SPORTS/OUTDOORS

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. 

The next time you see a wild turkey, offer a silent thank you to the state of Missouri. Yes, Missouri. Also, consider a quiet thanks to the Department of Natural Resource wildlife specialists who trapped, moved, and ultimately helped reintroduce the once overhunted birds to the state.

Minnesota deer hunters must bring their harvested deer to sampling stations to be tested for chronic wasting disease in the central surveillance area; north-central and southeast management zones; and the southeast control zone.

Wild animals such as deer and squirrels don’t really stop to think about safety. The way they move across the landscape and react to threats is largely a matter of instincts, survival mechanisms that have evolved over thousands of years.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently released about 9,200 fingerling white bass into St. Paul’s Lake Phalen in hopes they will grow to catchable size and help establish a naturally reproducing population.

If like me, you find 48 degrees to be a nearly perfect temperature, visit the cave and beat the heat. If like me you seek a family-friendly day trip that offers something valuable for both children and adults, visit the cave.

While you’re out and about enjoying fresh air, don’t forget to take precautions against the possibility of being bitten by a tick.

When my husband and I decided to start a family, we promised ourselves that having kids wouldn’t mean abandoning our active lifestyle. We knew we’d have to make adjustments, but we also believed that children provide more reasons than ever to get outdoors.

She stood unnaturally straight and drew the arrow back. It flew to the center of the target with a thud. Bullseye. Then she did it again.

If you love angling and want to live in a big city, you couldn’t do any better than the Twin Cities metro region. Bright lights, big fish – we’ve got it all.

Whether you are preparing for the next global pandemic, planning an epic National Park adventure or just trying to survive your next family car or river camping trip, this event is for you!

When Alex Watson walks through a state park, he can tell what’s going on over the next hill because of audio cues he hears from birds.

Hundreds of years ago, before there were weather reports or thermometers, Minnesota’s Ojibwe Indians kept an eye on the natural world around them to tell them when Spring was on its way.

Bone-numbing windchills in January. Record-busting snowfalls in February. Is anyone here ready for Winter to be over yet?