SPORTS/OUTDOORS

A second program at Fort Snelling State Park in February helped answer a question I’ve had for a long time. How do animals in the wild survive extremely cold winter months?

In the world of animals, a skinny short branch sticking out of the snow with stripped bark is the equivalent of a dating app. The adult male buck that stripped the bark left behind his scent for any interested doe.

The Afton State Park naturalist said to strap the snowshoes a certain way and walk a certain way and avoid the ski paths and know that if you fall, no big deal, and remember that snow can crust and be sharp so be careful.

Not long ago and while off the clock, Mike Dunker took a hike. While outside, he was recognized by a park visitor who remembered him from a naturalist program he led.

Need a gift idea for an outdoors enthusiast? It’s tough to wrap a waterfall or a scenic overlook, so how about a Minnesota state parks annual permit or gift card?

No matter what the season or where you live, everyone in Minnesota deserves their own state park.

Minnesota’s firearms deer season begins half an hour before sunrise on Saturday, November 5, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources expects nearly half a million hunters to participate.

Minnesotans are invited to connect with nature and participate in hands-on outdoor activities including canoeing, birding, fishing, hiking, biking, fire-building, and more.

Dave Terry’s life has come full circle, and from all appearances, he couldn’t be happier with returning to where he started from.

For reasons that are not entirely clear, a record number of bison calves have been born at Minneopa State Park, located near Mankato, Minnesota.

Last summer, the Entomological Society of America (ESA) with a recommendation from its Better Common Names Committee dropped using the common name “gypsy moth” for the invasive insect accidentally introduced to the Boston area in 1869 by a French researcher.

During her career as a naturalist for Minnesota Parks and Trails, Megan Johnsen eagerly observed the many wildflower species that bloomed in the parks where she worked.

State parklands, trails, waysides and recreation areas cover some 234,500 acres in Minnesota and include a wide variety of diverse types of habitats and resources from prairies to wetlands, to forests.

Last fall at Afton State Park near Hastings, 60 fenced-in goats ate about three acres of buckthorn leaves and bark per week, which ultimately stresses and kills the buckthorn. It took four weeks to clear the area.

When you visit a state park or trail, you may encounter an employee wearing a light-colored uniform. What does that uniform signify? Afton State Park assistant supervisor Linda Radimecky says that to some park visitors, the uniform signifies law enforcement.

One afternoon a few years back, Roseann Schauer looked out a window. She lived in the park residence at Father Hennepin State Park, and in the yard were a 10-point white albino buck, an albino doe, and an albino white fawn.

Located in the Central-West area of Minnesota, Maplewood State Park receives thousands of visitors each fall, all drawn to the park’s brilliant foliage. That beauty extends year-round, with the park’s eight lakes, a scenic drive, and many multi-use trails. At the helm of this state treasure is Don Del Greco, park supervisor. Here’s his story.

How do animals survive Minnesota winters? Two Department of Natural Resource Parks and Trails naturalists, Kao Thao, (Fort Snelling State Park), and Jenni Webster, (Interstate State Park), weighed in on techniques that animals take to survive severe weather.

Tavis Westbrook is a Parks and Trails program coordinator in natural resource management at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. He answered questions recently about the special hunts held at state parks and recreation areas.

For centuries, Lake Ogechie on the Mille Lacs Reservation in central Minnesota produced thousands of pounds of wild rice each season. Old photos show as many as 100 two-person canoes on the lake’s shallow water during the harvest.

With the release of the online version of the 2021 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations handbook, hunters can read up on what’s new to prepare for this year’s deer hunting season.

Percy, my black cat, perches on a chair at the kitchen table, staring rapturously out the window. When I first set up the birdfeeders in my backyard, it was as though I’d added a premium TV channel just for cats.

Hunting pheasants, ruffed grouse, squirrels or rabbits offers opportunities to enjoy the Minnesota outdoors as temperatures fall and snow blankets the landscape.

State parks as playgrounds and important research laboratories.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has scheduled two special hunts in parts of southeastern Minnesota in December and January aimed at limiting the spread of chronic wasting disease in wild deer.

As the sun rises on a crisp October morning, Blue Mounds State Park comes to life with a buzz of activity. More than two dozen workers and volunteers gather under a bright blue sky for a special mission focused on America’s largest and most iconic animal.

Minnesota’s state forests offer scenic drives and 4.2 million acres showcasing one of the biggest nature shows each year – the fall color display.

Weighing 25 to 30 pounds, with a wingspan up to eight feet long, trumpeter swans are Minnesota’s largest native birds — big, fluffy and white, a picture of majesty and grace.

Thirteen people, including two new Hmong officers, have graduated from the 20th Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Academy, having trained since early May in all aspects of their new careers as conservation officers.

Homeschooling is the norm at this unusual point in state education history. Kitchen tables double as school desks, and parents step up as instructors.

Climate changes that include “mega” rainfall – plus warmer temperatures – influence the 250,000 acres of land in Minnesota state parks.

Want to help preserve one of the coolest parts of Minnesota’s natural history, something that pre-dates dinosaurs but still can be found all across the state?

Birds aren’t doing too well in North America. A 2019 study from the publication “Science” shows a decline in the bird population of three billion since 1970, “with steep declines in every habitat.”

Wayne Boerner has a little secret he’d like to share with anyone who enjoys camping but likes to get away from all the other people that one sometimes finds at popular campgrounds. Try it in winter.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has issued its annual ice safety warning for lakes with winter aeration systems.