Conference to celebrate waterfowl and habitat

Waterfowl hunting, habitat management and biology – and the majesty of the Roseau River Wildlife Management Area – are among topics planned for the Minnesota Waterfowl Symposium, a one-day conference open to outdoor enthusiasts, hunters and natural resource experts.

At the Saturday, Feb. 4 event, waterfowl experts from a variety of agencies and organizations will discuss waterfowl and waterfowl habitat with the public. It takes place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Minneapolis Airport Marriot, 2020 American Blvd. E., in Bloomington.

“Each year this conference is a great chance to talk face-to-face with the public about a wide range of issues relating to wetlands and waterfowl,” said Ricky Lien, wetland habitat team supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “This discussion is important and we always enjoy people’s enthusiasm for these issues.”

The conference, now in its 20th year, is presented through a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minnesota Waterfowl Association and the DNR.

Attendees can get gun fitting and repair questions answered by a gunsmith, see the junior duck stamp display, learn about cooking and other uses for wild game, and more. They also can check out the Minnesota Decoy Collectors Association annual decoy show hosted across the hall at the same location.

Presenters include:  

•  Kevin Lines, Minnesota DNR, engaging in local conservation issues.
• Orrin Jones, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, an experimental teal season in production states.
• Randy Pracher, Minnesota DNR, the Roseau River WMA.
• Marshall Johnson, Dakota Audubon, and Nina Hill, University of Minnesota, the marsh bird response to habitat management using fire and grazing.
• David Wolfson, University of Minnesota, a crane delineation project.
• Steve Cordts, Minnesota DNR; goldeneye biology and hunting.
• Jeff Lawrence, Minnesota DNR, a history of hunting regulations.
• DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr will participate in a question and answer session.

Following the symposium, the Minnesota Waterfowl Association will convene its eighth annual Hall of Fame Banquet to recognize significant contributors to the state’s waterfowl legacy. For more information about the symposium or to register for the banquet, call the Minnesota Waterfowl Association at 763-767-0320 or visit www.mnwaterfowl.com.

2015 Minnesota Statewide High Tunnel Conference in Baxter, MN

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (1/15/2015)—University of Minnesota Extension is leading a 2015 Minnesota Statewide High Tunnel Conference, to be held Tuesday and Wednesday, February 17 and 18, at The Arrowwood Lodge At Brainerd Lakes, Baxter, MN. High tunnels (HT), also called hoop houses, are temporary structures that extend the growing season.

A Beginning High Tunnel Grower Workshop with a “Basics of High Tunnel Production” session will be held the morning of the first day, Tuesday, February 17, from 8:00 a.m. to noon for beginning growers and those needing a review. The main conference will begin at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday and run through Wednesday afternoon, February 18.

Keynote speaker for this year’s conference is Steve Bogash, Penn State Extension Educator. Steve will present four different topics:

• Advances in HT Tomato Production: Techniques, Varieties, Nutrition, and Pest Management
• Mechanization of Ventilation in HT
• Advances in HT Bell Pepper Production
• Advances in HT Cucumber Production: Techniques, Varieties, Nutrition, and Pest Management.

  

In addition to the keynote topics, main conference topics include:

• Understanding Spider Mites and Other HT Insects
• Fruit Production in HT
• Oxygen Drip Tape Injection Research
• Understanding Your HT Irrigation Water: Putting It Into Your Total Plan
• Do Colored Ground Plastics Make a Difference in HT Production?
• Effective Pest Scouting and Control Methods, and HT Sprayer Technology
• Current University of Minnesota Research with HT Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant Diseases
• Understanding HT Ventilation in Detail
• Current University of Minnesota Research with Winter Production in HT
• Cover Crops in HT

A new feature this year will be irrigation water testing. Participating growers are encouraged to bring a sample of their irrigation water with them to the conference for free analysis. Water samples (one cup per well; one cup per container) can be placed in a clean self-sealing bag or clean container with lid. One self-sealing bag inside of another works well. Bring samples to day one of the conference.

For more information or to request a brochure and registration form contact Sue Schuler at the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Office, Grand Rapids, MN at 218-327-5958 (ext. 3001) or schul925@umn.edu; or visit the High Tunnel website at http://hightunnels.cfans.umn.edu.

UMC to host Thriving by Design Conference

The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDPs) will host “Thriving by Design,” a rural design conference at the University of Minnesota  Crookston on Wednesday and Thursday, July 30-31, 2014.  The event will be held from the evening of Wednesday, July 30, 2014, through the afternoon of Thursday, July 31.   

Registration is available online at rsdp.umn.edu. In-person registration opens Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at 4 p.m. and Thursday, July 31 at 7:30 a.m. in Bede Ballroom in Sargent Student Center at UMC. The registration fee is $75.

Design process inherently takes a systematic approach to defining problems and developing solutions.  The system connects various components across sectors and disciplines as well as geographic and time scales.  This conference will focus on three tracks or lenses through which to view these systems, and the challenges to be addressed. 

Nature-based recreation and tourism focuses on the natural landscape and habitats, and the many ways people enjoy time in nature. 

Food system explores cropping systems, food production at garden and farm scales, and the decisions people make individually and collectively about food choices. 

Extension Reconsidered offers an opportunity to reflect on the role of University of Minnesota Extension over the past century and to consider the ways Extension can meet the challenges Minnesotan communities will face in the coming decades. 

Dewey Thorbeck, director for Center of Rural Design, says, “Rural and urban futures are inextricably linked through design thinking integrating human, animal, and environmental wellness."

A discussion featuring several panel guests from a variety of professions and areas of expertise will take place on Thursday, July 30 at 9:00 a.m.  This discussion will address areas of concern within each track followed by a question and answer period.  Breakout sessions will run from 12:30 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Breakout sessions will provide participants an opportunity to learn how to apply design thinking and the design process to address the challenges faced by a community or organization through an iterative and collaborative approach to problem solving.

A traveling rural design exhibit will also be displayed throughout the conference. 

Community leaders, elected officials, and planners, especially those from rural and small urban areas, designers, and anyone interested in learning about the use of design and design thinking as a problem-solving opportunity are encouraged to attend. You will gain experience in visualizing and using design to achieve, sustain, and strengthen community vitality across our region. By using design and design thinking techniques, you will help create, select, and frame ideas and goals that can inform Minnesota's community development.

The conference is sponsored by The University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, a part of UMN Extension; the UMN Center for Rural Design; University of Minnesota Crookston; the EDA Center at the University of Minnesota Crookston; and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Center for Prevention. 

For more information contact Linda Kingery at 218-281-8697.

Schoolyard Garden Conference 2014 at the MN Landscape Arboretum

Chanhassen, MN (Jan. 20, 2014) – Building on the strong response to last year’s event,  the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, collaborating with the Schoolyard Garden Coalition and Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program, will present the second annual Schoolyard Gardens Conference on Friday, Feb. 28, at the Arboretum.  Themed “Cultivating the Future,” the conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Oswald Visitor Center.

Minnesota’s Commissioner of Education Brenda Cassellius and Commissioner of Agriculture Dave Frederickson will kick off the event. Immanuel Jones, director of sustainability for Minneapolis Community and Technical College, will discuss EcoCity Minnesota, an organization changing the way youth are perceived through gardening.

John Fisher from LifeLab, a nationally recognized organization supporting school gardens around the nation, will be keynote speaker, presenting lessons learned in both practice and policy. He will describe national trends and research findings on the value of school gardens not only for the students, but for the entire school and its community.

Workshop presenters will address challenges faced by teachers, principals, superintendents, food-service professionals and parents, in creating and sustaining such gardens.

“The conference is structured to offer an ideal setting in which schoolyard garden supporters can learn to use a garden as an outdoor, living laboratory for hands-on learning across disciplines. In a schoolyard garden, kids engage all of their senses and educators bring learning concepts alive in a way not possible in other settings,” says Tim Kenny, Arboretum director of education.

Kenny adds, “A schoolyard garden appeals to numerous learning styles and it means that teachers can connect learning standards in the most effective ways. I’ve watched it happen again and again, and at this conference, participants will be able to engage with experts and others who have put these principles into action.”

In addition to a day filled with plenary and interest-track sessions designed to help school

gardeners reach the full potential of this educational asset, the conference offers an opportunity for current schoolyard garden champions to present their work in poster sessions. This year’s conference features an “Answer Room,” where experts will be on hand to answer questions and talk about plants, curriculum, garden design, training opportunities, funding and other schoolyard garden resources. The conference is geared to educators, volunteers, nutritionists, parents and all interested parties. 

Learn more and register at http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/2014SchoolyardGardens.aspx.

Or call 952-443-1422. Conference tuition is $60 Arboretum members and conference affiliates, $70 general registration – discounts available for teams of three from the same school.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the largest public garden in the Upper Midwest and a premier northern arboretum, is part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota and a community and national resource for horticultural and environmental information, research, and public education. It is located nine miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chanhassen.  —END—