Audubon Center of the North Woods
News from the North Woods
Fall/Winter 2019
Experience Your Environment
Volume 45, Issue 2
A Legacy of 50 Years by Bryan Wood, Executive Director
Over the June 14-16 weekend, hundreds turned out to celebrate the Audubon Center of the North Woods’ (ACNW) 50th Anniversary. It was an amazing celebration that brought together alumni from across the US and Canada, as well as from far flung countries like Peru and England. The weekend was a powerful reminder of how deeply important this organization has been to so many, and how it has shaped their lives. During the Dinner at the Lake, attendees were able to hear from longtime former board member Mary Ellen Vetter, who knew ACNW before there were any staff or programs. Hearing her share her recollections of the early days including organizing it as a nonprofit and hiring Mike Link as the Center’s first Executive Director was truly special and gave great perspective. Mike Link also shared his memories of the humble beginnings of ACNW, the inherent challenges to having the Center succeed, and the satisfaction found in proving doubters wrong when an initial feasibility study said that an environmental learning center could not make it here, and was destined to fail. Since programming began in 1972, each year thereafter has been a resounding rebuttal to that assessment. The organization has reached nearly 300,000 people since its inception, more than 18,000 alone last year, and
its relevance is in many ways stronger now than 50 years ago. Annually, 4,000 K12 learners experience nature here, 9,000 K12 charter school students
environment and future generations, please consider joining the growing list of generous individuals who are leaving that lasting mark by including ACNW in your planned giving. In the nearer term, I very much hope you will consider joining us Thursday evening, November 7 at Silverwood Park in St. Anthony for our 3rd Annual Bids for Kids K12 Fundraiser. This will be the first year the event is held in the Twin Cities, and we hope its proximity to many of you, and being on a weeknight, will make it more accessible to attend.
receive environmental education in our authorized schools, 3,000 are reached through our wildlife outreach programs, and hundreds more come to learn through our post-secondary courses, youth and family camps, adult programs, and community events. ACNW has built an impressive legacy of environmental education that has shaped countless lives over the past five decades. In turn, many have decided to leave a legacy of their own by becoming a member of the ACNW Legacy Society through their planned giving. If ACNW has been a special part of your life and you’d like to help us continue to make an impact for the
This year, KARE 11’s Belinda Jensen will emcee the evening that will include silent and live auctions, heavy appetizers, beer and wine, and a chance to hear teachers who bring their classes to ACNW talk about the impact it has on their students. Register online or via phone to secure your spot for a fun evening as we together help more children experience nature at the Audubon Center of the North Woods. In This Issue A Legacy of 50 Years .................1
Facilities Upgrades ...................4
Record Giving in 2019 ...............2
Nature-Focused Learning .........5
Donor Spotlight ........................3
Upcoming Events ......................6
Sandhill Cranes .........................4
Meet Our New Staff...................7
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News from the North Woods
Fall/Winter 2019
Record giving in 2019 lays a solid foundation by Jim De Young, Development Director
The generosity of ACNW supporters reached new milestones in 201819, as giving in support of annual programs surpassed $175,000 for the first time ever. That included the goal-breaking $30,000 given for scholarships at the Bids for Kids fundraiser last October, along with $150,000 contributed throughout the fiscal year that made it possible for thousands of children, young people, and adults of all ages to make meaningful connections with nature at ACNW in the past year. Generous giving also allowed us to carry out important campus projects, including reroofing Crosby Lodge, purchasing a trail-grooming snowmobile, replacing the maple syrup evaporator pan, and doing significant spring upkeep of the main road through the campus. Contributions for these projects and other designated gifts totaled nearly $25,000. That demonstration of generosity sets the stage well for a new year in which support is once again needed in three areas: program support, scholarships, and investments in land and buildings.
Program Support Our core offering—the K-12 residential program—depends heavily on contributions to keep costs affordable. If schools had to cover the full cost of our immersive 3-day environmental learning experiences, we would likely lose many of the scores of schools that annually bring more than 4,000 students to ACNW.
2019-2020 Giving Goals Program Support $150,000 Scholarships $60,000 Land and Buildings $25,000 $235,000 That would be a blow to our budget, but more important, would greatly diminish our ability to nurture a commitment to the environment among today’s youth— tomorrow’s leaders. As our largest program, our K-12 offerings claim the largest share of donor support, but contributions also will keep costs within reach for participants in other programs, including summer camps, family and adult offerings, and community activities such as Maple Syrup Day and Dinners at the Lake.
Scholarships While donor support helps us keep our residential learning program affordable for all schools, scholarships allow us to target financial assistance where it’s most needed—schools that serve large numbers of disadvantaged students. This means not only serving more children and young people, but also providing environmental learning to a more diverse population and reaching urban students for whom connections with nature may be limited. Raising scholarship funds is the primary focus of the annual Bids for Kids dinner and auction. This year the event will be held in the Twin Cities. The venue,
Silverwood Park in St. Anthony, offers convenience for our many metroarea supporters in a beautiful lakeside setting reminiscent of ACNW. Mark your calendars for Thursday evening, November 7, and plan to attend!
Land and Buildings
After funding upkeep of existing infrastructure the last few years, this year donors will have the opportunity to invest in the future of the campus. We are seeking $15,000 in contributions to develop the Trapp Farm. Coupled with grant funds, donor gifts will allow us to dig wells and lay water lines, install fences, seed pasture, and build a large hoop house. By next fall Trapp Farm will have begun advancing toward its future as a working lab and classroom that will model sustainable practices, expanding and enriching the educational opportunities and environmental insights we offer at ACNW. The remaining $10,000 designated for land and buildings will address upkeep of Lowry Lodge, which provides dormitorystyle housing for 28 and the adjoining Bremer classroom with capacity for 5060. Lowry is slated for a much-needed new roof and installation of an energy-efficient tankless water heater. To discuss how you can make your generosity go further to help children, young people, and adults of all ages connect with nature at ACNW, contact Jim DeYoung - email deyoung@audubon-center.org or call 320-245-7791.
Simplify Your Giving and Expand Your Impact. Become an ACNW Sustainer. Sustaining contributors are an important group at ACNW. Sustainers’ monthly recurring gifts provide us with a dependable, steady stream of support from month to month, season to season, and program to program. Sustainers use words like “convenient,” “stress-free,” and “budget-friendly” to describe their giving choice. Clearly, sustaining contributions are a win-win, providing financial
stability for us and saving you time and money—no checks to write or postage to buy. You can become an ACNW Sustainer by authorizing convenient, secure withdrawals from your checking account or charges to your credit card. The recurring gift option is built into our online giving system, or you can choose recurring gifts when you use one of our gift envelopes.
www.audubon-center.org 888-404-7743
Fall/Winter 2019
News from the North Woods
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Brian Larson sees an inspiring future in Trapp Farm by Jim De Young, Development Director
Brian Larson is excited for the future of ACNW. He’s especially eager to follow, and be involved with, the development of Trapp Farm.
the way. In 2014 he came to the Center for the first time, for a weekend course on Minnesota forests taught by Bryan Wood. “After that wonderful experience I took five additional graduate courses at the Center taught by either Bryan Wood or Mike Link,” he said. “I experienced firsthand the Center’s values and mission and the quality environmental education it provides to Minnesotans of all ages.”
“I am so excited about the development of the Trapp Farm as a center for food and environmental education!” he said. Brian refers to himself as a “Food Advocate and Environmental Educator,” which goes a long way toward explaining his sense of shared mission with ACNW and vision for the potential of Trapp Farm. “My hope for the future is to be…involved in the development of Trapp Farm as a center for organic and regenerative agriculture where people can learn and connect the dots between nature, climate change, and the food we grow and eat.” Brian will be able to bring considerable background to any future involvement with Trapp Farm. He is a Natural and Organic Foods Category Manager for National Co-op Grocers, a business service cooperative of 200-plus organic and natural foods grocery co-ops across 34 states. He works with organic dairy cooperatives and fresh foods suppliers, farmers and producers to provide product and support for NCG’s member co-ops. “My personal mission is to play a part (albeit small) in improving the food system locally, nationally and globally to the beneficial health and welfare of people, animals, and the planet,” he explained. “In the words of Wendell Berry and Michael Pollan, I believe that eating is an agricultural and environmental act.” Growing up in Northern California, Brian grew to love nature through scouting and outdoor education, and
Brian Larson enjoys hiking, snow shoeing, camping, canoeing and visiting Minnesota’s State Parks and National Parks.
when he moved to Minnesota in 2007, he says that he fell in love with the beauty and outdoor opportunities he found here. He lives in Golden Valley with his wife, Carmel, 16-year-old twin daughters, Claudia and Claire, and two cats (Elvis and Theodore Roosevelt). Brian has pursued his passion for environmental studies and education, first by becoming a certified Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer in 2013. He currently volunteers with Three Rivers Park District providing education support to school groups and Scout Troops. He also conducts phenology at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park (soon to be Mississippi Gateway Regional Park).
While he looks ahead to greater handson involvement in the future, he has chosen to remain engaged with ACNW as a financial supporter since that first introduction. Since 2015 he has been an ACNW Sustainer, making automatic monthly gifts. “This is an easy and consistent way for me to support ACNW and its mission,” he explained, “advancing our shared values focused on food and environmental education.” And with that support he offers a challenge and vision for the development of Trapp Farm as a more complete realization of ACNW’s mission: “ACNW, as an incubator for organic and regenerative agriculture methods as well as a center for sustainable food and environmental education, can become a holistic educational center that teaches children and adults the importance of food and the impact it has on people and the planet.”
In 2013 he was accepted into Hamline University’s natural science and environmental education master’s program, earning his degree in 2016 and getting well acquainted with ACNW along
CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZER UPDATE - News to celebrate from ACNW-authorized charter schools: Three Rivers Montessori, a charter school opening in Elk River in fall 2020, was recently awarded a Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grant from the Minnesota Department of Education to help fund their start-up costs. Congratulations Three Rivers! www.audubon-center.org
Many students in ACNW authorized schools started their first day in new buildings this fall. Partnership Academy, AFSA High School, North Lakes Academy, and Higher Ground Academy all built or renovated new spaces to serve more learners. Congratulations to all the charter schools expanding!
Aurora Waasakone Community of Learners in Bemidji opened its doors to students in Grades K-6 for the first time this fall. This school features place-based education, and encourages students to learn in, with, about, and from their local environment. Learn more: www.aurorawaasakone.org/ 888-404-7743
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News from the North Woods
Fall/Winter 2019
Sandhill Crane Range Map
Sandhill Cranes
Source: www.allaboutbirds.org
by Katrina Schlicker, Environmental Educator
After 1918, population numbers started to increase. Sandhill Crane numbers now are listed as stable or even increasing, although they have also been labelled as a priority bird from the Audubon Society. Sandhill Cranes nest in areas close to water (marshes and bogs), open grasslands, prairie, or tundra. All of those areas are under threat due to climate change. The Audubon Society predicts that 58% of their winter range will be gone by 2080. They haven’t made a prediction for their summer range but all signs are pointing to not good. With a decrease in habitat, hatching rates will decrease and we won’t have these birds gracing us with their presence anymore. As you’re driving down the road on the way to ACNW, it’s not uncommon to see large, grayish Sandhill Cranes in the fields. While on the dock, you may even hear their loud, rattling kar-r-r-r-o-o-o call.
There are ways to help the Sandhill Cranes for the future! Wetland protection and keeping their nesting habitats intact will do wonders for not only the Sandhill Cranes but for other animals relying on those habitats.
Sandhilll cranes are among Minnesota’s largest bird species, reaching up to 4 feet tall and 7.5 to 11 lbs. Sandhill Cranes are one of Minnesota’s migratory bird species. They spend their winters in parts of Mexico and the southern United States: Florida, Texas, Utah, and California.
The International Crane Foundation has an Annual Midwest Crane Count that they do every year to study population trends and to map areas where cranes are colonizing. Keeping population counts and tracking migration patterns is a great way to make sure a species is thriving. If you would like to help, visit www. savingcranes.org/education/annualmidwest-crane-count/. This fall, consider making a trip to Sherburne Wildlife Refuge. Late September to mid October large numbers of Sandhill cranes can be seen at dawn and dusk. Sherburne is a staging area, where Sandhill cranes go to rest before continuing their trek south to their wintering grounds. It is an amazing experience that you will never forget!
Go back over 100 years ago and you wouldn’t have been able to see or hear these birds, and many other migratory birds, at all. The height of fashion in the early 20th century were aigrettes, tiaras with adorning feathers. Feathered hats were all the rage, as a symbol of status and wealth. As demand soared, more and more migratory birds were hunted for their feathers. Sandhill Cranes were only one of the species devastated by fashion demands. When the public started to realize the damage they had done, they started protected them with state and federal laws. The most important of which was the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which saved a plethora of species from extinction and millions, potentially billions, of other birds. www.audubon-center.org
Facilities Upgrades Thanks to the generous support of so many, we were able to raise the necessary $15,000 in funds to replace the shingles on Crosby Lodge! The architectural shingles installed should keep us from having to worry about Crosby Lodge’s roof for at least the next 30 years. Many also donated to upgrading our mile-long driveway with much needed Class V gravel, and because the $10,000 goal was achieved, the road is now in the best shape it has been in decades. Thank you to everyone who pitched in!
Also, those planning on renting Schwyzer, Lowry or Crosby Lodge for a retreat or conference will have access to our new campus-wide 5G broadband Wi-Fi funded through the state’s Border-to-Border Broadband program.
Resource Links: www.nationalgeographic.com www.audubon.org www.savingcranes.org en.wikipedia.org www.dnr.state.mn.us www.smithsonianmag.com 888-404-7743
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Nature-Focused Learning - FALL 2019 by Emily Porter, Education Director
“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” Mary Oliver
You can never really love something if you don’t understand it. So if you, like me, watch the news and wonder how people can callously destroy the Amazon Rainforest, or approve sulfide mining that will devastate the Boundary Waters, or dump cyanideladen industrial waste into Lake Michigan, know that understanding is the cure to disregard. Once a person understands the natural world and the widespread impacts they can have on it, their behavior begins to shift.
cultural anxiety about children’s extensive screen time and largely sedentary, indoor existence, it turns out kids are still pretty much kids – they are curious little explorers who simply need the time and space to investigate the natural world. This school year, we are building that time and space for them with an entirely new class: The Wonders of Wilderness (we call it WOW!). Wonders of Wilderness is designed to support a new course catalog that has been in development for over 3 years and creates student-centered, nature-focused learning. The class includes time for students to learn and experiment with observing their surroundings, starting with a simple leaf. The questions students come up with during this activity (Why does it have points? Why have parts of it turned orange while others are still green? What is that splotch?) could inspire a lifetime of scientific study. Looking at something as small and familiar as a leaf hones their skills and is the first step toward developing an understanding – and a love – of the natural world. And really, when was the last time you stopped and really looked at a leaf? They are incredible, you know.
This kind of learning is at the heart of what the Education Staff at ACNW does. After spending a single hour looking at aquatic macroinvertebrates, one student says she will stop wearing bug spray because the toxins could wash off her skin and into the stream where her new friends live. After exploring the shores of Grindstone Lake, another says he will ask his dad to stop fertilizing their lawn, because he wants to protect the lake in his neighborhood from the runoff. This is how change happens – through focused attention on the natural world. This year we are working to expand our impact with new and revised educational programming that deliberately draws students’ attention to their environment. Teaching students how to pay close attention to their surroundings is actually easier than many might surmise. Amidst widespread www.audubon-center.org
Our new class also focuses on phenology and changes throughout the seasons; this fall we are investigating fungus. As climate change accelerates, phenology studies become increasingly crucial to understanding and reacting to the shifts in our environment. When I piloted this class last spring, I got to see students spend an hour looking at tiny leaf buds that were just preparing to open in the Center’s mixed hardwood forest. Some of them (even the high school students) had never seen a leaf bud, had never thought to look, and maybe didn’t even know what one was, yet they devoted their attention and, eventually, their appreciation to these tiny structures. And their curiosity spreads: What is this moss? Do you think something’s living in this burrow? Look at those flowers! What’s under this log? Eventually, the students disperse, finding their own little nooks and corners in a forest they found intimidating
just a few hours before. If you’ve never seen a child with a hand lens pressed to her eye with all her attention focused on the bark of a paper birch, you should come watch my classes at ACNW, because it is a heartening sight. Each class period has time when students can look at anything they like, anything that interests them, and they all find something beautiful to devote their attention to. When I think about how we will change the world, this is what I think of: fifteen young people, on their knees or their bellies in the leaf litter, staring through a hand lens at a scrap of moss. If attention is the beginning of devotion, then we must direct our attention to the things most in need of our care. It is easy to make a convenient, expedient, and destructive choice if you lack an understanding of the natural world. Taking time to attend to our environment makes those choices impossible, because we grow to love the thing we devote our focus to. Robin Wall Kimmerer says that “naturalists live in a world of wounds that only they can see.” It’s long past time that we draw attention and understanding to those wounds, so that we may all work to heal them. That work is going to continue this fall at ACNW: one student, one hand lens, and one leaf at a time.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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News from the North Woods
Fall/Winter 2019
Upcoming 2019/20 Events Fall/Winter
September 21.......................................................... Dinner at the Lake with Lonnie Dupre, Arctic Explorer October 4-6 ..................................................................................... Women’s Wellness & Adventure Weekend November 7.......................................................................Bids for Kids Annual K12 Scholarship Fundraiser December 21 .......................................Dinner at the Lake with Sven Sundgaard, KARE-11 Meteorologist January 2-19 ......................................J-Term 2020: Wolves & Northwoods Carnivores – Predator Ecology February 14-17 .......................................................................................................Winter Family Weekend 2020 February 29...................Dinner at the Lake with Cory Goldsworthy, Lake Superior Fisheries Supervisor March 28 ....................................................................................................................................... Maple Syrup Day April 18 ..................Dinner at the Lake with Bridget Mendel, Program Manager at the UMN Bee Squad Visit the CALENDAR OF EVENTS on our website or email audubon1@audubon-center.org for more information
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New Faces at ACNW Reservations Coordinator - Mary Dresser
is from Chaseburg, Wisconsin. She obtained a BS with majors in Biology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and MS in Environmental Interpretation from the University of Idaho. She has worked at residential environmental learning centers in Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Tennessee. In her spare time she likes to hike, read, and make baskets.
Head Cook - Becky Fromm moved from
Minneapolis to this area when she was 9. About 5 years ago, she came out to ACNW for the first time (to bring her mom, Berta Volk, ACNW Housekeeper, something) and was struck by how beautiful and peaceful it is here. Becky is a single mom of 3 boys, ages 9, 11 and 13 years, who keep her on her toes! She loves football - GO VIKINGS!!
Cook - Leslie Haupt grew up in Sandstone and
graduated from Pine City High School. She currently lives in Cloverdale, MN with her 2 daughters, ages 6 and 9. Leslie has always loved ACNW and has been coming here since she was a kid. Leslie says “I love that I can carry on the tradition of coming here with my kids and I look forward to teaching them about the magic of this place.”
Marketing & Communications Coordinator - Rob Sidenberg, originally from Minneapolis, lives
in Duluth. An IDIM (Media & creative writing) U of M graduate, he began his career in advertising before branching into video production and all things media/ marketing. A nature lover and friend to all creatures, he is enthusiastic about spreading word of ACNW’s mission. During downtime, he is likely at the beach with Waffles, his PomChi, writing/shooting video, gazing at crystals or swinging an axe. We also want to congratulate Emily Porter for her promotion to Education Director and Amy Smyser, who has returned into the Food Service Manager position.
Charter School Division Changes There have been some staffing changes in the Charter School Division (CSD)! In July, the CSD welcomed a new Data & Communications Coordinator, Mary Williams. In June, Erin Anderson was promoted to the Director of Charter School Authorizing, and Nalani McCutcheon was promoted to Associate Director of Charter School . Authorizing. We are still looking for an Authorizing Specialist to round out the team; if you are interested or know a teacher who might be, please visit audubon-center.org/jobs to learn more about the position.
Data & Communications Coordinator Mary Williams comes to the CSD with a wealth
of experience in data management, environmental education, pedagogical research and environmental research. She has a BS in Computer Science and a MS in Ecology. Mary uses her skills and knowledge of innovative educational practices by teaching environmental science at Metropolitan State University. She is excited about supporting ACNW’s mission to ensure high quality academic and environmental literacy for Minnesota students.
Environmental Educators Antonio Martinez-Montavon is returning for a
second year at ACNW! He has been with us since April 2018 and will be taking on the position of a Mentor Educator and our Lead Adventure Educator. Antonio is from the Milwaukee area and graduated from UW Steven’s Point with a degree in Wildlife Ecology.
ACNW welcomes these Environmental Educator Fellows: Light Love is from Milwaukee and graduated in
2019 from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA, double majoring in Biology and Religion. S/he is passionate about connecting kids of all ages with animals. S/he enjoys making enrichment for Mob the Crow, and looking at local invertebrates.
Alexis Lyons is from Illinois and graduated from
UW Milwaukee with a degree in Conservation and Environmental Science. She enjoys going camping, rock climbing, and hiking. She looks forward to working with the wildlife in the barn and getting children excited about exploring the outdoors.
Celia Montemurri grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan
and graduated from the University of Dayton with a BS in environmental biology. She is excited to be teaching and learning about nature and how we can better live in harmony with it. When not working, you can find Celia in the lake swimming or canoeing.
Katrina Schlicker attained a BS in Zoology from Michigan State University in 2015. Since then, she has traveled around the country working with various camps and facilities. In her free time, Katrina likes to read, quilt, and play board games. Allie Steffen is from Roseville, MN. She graduated
with a BA in Biology from Carthage College in 2018. During her senior year, she was able to travel abroad and do behavioral research on Lesser Bamboo Lemurs. In her free time you will find her crocheting, on the dock or building card towers.
Hannah Sugrue received a BS in Fish and
Wildlife from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2018. She has worked various environment related jobs and is excited to be starting at ACNW. Often, she can be found on the docks or in her hammock with a good book.
Julia Zyla graduated from St. Catherine University
with a BA in Biology in 2017. Shortly after graduation, she traveled to Cape Verde to work with loggerhead sea turtles in the field. She also worked as a tutor and Learning Center Coordinator in St. Paul, MN. She enjoys playing soccer, camping, and paddle boarding.
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Audubon Center of the North Woods Experience Your Environment P.O. Box 530, Sandstone, MN 55072 Phone: 888-404-7743 or 320-245-2648 Fax: 320-245-5272
If you would like to view this newsletter online instead, please send an email to marketing@audubon-center.org and we will add you to our enewsletter list
Email: marketing@audubon-center.org
Visit our website! www.audubon-center.org News from the North Woods Volume 45, Issue 2—Fall/Winter 2019/20 Bryan Wood, Executive Director Laurie Fenner & Rob Sidenberg, editing/layout Published twice yearly by Audubon Center of the North Woods Mail, call or email us your inquiries and ideas. Printed with soy-based inks on paper containing 100% post-consumer waste, 100% carbon neutral and made with 100% renewable green energy.
Thank you for your support of ACNW – we could not do it without you!
Featuring
Audubon Maple Ale small-batch brewed with our own maple syrup!