Greetings,

If asked what “region” of the country Minnesota is in what would be your response?

Would you call it the Midwest? Great Plains? Great Lakes? Upper Midwest? Northwest? or as some have suggested simply The North?

For me the answer is easy. Yes!

We are so fortunate to live in a state with such an amazing array or land and waterscapes in our trust. Add four distinct seasons on top of varied geographies and ecosystems and you have the recipe for endless ways to experience the outdoors.

A recent trip to a tall grass prairie reserve in Oklahoma got me thinking about our varied geography and multi regional presence. Minnesota is a part of the National Wildlife Federations Great Lakes region but that doesn’t tell our whole story. Sure, Northeast Minnesotas bedrock provides a dramatic shoreline for Lake Superior but the prairie and fields near Jackson and Pipestone are just as Minnesotan as Hovland or Ely.

The trip to Oklahoma was organized in collaboration with The National Wildlife Federations Great Plains affiliates. It provided me with an opportunity to chat about issues of conservation importance with state representatives from Nebraska, Kansas, both Dakotas, Iowa, Oklahoma and others that are active in prairie and agricultural conservation issues. I left feeling lucky to live in a place made stronger through our varied geography, seasons, and people and even more fortunate to be able to connect with so many conservation leaders.

If my calendar is correct I’m expecting the school bus to arrive sometime next Tuesday morning. It was a fast and fun summer at our house and the onset of fall is sounding pretty good. Be sure to make plans soon to take a new friend outdoors. Calendars fill up fast and now is the time to make time to bring someone new along for the ride. When you do, please make sure to let them know why conservation is important to you and why you choose to support the Minnesota Conservation Federation.

Our programing and conservation work is a direct result of the generosity of conservationists like you. Please take a moment to follow the link below and help contribute to our ongoing success!

Yours in Conservation,

Brad Gausman

Executive Director

This fall MNCF is excited to engage even more Minnesotans with our message of natural resources conservation!

Building on the success of our Conservation Leadership Academy we will be launching our new Women in Conservation Leadership program. This new women led program will engage with a cohort of women who will enjoy a multi program course that will introduce them to shooting sports and firearm safety, public land access and etiquette, issues around habitat and sustainable agriculture, and a pheasant hunt.

We will keep you up to date on our success as we continue to work to create more conservation stake holders though introducing new people to outdoor spaces.

With a history as long as ours there have been so many conservation champions involved in our organization. We’d love to hear a story or memory you have from “the MCF”.

Perhaps you were there when MCF welcomed country legend Loretta Lynn to Minnesota!

This past month MCNF took part in a meeting of National Wildlife Federation affiliates  organizations who are based in the Great Plains region. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow conservationists and experience a tremendous landscape.

A highlight of the event was an evening spent with Chief Standing Bear of the Osage Nation. He spoke about the Nations efforts to develop food supply networks to ensure nutritional sovereignty for his people along with including some fun stories of the recent filming of the film Killers of the FLower Moon on the reservation.

If you ever find yourself with a chance to visit north central Oklahoma this landscape is worth the effort!

As you head to the field this fall remember that the number one priority of any outdoor excursion is coming home safely. MNCF once partnered with the Schmidt Brewing Company to encourage hunters to be safe in the field. Before hunter safety classes were required the rate of accidents related to firearms in the field was disturbingly high. That reality led to a pretty stark reminder of the potential consequences of unsafe practices in the field.