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VAN Forum: May 3, 2011. Minnesota State Parks and Trails. Spiny water flea. Zebra mussel. Chinese and Banded Mystery Snails. Ruffe. Eurasian watermilfoil. Curly-leaf pondweed. Common carp. Campground Host program. This could be You !. Gypsy Moth. Emerald Ash Borer. Japanese knotweed.
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Spiny water flea Zebra mussel Chinese and Banded Mystery Snails Ruffe Eurasian watermilfoil Curly-leaf pondweed Common carp
Campground Host program This could be You!
Japanese knotweed Wild parsnip Miscanthus Narrowleaf bittercress
Garlic mustard Leafy spurge Purple loosestrife Purple Loosestrife Buckthorn is one of the most invasive species found in Minnesota. Crown Vetch
DNR Parks and Trails Division Paul Nordell, DNR Program Coordinator Charlene Brooks, Conservation Corps Minnesota Water Recreation Specialist MN DNR Adopt-a-River Program
Minnesota has about92,000 miles of flowing water and22,000 lakes and basins...
The Problem • Rubbish gets into our flood plains from: • Littering and illegal dumping. • Storm water in the streets carry trash into our rivers. • Erosion from old river-bottom and ravine dumpsites. • Construction sites. • Wind-blown rubbish swept from highways and parking lots.
Minnesota River in Belle Plaine after the 1984 Flood.
Peanut the turtle Peanut the turtle was found in 1993 in Missouri and taken to a zoo in St. Louis where the six-pack ring was removed. Today she is in the care of the Missouri Department of Conservation, and is doing well. When she was a small turtle, she got the ring stuck on her shell. She couldn't get it off, and over time, the majority of her shell grew, but the area around the ring did not. If this had happened to a fleshy animal like an otter, the animal probably would have died from an infection. Since Peanut's shell protected her body, she was able to live with it, though some of her organs don't function properly. As a result, she will always look like this. Many kinds of litter harm animals!
Volunteer and Cleanup Data • Since 1989, Adopt-a-River program has: • Organized 3,000 cleanups by 82,000 volunteers • Volunteered nearly 280,000 hours • Cleaned 10,000 miles of Minnesota shoreline • Removed six million pounds of trash!
One way we are trying to clean our waters is through education The Adopt-a-River Crime Lab is a learning station for area 4th – 6th graders as part of “Big River Journey”. At this station, the students are asked to examine garbage found along the riverbank and to determine how it got to the river.
The Annual Riverboat Cleanup is another way we get volunteers to help clean up the riverbanks.
Recent Mississippi Riverboat Cleanup Trophies
Of course, there would not be an Adopt-a-River Program without our volunteer groups organizing their own cleanups.
Adopt-a-River at the Minnesota State Fair • Every year we display • a new sculpture made from river junk. • Fairgoers complete a scavenger hunt and receive a prize. • This brings a lot of attention to the problems in our public waters. 2010 Nature’s Engineer: The Beaver
For more information: Visit our website: www.mndnr.gov/adoptriver • Organizing a cleanup • Safety tips • Order supplies • Photo galleries • Event calendar • Educational materials including a new interactive watershed model. • Read the Cleanup Review, our program’s publication.
Contact us at: Paul Nordell: 651-259-5630 Water Recreation Specialist: 651-259-5620 Adoptariver.dnr@state.mn.us Adopt-a-River Program DNR Parks & Trails Division 500 Lafayette Rd. Box 39 St. Paul, MN 55155-4039 Fax: 651-297-5475 Website: www.mndnr.gov/adoptriver Photos were supplied by volunteers, the DNR, and Rolf Hagberg of the Conservation Corps Minnesota.
The Adopt-a-River program empowers Minnesotans to keep their resources beautiful by removing rubbish from public waters. The entire community depends upon the quality of our waters for safe drinking, health of wildlife, and recreation. Through involvement in volunteer cleanups, the polluting impacts of litter-strewn storm water can be reduced. Your donated time and energy can truly make a difference!
The Mentoring Puzzle • Turning beginners into anglers, hunters, and shooters by inspiring, teaching, and mentoring!
... and our traditions are dying away • Fewer beginners get off to the right start • Declining participation is well documented
Shrinking customer base threatens very existence of equipment makers Same thing for state agencies, conservation groups, outdoor media, guides, outfitters, tourism, and more Plus: wildlife & wild places need passionate advocates! What if the decline continues?
Is a collaboration empowering our outdoors community to create awareness, and outdoors education with appropriate hands-on skills, while matching certified outdoor mentors/coaches/advisors with youths/adults to provide multiple year-round experiences to sustain independent actions in the resource. Outdoor Mentoring Program Vision
Emphasis on early success = better chance beginners will stick with it Beginners learn “most of what they’ll ever need to know” quickly, from expert instructors….but they will need support Beginners need hands-on instruction, or they can’t develop skills & build experience Beginners have to go often... or the full connection is never made! Beginners should sample anything they want to try, then freely choose what they like best Outdoor experiences are positive and FUN! Core Beliefs of a New System
Trained Certified DNR Outdoors Mentors Outdoor Mentors Matched: Outdoors Skills Events Mentoring Organizations Outdoor Organizations The Public Outdoor Mentor Training (OMT) Inspire • Teach • Mentor
“I Can Fish!” • 8 Minnesota State Parks • Weekly • Equipment and Bait • Experienced Anglers Share Angling Skills • Safety • Hands-On Skills Building • Just Go Fish’n • 2 to 3 Hours • Making Fishing Memories For Life Inspire • Teach • Mentor
Final Thoughts • Get and stay involved • More participants means stronger connection to natural world = many good things • Inspire • Teach • Mentor
Turning beginners into anglers, hunters, shooters and steward of the outdoors by, inspiring, teaching and mentoring! Mike “Cold Front” Kurre Michael.Kurre@state.mn.us651-259-5193
DNR Volunteer Impact • Nearly 30,000 volunteers in 2010 • Donated 388,000+ hrs • Added value of $8.1M • Equivalent to adding 186 full time people • Volunteers assist the DNR in accomplishing its conservation mission.
MN Master Naturalist Program The mission of the Minnesota Master Naturalist program is to promote awareness, understanding, and stewardship of Minnesota's natural environment by developing a corps of well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service within their communities.
