NWRSDP Seeks Members in NW MN to Serve on Board of Directors

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership (NWRSDP) is seeking community members in Northwestern Minnesota to serve on its board of directors. 

Each of the five Regional Partnerships (Southeast, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Central) is citizen-driven, building community-University partnerships that create new opportunities and solve problems in Greater Minnesota. The Partnerships are a division of University of Minnesota Extension.

According to Linda Kingery, executive director, board members function as a team, working with local communities to identify and implement projects that foster sustainability in agriculture and food systems, tourism and resilient communities, natural resources, and clean energy.

Members of the NWRSDP board also:

•          solicit, evaluate, and vote on proposals

•          participate in regular boards and focus area work group meetings--both in-person and by conference calls--contributing time, energy, and insight to projects 

•          serve for three years with mileage and honorarium for agreed upon meetings and special assignments.

Board membership is open to residents of Greater Minnesota and University of Minnesota faculty, staff, and students. To be considered for a position, please submit your application by Friday, May 15, 2015 for terms starting in July of 2015.

 For more information, see "Board members information and application" at http://RSDP.umn.edu. 

RRV Development Association Celebrates 77th Annual Honor Banquet

The Red River Valley Development Association’s 77^th Annual Honor Banquet will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015, beginning at noon in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center, University of Minnesota, Crookston.  Tickets for the noon banquet are available for $18.00 from the Extension Regional Office, Crookston, and can be reserved by calling 1-888-241-0781 by March 20.  Payment can be made at the door.

Those honored at the March 28^th banquet were selected for the good example they have set through volunteering, community service, farming or agricultural operations, and their commitment to conserving natural resources.  Funding for the Red River Valley Development Association is provided by 14 counties in northwest Minnesota.

The Northwest Minnesota Youth Leadership Awards will be presented to four youth between the ages of 17 and 21 who submitted applications and essays describing their leadership contributions in their communities.

The Red River Valley Development Association includes Directors from 14 counties in northwest Minnesota appointment by the county boards of commissioners.  The 2015 Directors and honorees are:

County	Director	Honorees	Town
Becker	Bruce Hein	Lloyd and Linda Jirava	Ogema
Clay	Clarice Schmidt	Bruce and Joy Bang	Hawley
Clearwater	Allen Paulson	Mark and Sharon Larson	Clearbrook
Kittson	Gary Johnson	James and Betty Younggren	Hallock
Lake of the Woods	Ken Horntvedt	Lynda Annoreno Amy Ballard	Baudette
Mahnomen	Jean Nelson	Anthony and Patty Maruska	Lengby
Marshall	Gary Satre	Richard and Pat Moen	Newfolden
Norman	Burton Rockstad	Dan and Nancy Grundhovd	Gary
East Otter Tail	Roger Fremming	Randall and LuAnn Carow	Perham
West Otter Tail	Daniel Roehl	John and Michelle Lindquist
Pennington	Gladys Hallstrom	Alan and Deb Swanson	Goodridge
East Polk	Jerry Erickson	Robert and Janet Landsverk Donald and Janice Landsverk	Fosston
West Polk	Curt Knutson	Reed and Sheryl Tinkham	Fisher
Red Lake	Larry Johnson	Tim and Janet Hagl	Red Lake Falls
Roseau	Selvin “Buddy” Erickson	Samuel and Lola Grafstrom	Salol
Wilkin	Milan Drewlow	Gerald and Cathy Nordick	Breckenridge

For more information, contact Deborah M. Zak, Regional Director, Northwest, Extension Regional Office, Crookston.  Phone:  218-281-8684 or 1-888-241-0781.  E-mail:  dzak@umn.edu.

Stoltenow Named NDSU Extension Assistant Director

Charlie Stoltenow has been appointed the North Dakota State University Extension Service's assistant director and program leader for agriculture and natural resources.

Stoltenow has served as the interim assistant director and program leader for the past 11 months. He assumes the assistant director position Aug. 1.

"Agriculture and our natural resources are vitally important to North Dakota, so we are extremely pleased to have Dr. Stoltenow provide leadership to our Extension efforts in these areas," says NDSU Extension Service Director Chris Boerboom. "Charlie is passionate about the work of Extension and recognizes the importance of the teamwork and partnerships in all that we do."

Stoltenow grew up on a farm near Great Bend. He earned a bachelor of science degree in animal science from NDSU in 1981 and a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Iowa State University in 1985. He worked in private practice and for the federal government before joining NDSU in 1996.

He has been the NDSU Extension veterinarian for 17 years and is a professor in NDSU's Animal Sciences Department. He also served as director of the NDSU Veterinary Technology academic program for two years and is a leader of the Extension livestock team.

"Agriculture and natural resources have been and will continue to provide a solid foundation for an economically successful North Dakota," Stoltenow says. "The NDSU Extension Service has been part of that success for close to 100 years, and I am excited to be part of the next 100 years."

Clay County Historical Society Elects Board

Moorhead, Minn.,-- Hawley Elementary 5^th-grade teacher Jennifer Tjaden was elected to the board of directors of the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County at the annual meeting May 2. Tjaden is an enthusiastic promoter of local history in her classes and will share curriculum ideas for the exhibits at the Hjemkomst Center museum.

Re-elected to a final term was Dale White, a Hitterdal native who is retired from the MN CTC. At the May 15 board meeting, Gloria Lee of Georgetown was elected president, John Dobmeier of Barnesville was elected Vice-President, Gail Blair, West Fargo, was elected treasurer, and Vogel Law attorney Jade Rosenfeldt, Moorhead, was re-elected secretary. Other board members include Mark Altenburg of Moorhead, Les Bakke of Moorhead, Clay County Commissioner Jon Evert, Gene Prim of Barnesville, Duane Walker of Moorhead, and Jim Saueressig of Fargo.

Helen Olson of Hawley retired after two terms and Neil Jordheim retired after serving for twelve years. Another board member from Fargo is needed. Fargo residents with an interest in local history and/or cultural heritage preservation should contact executive director Maureen Kelly Jonason at Maureen.jonaon@ci.moorhead.mn.us or 218-299-5511, Ext. 6732.

The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the history and culture of Clay County, Minnesota. HCSCC also provides interpretation of the Hjemkomst Viking Ship, Hopperstad Stave Church Replica, and hosts traveling exhibits in 7,000 sq. feet of temporary exhibition space. The Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County is a community resource for 210,000 people in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area and serves an average of 40,000 visitors a year from all over the world.

For more information, call 218-299-5511 or visit www.hcscconline.org. The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County is located in the Hjemkomst Center at 202 First Avenue North in Moorhead.

DNR names Forrest Boe director of Forestry Division

Tom Landwehr, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), announced today his selection of Forrest Boe as director of the DNR's Forestry Division.

For the past 29 years, Boe has worked for the DNR in numerous leadership positions, most recently as the deputy director of the Parks and Trails Division. He spent 20 years of his career in northern Minnesota with the agency's former Trails and Waterways Division.

"Forrest has a long track record at the DNR of working closely with industry groups and citizens on complex issues, including off-highway vehicle and recreational trail access in northern Minnesota," said Landwehr. "He has demonstrated outstanding leadership at every place he has worked within the agency."

One of Boe's first jobs during and after college was operating his own forestry business, which included tree planting and management. The business was inspired by his father, a DNR forester for 39 years.
"I've had an interest in forestry my entire life," Boe said. "I look forward to working with our extremely talented forestry staff."
Boe said one of his main goals will be to balance needs of the forestry industry with the environmental aspects of forestry.

As Forestry Division director, Boe will oversee a $70 million annual budget and a staff of 350 employees. The division is responsible for protecting people, property and natural resources from wildfire on 45.5 million acres of land in Minnesota. The division manages 4.2 million acres of state forest land for wildlife, timber and recreation.

Division staff works with the forest products industry to provide 30 percent of the industrial wood fiber used in the state. The division also works to prevent disease and insect infestation on forest lands, and offers forest management assistance and advice to private forest landowners.

Jack Rajala, owner of the Rajala Companies, a forest products company based in Bigfork, was among the panelists outside the DNR who interviewed candidates for the Forestry Division position. "I was very impressed with Forrest," Rajala said. "He brings a lot of enthusiasm and knows a lot about natural resources. He likes to keep learning and facing new challenges."

St. Louis County Land Commissioner Bob Krepps said he has worked with Boe on parks and trails issues over the past six years, and is confident Boe will work well with northern Minnesota counties on forestry issues. "Forrest has always been extremely open with us," Krepps said. "He has the personality to reach out."

Scott Dane, executive director of Associated Contract Loggers and Truckers of Minnesota, was also on the interview panel. "Two things really impressed me about Forrest. He has a long history of working for the DNR, which is extremely important. And secondly, he demonstrated a solid understanding of managing people. He has the management skills to bring the Division of Forestry together to do its job in the most efficient and professional manner."

Another panelist, Pete Aube, woodlands manager for the Potlatch Company, a forest products company, said, "He will bring energy and a different perspective to the position. I look forward to working with him on the substantial opportunities in Minnesota forestry."

Boe began his DNR career in 1983 as a development specialist on the Root River Trail. In 1986, he became area supervisor for the Trails and Waterways Division in Brainerd. He became the division's regional manager working out of Bemidji in 2001 and division director in 2006. When that division was merged with the Parks Division, Boe was appointed deputy director of the new Parks and Trails Division.

Boe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resource management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He lives in Hastings, Minn.