Happening

News & Insights
Lebanon Hills
Blazing star flowers in a garden
Blazing Stars in a pollinator garden
by
Avery Hildebrand

The Blazing Star Award celebrates the environmental and conservation actions of local governments across Minnesota. Is your local government doing something worthy of Blazing Star Award recognition? We are now accepting applications!

Stream flows through Lester Park in Duluth in winter
Lester Park in Duluth | photo: Avery Hildebrand
by
Paul Dolan Linne

Learn about recent community events with our Stewards in Duluth and what's coming up next!

group in park with the litter they've cleaned up
Community Steward Cassidy and volunteers after their Wilson Park litter pick-up
by
Jackson May
Cassidy Lindboe

The role of our Community Stewards is to build relationships within the community, facilitate service projects, promote learning, and spark conversations about their area's most important conservation issues. Our Saint Cloud Stewards share highlights from the fall season.

Bemidji Steward leads an event at waters edge
Bemidji Steward, Ashley, leads an aquatic invertebrates event in the summer
by
Ashley Harris

Our Bemidji Community Steward, Ashley, shares highlights from past and future events in the area.

Volunteers building a composting system at The Village Agricultural Cooperative in Rochester
Building a composting system at The Village Agricultural Cooperative in Rochester
by
Mary Huselid
Katie Inman

In our first conservation newsletter specific to Rochester, learn about some of the events that are making a difference in the area!

In Moorhead a group who cleared buckthorn
Removing invasive buckthorn at M.B. Johnson Park in Moorhead with Steward Ryan

Our Community Stewards program, in partnership with AmeriCorps, brings Minnesotans together to learn about and solve conservation problems within their community. Today, we have offices in Duluth, Bemidji, Moorhead, Saint Cloud, Rochester, and Winona. Learn about the impact our Stewards are making on local communities.

Hiking through the forest with a walking stick
by
Avery Hildebrand

July is Disability Pride Month in Minnesota. The Minnesota DNR and nonprofits that help protect the Great Outdoors are working to make Minnesota's outdoor spaces accessible for all.

Group of people walk through oak savanna
2024 Environment Commissions Conference at Burnsville’s Terrace Oaks West Park
by
Avery Hildebrand

On May 1st, 2024, Conservation Minnesota and GreenStep Cites & Tribal Nations hosted the 7th Environment Commissions Conference. Commissioners joined us at Burnsville’s Terrace Oaks Park for a tour of their oak savanna restoration project.

CC Students work on a buckthorn removal project

Winter is upon us, but our Conservation Crews are not hibernating—they’re hard at work. Crews at 32 middle schools across the state are working to finalize their project ideas and get down to business. 

sunrise over lake shore with evergreens
Sunrise on a lake near Grand Rapids, Minnesota

As we kick off the celebration of Conservation Minnesota’s 20th Anniversary, this edition of our newsletter gives a “peek under the hood” of how we make change happen. Luckily, the fuels that power this engine are all renewable: trust, community, and partnership.