2021 Presentations

Presentation from Thursday, January 14, 2021: Metropolitan Regional Parks, Gateways to Nature, or A Missed Opportunity with Holly Jenkins, Wilderness in the City. 

​The Metropolitan Regional Parks system contains significant regional natural resources such as lakeshore, wetlands, hardwood forests, native prairies, and groundwater recharging areas. It is considered a nature-based parks system and as such has the potential to: 

·         Increase native habitat for pollinators

·         Provide healthy ecosystems for birds and other wildlife

·         Educate and inform people how to increase their own sustainable practices

·         Provide nature-based, low-impact recreation and education opportunities

·         Inspire the next generation of environmental stewards  

This potential, however, is at risk. New built infrastructure including skate parks, basketball courts, water parks and more built amenities are now being proposed within the regional park system. Increases in buildings, asphalt surfaces treated with salt for snow/ice removal, and manicured/treated turf are leading to further degradation of our natural environment. Ironically, much of the new construction could be financed with monies from the Legacy Amendment.

​​Metropolitan Regional Parks Gateways to Nature, or A Missed Opportunity: Presentation Link 

Presentation from Thursday, February 11, 2021: Chloride & Minnesota Waters with Brooke Asleson, Chloride Coordinator at Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)​ Minnesota has a growing salty water problem that threatens its freshwater fish and other aquatic life. Chloride from both de-icing salt and water softener salt gets into lakes and streams, and into groundwater that supplies our drinking water. It takes only one teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water. Once in the water, there is no easy way to remove the chloride. Learn what steps are being taken to reduce chloride use, as well as how concerned citizens can address this issue. Come join us for Chloride 101 and add some tools to your toolbox to reduce salt effects, like this Minnesota chloride map!

Chloride and Minnesota Waters Presentation Link 

Presentation from Thursday, March 11, 2021: Minnesota Karst Hydrogeology: Dissolving Bedrock and the Power of Water

with author and professor emeritus E. Calvin Alexander, Jr. of Earth and Environmental Sciences at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Learn the part water plays in creating sinkholes, caves and sinking streams and how those features affect Minnesota's groundwater quality.

​Caves and Karst Presentation Link 

A few definitions:

Karst: Landscape (sometimes obscured, e.g. by glacial till) characterized by subsurface drainage, where the dissolving of bedrock created sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, and springs.  

Hydrogeology: A Branch of geology concerned with water occurring underground or on the surface of the earth.

Presentation from Thursday, April 8, 2021: Revitalizing the Landscape with Matt Kumka, Senior Landscape Architect and Project Manager with Barr Engineering Co.

This presentation focuses on what our development and land use decisions have wrought on the landscape, how to conceptualize the massive changes still playing out, and what we can all do about it. Landscape interventions such as green infrastructure and restorations will be highlighted as well as practical planting decisions any property owner can make.

​Revitalizing the Landscape Presentation Link

Presentation Thursday, May 13, 2021: Where Are All the Skunks? Cameras and Camera Trapping with Steven Hogg, Wildlife Supervisor at Three Rivers

Camera trapping is a newer volunteer project within Three Rivers Park District. It helps the Natural Resources department at Three Rivers actively monitor fur-bearing populations in the parks. A camera trap uses remotely activated camera equipped with a motion sensor to capture wild animals on film when no one is present. Learn what is involved and what has been discovered.

Cameras and Camera Trapping Presentation Link

Presentation from Thursday, June 10, 2021: Understanding Our Wild Canid Neighbors, Coyotes and Foxes in the Twin Cities Area with Nick McCann and Geoff Miller

Coyotes and foxes have become more common in urban areas; however, little is known about these animals in the Twin Cities. Area residents now have opportunities to spot these wildlife species in parks and other green spaces close to their homes, but this proximity can also generate concern about where coyotes and foxes live, how many there are, and if they carry diseases that can infect pets and people. The Twin Cities Coyote and Fox Project (TCCFP; https://tccfp.umn.edu) seeks to address these concerns by demystifying the behavior of these urban carnivores while also identifying areas that can be managed to reduce conflict with them. 

In this presentation, Dr. Nick McCann (TCCFP Project Manager) and Geoff Miller (TCCFP PhD student) will provide information about urban coyote and fox life history and research, including preliminary findings from the TCCFP, which is funded by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR; https://www.lccmr.leg.mn/index.html).​

Coyotes and Foxes in the Twin Cities Area Presentation Link

Presentation from Thursday, September 9, 2021: Reviving Heritage, Conservation Through Indigenous Culture with Cecelia Benimon and Katie Bloome

By linking natural resource management, cultural heritage, and environmental education, Belwin Conservancy and Anishinabe Academy aim to restore an ecologically significant area of land while fostering multi-generational environmental stewardship and reclaiming Indigenous culture. This will be accomplished through establishing an education site at Belwin that is designed to meet the needs of Anishinabe Academy. Both organizations will speak about why they chose to work together, the vision for the education site, and the importance of the two-way learning built into this partnership. (Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources).

Reviving Heritage: Conservation Through Indigenous Culture Presentation Link

Presentation from Thursday, October 14, 2021: Getting to Know Minnesota Mushrooms with Ron Spinosa

Come and celebrate the wonderful world of mushrooms. You will be amazed at the incredible variety of colors, sizes and shapes that abound in the Kingdom of Fungi. This presentation will emphasize the absolutely essential role of fungi for life on earth. The focus will then be on getting to know mushrooms. Included will be the basics of mushroom identification and a survey of some common edible and poisonous mushrooms of Minnesota.

Getting to Know Minnesota Mushrooms Presentation Link

​

Presentation from Thursday, November 11, 2021: Mosses and Lichens of Minnesota Forests, How many are there and what impacts might they have? with Daniel Stanton

Mosses and lichens are present across Minnesota, yet are easy to overlook and poorly understood (what even is a lichen?). Despite their small size, they are remarkably diverse, even into urban and suburban spaces. My team has been surveying forest mosses and lichens across the state, generating some of the first estimates of not only how many there are in different forest types, but also how they may be affecting the flows of water, nutrients, and pollution through our landscapes.

​Mosses and Lichens of Minnesota Forests Presentation Link

​Presentation from Thursday, December 9, 2021: My Life Among the Animals with Gordon Dietzman

I have met many interesting characters, both human and animal, in the course of working on conservation and endangered species management programs. But I've also run into individual animals while on personal hikes. One was a cranky grizzly I met by accident at close range known to Yellowstone visitors by the name of Scarface, although the National Park Service used the more mundane and less descriptive "Bear 211" to identify this ancient warrior that bore the scars of so many battles. Another was an ancient Siberian crane that didn't have his first offspring until he had reached his eighth decade. These creatures, among others, gave me new insight into life in the wild and our impact on it. The presentation includes stories of these characters that will illustrate the history of wildlife conservation stretching from the experiences of my grandparents through my own lifetime of observations.

My Life Among the Animals Presentation Link