the National Science Foundation and the Noyce Foundation. They are collecting data on the organization and practices of science, engineering and technology-focused out-of-school-time (OST) programs across the country, and are eager to gather and analyze a large, comprehensive body of data on current work in this fast-growing and diverse field. They would very much appreciate your assistance in contributing to their study and/or spreading the word about it.

One out of every 15 people who fills out the questionnaire will win a $50 gift certificate to their choice of either Staples or DonorsChoose.org.

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FYI...

The Wildlife Conservation Society's Online Teacher Academy allows you to examine life science through interactive simulations, videos, and presentations from WCS scientists and educators.

Celebrate National Week of the Ocean April 1-7, 2012

The Rio Grande Advisory Council will hold its annual conference August 8-11, 2012 in Alamosa, Colorado.

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Upcoming Conferences

Project WET will be represented at the following conferences where we will either have a booth, a speaker or both. If you are attending, please come and find us or possibly volunteer to help. Thanks.

2012 NAAEE: October 10-13 in Oakland, CA

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Coordinators' Council News

Strategic Guidelines and the WET Coordinator's Work Plan (based upon WETteam reports) are at the forefront of our work right now. We anxiously await the on-line training option for past WET workshop participants and support your efforts to train your existing WET facilitators within your state or region. All of the pieces that all coordinators have produced and shared to use with upcoming trainings are useful as we all continue to transition with the new 2.0 Activity Guide. They are available on WebEx and located in the Coordinator's Toolbox.

The annual Project WET USA business meeting and conference is scheduled and registration is now open-we encourage all coordinators to attend, if possible. It is a great time to learn, to visit with others in the WET Coordinator Network and to celebrate all of the work that we do as Coordinators. Thanks for your efforts for Project WET!

If you have questions, please contact your council representative as listed below.

Region 1: Joni Scharfenberg (Alaska)
Region 2: Erica Cox (Missouri), Council Chair
Region 3: Kevin Kopp (New Jersey)
Region 4: Brian Brown (California)
Region 5: Philip Osborne (Arkansas)
Region 6: Jo Adang (Georgia)
At-Large: Cindy Etgen (Maryland)

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WET Team Updates

The WET Teams have begun working on their 2012 work plan goals and will report their progress through the year.
The Storm Water group has begun meeting again on the third Tuesday of each month at 3PM Eastern. The Pharmaceuticals group

Conference Planning:
Cindy Etgen, Council Rep
Kim McCoy, Chair
Meeting: Last Wednesday of the month at 4 PM ET

Development:
Philip Osborne, Council Rep & Acting Chair
Meeting time TBD
The Pharmaceuticals group headed by Barbara Miller has put together a sample agenda with a list of activities that can be modified for this topic. This agenda can be found on the Portal in the Library under "Workshop Agenda for Pharmaceuticals and Water Quality Using Project WET."

Instruction and Training:
Erica Cox, Council Rep
Jennifer Holmes, Chair
Meeting: Third Wednesday of the month at 2:30 PM ET

Products and Publications:
Brian Brown, Council Rep
Anne Lewis, Chair
Meeting: Second Wednesday of the month at 2 PM ET

Research and Evaluation:
Kevin Kopp, Council Rep
Holly Thomas-Hilburn, Chair
Meeting: Third Thursday of the month at 2 PM ET

Technology in Education:
Jo Adang, Council Rep
Tasha Krecek-Lynch and Mary Ann Stoll, Co-Chairs
Meeting: Last Tuesday of the month at 1 PM ET


Accessing Conference Calls

To access a Team conference call, follow these instructions:

Dial: 866-740-1260
Access: 8578855#

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We invite you to join us in educating children about the most precious resource on the planet - water.

Please forward this email to anyone you believe has an interest in what we do.

Sincerely,
Theresa Schrum
Project WET
Theresa.Schrum@projectwet.org
406-585-4189 (direct)
866-337-5486 (toll free in the USA)

The DNR has a lot of good newsletters/updates master naturalist volunteers or anyone can subscribe to. At mndnr.gov click on the red envelope, type in your email to set up an account, and then choose what you want by clicking on the boxes. This is our latest addition to the list of updates.

Spring 2012

Hello!

You are receiving this "Nature Note" because you have expressed interest in the Scientific and Natural Areas (SNA) Program at some time in the past. We have begun to focus energies on one of our important resources, YOU, the volunteers and friends of the SNA Program. This note is one effort to reconnect, pass along some interesting tidbits, let you know what we are up to, and point you toward exciting events you can join in on. If you do not wish to receive these updates please choose unsubscribe at the bottom of this message.

We also want your thoughts on what you would like to see from the Program. How can we feed your passion for nature and natural areas? What can we do to help discover these special places in your own way? Send us a note at sna.dnr@state.mn.us to share your thoughts.

Pickers, Pullers & Planters

An on-going and long-term commitment many of you have made to the SNA Program has been to volunteer projects at an SNA. From picking seeds, to pulling invasive species, to planting acorns, you'll have plenty of opportunities to lend a hand in caring for these special places. If you haven't been out on an event for awhile consider a few of the following projects. A full list is available on the newly updated SNA Volunteer web page, so check it out!

04/26/12

Pine Bend Bluffs SNA

Volunteer Project: Invasive Removal

05/26/12

Lost Valley Prairie SNA

Volunteer Project: Invasive Removal

06/30/12

Caldwell Brook Cedar Swamp SNA

Hike to Caldwell Brook Cedar Swamp SNA

Transformed by Burntside Islands SNA

In early March several intrepid explorers skied, hiked, and snowshoed their way across the snowy and frozen surface of Burnside Lake. Read more about their adventures in the Ely Echo. Read the article with more maps and photos here, and a follow-up here.

If you would be interested in organizing or leading events such as this on a Scientific and Natural Area contact us at sna.dnr@state.mn.us.

Site Highlight: Chimney Rock SNA

An interesting geological feature in Dakota county makes the grade as one the newest SNAs in Minnesota. Chimney Rock SNA contains a nearly 30-foot high pillar of rock comprised of a hard capstone rock that has protected soft sandstone under it from eroding. It is the only remaining formation of its kind remaining in the area, and has now been protected for all Minnesotan's to appreciate.

Norma Malinowski - SNA Outstanding Volunteer

According to AmberBeth VanNingen, DNR Ecologist, Tower:

"Norma Malinowski has been the volunteer site steward for Kawishiwi Pines Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) near Ely since 2008. Kawishiwi Pines is one of the more remote SNAs; it is not accessible by motor vehicle and a 2.5 mile hike may be necessary to access it in the winter! Despite this, Norma has faithfully visited the SNA nearly every month, making note of things such as illegal ATV use, boundary sign conditions, and general nature observations. She has also shared her knowledge of Kawishiwi Pines, and the Northwoods in general, by leading small groups to the site."

Norma's involvement goes beyond just one SNA, however. She has helped monitor other SNAs and participated in gathering information on them such as species records for plant and bird lists. Recently, she has become involved with the SNA Program's new outreach and education initiative by recruiting new site stewards and volunteers and helping the SNA program plan outreach events such as hikes into SNAs in the region. "Because of our small staff, we are dependent on volunteers like Norma to be our eyes and ears on the ground and to help promote SNAs. Norma represents what we admire in our volunteer site stewards, and we are grateful to have her!"

Snowy Owls Back to the Wild
Recently, The Raptor Center was able to release three snowy owls back into the wild. They each had very different stories that brought them into our clinic. Two birds were transported from Nebraska, where they were initially treated at Raptor Recovery, a rehabilitation facility in Elmwood.

The first had a fractured collarbone, the result of being shot, and the second suffered from a fractured wing, most likely from collision with a vehicle. The third bird was discovered near railroad tracks in Minneapolis and was admitted with internal trauma. All three owls were males that were hatched last year. Of the 13 snowy owls admitted to The Raptor Center since November 2011, seven were males and six were females. They were all either suffering from starvation or traumatic injuries.

Happy Earth Day from SEEK!

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. -- Native American Proverb

Check out SEEK's Calendar to find out how you can participate in events honoring Earth Day, National Environmental Education Week, National Green Week, Arbor Day, and more.


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Forestinfo.org
Forestinfo.org (formerly the F.R.E.E. Network) strives to facilitate informed decisions regarding forestry-related issues. Forestinfo.org is your source for environmental education materials which are understandable, unbiased, accurate, and available in a wide variety of formats, including videos, Eco-links, lesson plans, teachers' tools, research references, forestry tours, and more! Forestinfo.org is owned, managed, and maintained by Dovetail Partners, Inc., a non-profit environmental organization based in Minneapolis.



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Caponi Art Park and Learning Center
Caponi Art Park and Learning Center, a 60-acre nonprofit park in Eagan, features a sculpture garden, outdoor amphitheater, and miles of wooded hiking trails. The Art Park hosts dozens of family-friendly arts and cultural programs, bringing the area's top artists to perform a variety of art forms outdoors, including music, dance, theater, poetry, puppetry, and storytelling. We are open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from May through October. Tours of the sculpture garden and nature-based art activities are available to organized groups of all ages.

All programs are free of charge; donations are encouraged to help support quality programming.


Registration is open for the 2012 MAEE Annual Conference on June 21-22, 2012
Journey to Itasca State Park for the 2012 MAEE Conference! Join imaginative educators and administrators transforming their offices, classrooms, and personal lives into something fresh, rewarding and extraordinary. We will explore how play and creativity can enhance our work and professional life.

2012 Minnesota EE Conference Call for Exhibitors
As an exhibitor at the 2012 Minnesota Association for Environmental Education (MAEE) conference, you will interact and share your products, services and programs with 100 participants from across Minnesota. Attendees include seasoned and emerging K-12 teachers and non-formal EE professionals. The exhibit hall will be open June 21st from 1:00 - 6:00 pm. Cost for exhibitor space is $50.
Deadline May 1, 2012

2012 Hamline Rivers Institutes - FREE for Educators
Hamline University's Center for Global EE presents its acclaimed Rivers Institute, a 3-day field-based professional development opportunity that helps area educators improve their students' literacy, engineering skills and science knowledge through the lens of watershed education. Two institutes will be held this summer -- one on the St. Croix River June 25-27, and one on the Mississippi River July 23-25.

2012 Minnesota Naturalists' Association (MNA) Conference Call for Presentations
MNA is recruiting presenters to lead concurrent sessions, activities, development and networking opportunities, workshops and more for their annual conference which will be at Deep Portage Learning Center in Hackensack, MN on November 9-11. This years theme is The Dirt on Nature, what's happening beneath our feet.
Deadline: July 31, 2012

Investigate Minnesota's Changing Climate at the Will Steger Foundation's 7th Annual Summer Institute for Climate Change Education
The Summer Institute will be August 7 - 8 at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley. Grades 3-12 formal and informal educators will receive training on and a copy of our revised, interdisciplinary and standards-based Minnesota's Changing Climate curriculum and online classroom. It will enrich your teaching of climate change and help you bring climate literacy to your educational setting.

Get Geared Up For National Green Week 2012
National Green Week 2012 kicks off February 6, 2012 and runs until Earth Day 2012. Pick any week during this timeframe to be your school's Green Week! Now is the time to prepare - choose your activities, curriculum and greening initiatives today! National Green Week empowers students to be leaders of their own sustainability campaigns.

The Need for "Wild" Play: Let Children Be the Animals They Need to Be
This article highlights "an outstanding book that should be read carefully by anyone who's interested in play, and then read again and again. Its extensive reference section, and numerous figures provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of human play...the book is an easy read with minimal jargon. Not only does Hughes cover vast amounts of material on the evolution and significance of play, he also makes practical suggestions that play workers will find invaluable."

USDA Forest Service Makes $1 Million Commitment to Get Kids Outdoors
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced USDA's continuing commitment to get kids outdoors and connected to the natural world around them through $1 million in cost-share funding from the U.S. Forest Service to enhance children's programs in 18 states.

New Research Reveals Alarming Lack of Play for Pre-School Children
A recent study revealed that the three-fourths of U.S. children who currently attend child care centers are largely sedentary, engaging in vigorous activity for a mere 2-3 percent of their day. According to the study's lead author, Kristen A. Copeland, M.D., "We know children learn through play, including vigorous play." That play, however is increasingly squeezed out of young children's days.

Paying attention vs. Paying bills: Getting to 100 Percent renewable energy at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center (PWELC)
In 2011 PWELC reached their goal of having a campus that is powered by 100 percent renewable energy. Along the way they have been seeking ways to conserve energy while keeping an eye out for opportunities to incorporate renewable energy into their campus and curriculum.

USAgain Annual Earth Month Contest to Benefit Schools to Kick Off on April 1
From April 1 through May 1 schools can host a USAgain collection where students, parents, faculty and community can drop off gently used clothing and other textiles. At the end of the contest, the three schools that collect the most textiles and clothing per student will be awarded cash prizes of $500, $300 and $250 each. All participating schools will earn cash based on pounds of clothes and shoes collected.

FREE Resources Available at the MPCA Resource Center & Library's Earth Month Give-Away
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Resource Center & Library will host an Earth Month Give Away to share gently used resources on Thursday, April 12th, 2012 ~ 11:00am - 7:00pm and Friday, April 13th, 2012 ~ 7:00am - 4:00pm at its St. Paul office at 520 Lafayette Road North. In the spirit of reduce, reuse and recycle, videos, posters, displays and other resources from years past will be available free of charge to those who can put them to good use.

EPA's Draft K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines are Now Available for Public Comment (Funding also Available)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released for public comment the K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines for States, Tribes and Territories. Your feedback will help in the development of useful guidelines to states, tribes, and territories that will better support healthy school environments for our nation's children.
Deadline for comments: April 13, 2012

EPA announced the release of a Request for Applications (RFA) which will provide providing funding for implementation of the draft voluntary guidelines. Eligibility for funding under this competitive solicitation is limited to states, tribes and territories. Total funding available is expected to be $750,000 and applications for up to $150,000 will be accepted.
Closing date for Request for Applications: April 10, 2012

Join us at the 23rd Annual National Service-Learning Conference and the youthrive PeaceJam Leadership Conference in Mpls
The National Youth Leadership Council and youthrive have joined forces for 2012 to bring you the 23rd Annual Conference: Our World, Our Future, on April 11-14 at the Mpls Convention Center. This event celebrates service-learning as a force that engages students in their education, builds communities, and strengthens young people and schools.

2012 United States Earth Day Contest
Project Earth is hosting a national Earth Day Contest for grades K-12 featuring environmental projects, activities and actions being taken to conserve resources and protect our environment. Projects should be student led, collaborative with the community, innovative, and creative. One nation-wide project entry from each K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grade category will be selected as a winner.
Deadline: April 15, 2012

Free Environmental Programming Partnership Opportunity For K-5 Schools
The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is accepting applications for Elementary Schools (K-5th grade) to participate in the Refuge Partner Schools Program. The partnership provides teachers and students multidisciplinary, standard-based curriculum that emphasizes hands-on, real-life experiences with plants, wildlife, and recreational opportunities that immerse students in nature throughout the seasons.
Application Deadline: April 16, 2012

Apply now for summer jobs with Conservation Corps Minnesota
High school youth ages 15-18 may apply for one of 130 positions available with the Conservation Corps Minnesota summer conservation work program. Youth will be based for four weeks at a residential program site in central Minnesota. They will travel in crews to various state and federal lands to camp out and work on conservation projects. The majority of projects occur in conjunction with the MN Department of Natural Resources.
Deadline April 20, 2012

Announcing Minnesota GreenCorps Host Site Applications for 2012-2013
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is accepting applications for organizations interested in participating as a Host Site for the 2012-2013 year of the Minnesota GreenCorps program. Minnesota GreenCorps is an environmentally-focused AmeriCorps program which places AmeriCorps members with organizations around the state to spend a year of service addressing critical environmental issues, while gaining experience and learning valuable job skills.
Deadline: April 19, 2012

The Great Reuse Race
The Great Reuse Race is a two-week long scavenger hunt through the Twin Cities reuse community from April 9-22. The race promotes public awareness of local reuse businesses and the benefits of choosing to reuse. The event has 17 physical stops and 11 virtual stops. Join us for the Finish Line Party at 2:00pm at Arc Value Village in St. Paul on Sunday, April 22.

Minnesota Schools Take the EcoChallenge to Win $5,000
GreenSneakers would like to introduce your school to a simple, green way, to raise funds and win up to $5,000. GreenSneakers is excited to launch the 2nd Annual EcoChallenge for Education in Minnesota. Your school can earn 50 cents a pound for collecting used tennis shoes that are then made available as affordable footwear for people in need. The Challenge ends on Earth Day 2012.

Announcing the 2012 Work for Water Art and Design Contest
The Freshwater Society presents this contest that asks 9th - 12th grade students to create graphic design, short videos, photos, paintings, or drawings that engage Minnesotans in protecting water. Each design must be accompanied by a short essay that describes the work in relation to the theme of urban runoff. Winning entries will be featured on various media throughout the state and $500, $300 and $200 prizes will be awarded.
Deadline: April 30, 2012

Create an Educational Video to Help Protect Water and You Could Win $500
Minnesota's lakes and rivers need your help! In order to educate and inform citizens about the best way to prevent the spread of invasive species, Carver County Water Management Organization is hosting a video contest. Create a 2-3 minute, clever, entertaining and educational video on aquatic invasive species and demonstrate how to do a boat inspection. First place entry is $500, 2nd place is $300.
Deadline: May 18, 2012

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General EE Resources

Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network's (EDN) mission is to grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable planet. We pursue our mission through education, politics, events, and consumer activism. EDN's GREEN Schools Campaign seeks to green all of America's k-12 schools within a generation. Our FREE award-winning Educator's Network offers standard-based lessons, school greening tips, grants for teachers, and more.

The Fish Game
The Fish Game by the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education is a free online game designed to teach sustainability by demonstrating the problems overfishing can cause. Players fish for 10 days, earning money for each fish, along with other people doing the same. Once you complete the game, your results are summarized and follow up questions are posed. Each time you play, the results of the game will differ depending on how you and the other fisher folk play.

Children & Nature Network's (C&NN) Annotated Bibliographies of Research
Volume 5 of C&NN's Annotated Bibliographies of Research is a one-of-a-kind free service and the best single source of studies relevant to the children and nature movement. Volume 5 includes 88 new studies reported from 2009 to 201. We review the literature, evaluate for quality and relevance, and then write brief descriptions of each individual research report or synthesis of research. Links are provided to the original documents as well.

Rochester High Schools Go Solar - A Renewable Energy and Schools Case Study
The Minnesota Renewable Energy Society's (MRES) Renewable Energy And Schools series profiled the extraordinary work done by students and administrators in Rochester's schools to get solar on each of their high schools. Through their efforts, a 5.88 kW solar array was installed on the roof of Rochester's Mayo High School, a 6.1 kW array was installed on Century High School, and a 5.88 kW array was installed on John Marshall High School.


Funding Resources

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)
The PAEMST are the Nation's highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. The Awards recognize outstanding K-12 teachers for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession. The 2012 Awards will honor math and science teachers working in grades K-6. Teachers may nominate themselves or someone else may nominate them for this award.
Deadline: April 1, 2012

TogetherGreen Innovation Grants
The TogetherGreen Innovation Grants Program supports creative and ambitious projects that engage diverse communities and find innovative solutions to environmental challenges. In 2012, we will award at least 40 grants, ranging from $5,000 to $80,000, with an average grant size of $25,000. In addition, we will be offering three to five planning grants of $5,000 or less.
Deadline: April 2, 2012

Legislative-Citizen Commission on MN Resources (LCCMR) Grants
The LCCMR has issued its 2012-2013 Request for Proposal for funding from Minnesota's Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund beginning July 1, 2013. Proposals are being sought that provide multiple ecological and other public benefits in at least one of six areas, including "Enhancement of public education, awareness, and understanding necessary for the protection, conservation, restoration, and enhancement of air, land, water, forests, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources." (Note that a strong strong emphasis will be placed on invasive species, particularly Asian carp species and other aquatic invasive species.)
Deadline: April 6, 2012

Funding and Support Offered from Hennepin County's Green Partners Environmental Education Program
The Green Partners Program provides funding and support to organizations to implement projects that empower residents to reduce waste, increase recycling, reduce toxicity, conserve energy and protect water quality. Eligible organizations include non-profit organizations, community and youth groups, multicultural organizations, congregations, private and public schools, and park districts.
Groups can receive money small amounts of money for free field trip transportation and activity supplies or can up to $12,000 to implement an innovative project.
Deadline: April 9, 2012; small amounts apply at any time

Thacher Environmental Research Contest
The 2012 Thacher Environmental Research Contest, sponsored by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, challenges high school students (grades 9-12) to conduct innovative research on our changing planet using the latest geospatial tools and data. Student and teacher awards given. $3,500 in cash awards available.
Deadline: April 16, 2012

Young Environmental Hero (Gloria Barron Award)
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes seeks nominations for its 2012 awards. The Barron Prize honors young people (ages 8-18) who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Winners each receive $2,500 to support their service work or higher education. Half of each year's winners are chosen for their work to protect the health and sustainability of the environment.
Deadline: April 30, 2012

American Honda Foundation grants
Grants of $20,000 to $75,000 are provided in the fields of youth education and science education to K-12 schools, colleges, universities, trade schools, and others for programs that benefit youth and scientific educational institutions. The American Honda Foundation supports youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment.
Deadline: May 1, 2012

Brower Youth Awards
The Brower Youth Awards has launched the 2012 prize search for outstanding grassroots environmental leaders across North America. We celebrate young activist leaders, ages 13-22, leading the way to a green, just future. Each of the six recipients of the Brower Youth Awards will receive a $3,000 cash prize, a professionally produced short film about their work, flight and lodging accommodations for a week long trip to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Deadline: May 14, 2012

Community POWER Grants
Announcing, the NEW Community POWER grant program. We've many changes including offering three types of grants, online applications, one-step process, and increased flexibility. The grants are still open for environmental projects to schools, organizations and congregations for funding levels up to $5,000 and $12,000. Applications should propose new and innovative ways to educate and actively engage residents to recycle and reuse more, reduce waste and toxicity, compost yard and food waste, and plan green events.
Application Deadline: May 25, 2012

SEEK stands for Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge and is the online home of Minnesota's environmental education resources.