Happening

Winter is a special time of year filled with snowy pine trees, nights on the rink, and warm bonfires shared with friends and family. But climate change is beginning to threaten the way we recreate outdoors. Beloved activities like cross country skiing and ice fishing are becoming increasingly harder to do. 

All over Minnesota there are relics of CCC projects—the steps across the Mississippi headwaters at Itasca, the great stone and log cabins in Gooseberry State Park. Today's Conservation Corps builds for new challenges. As the impacts of climate change grow, program leaders hope to expand the CCC legacy through a new program—the Civilian Climate Corps. 

Steps away from the iconic Lift Bridge in Duluth’s Canal Park is Vikre Distillery. The small cocktail bar crafts handmade drinks with ingredients from the Lake Superior watershed. And while Vikre’s owners say they can’t think of a better place to make spirits, Lake Superior is both life-giving and unforgiving.

How the Biden-Harris Administration plans to expand, restore, and preserve 30% of public lands and waters by 2030.
 

Food & Agriculture Program Manager, Keely is working on the emerging issue of PFAS in biosolids applied on agricultural lands, and the resulting contamination in crops, soil, surface and groundwater. 

Krueger’s Christmas Tree Farm has been a part of Minnesotans' holiday season for over six decades. Third-generation tree farmer John Krueger is now in charge of daily operations, and keeping the legacy—and the magic—of their farm thriving. 

Conservation Minnesota has begun a new phase in how we connect with issues and people around the state. I’ve recently changed roles from working in the east metro area to becoming the organization’s Food & Agriculture Program Manager. I recently hosted an online conversation with Conservation Minnesota members to discuss how climate is impacting agriculture and how we can create a vision for action and climate-resilient solutions across Minnesota’s agriculture industry and economy.

In a question of public land and private property, Minnesota’s Land Exchange Board recently defended a Lac qui Parle property owner’s right to sell their land to the DNR. 

On my first day 17 years ago, I had never worked for a conservation group. I was newly married, planning a family, and wanted to make sure the children I hoped for had the opportunity to experience the joy of the Great Outdoors that meant so much to me growing up.

But recent droughts, storms, and wildfires have made it clear that we have a lot more work left to restore our climate, lakes, and communities. Four in 10 young people are hesitant to have children, fearing climate change impacts on their lives. We must not allow fear and diminished opportunities to be our legacy.

Micah Rivera, a local technical student from Apple Valley, is excited about his clean energy career path. “Solar is one of the fastest-growing fields to be in right now.”