DNR announces video-streaming peregrine falcon camera

Once pushed to the brink of extinction, peregrine falcons have returned to Minnesota’s skies and their natural habitat, including the state’s bluffs, cliffs and buildings, the Department of Natural Resources said. 

Live video from a nesting pair of peregrine falcons in downtown St. Paul is now featured on the DNR website at http://webcams.dnr.state.mn.us/falcon/.

The female has already laid four eggs and will incubate them for the next 30 or so days. Last year, the pair laid and incubated three eggs, but none of the eggs hatched.

Hopefully this year will be different.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to watch peregrines raise their young in an urban setting,” said Carrol Henderson, nongame wildlife program supervisor. “It is exciting to watch the birds first-hand, in their normal habitat, without disturbing them.”

A video camera was placed in a nesting box at the top of the Bremer building several years ago. Peregrines have been using the box and raising their young there since 1988, a year after the box was installed.

The peregrine camera was paid for by DNR’s nongame wildlife program, which is largely funded by donations, especially those made when Minnesotans file their state income and property taxes. The lines on the Minnesota income tax form and property tax form, marked with a drawing of a loon, give taxpayers the option to donate to the program, a feature often referred to as the “chickadee check-off.”

The nongame wildlife program works to protect and preserve more than 800 species of animals in the state that are not traditionally hunted or harvested. In addition to peregrine falcons, populations of species such as bald eagles, trumpeter swans, loons, and American white pelicans are directly benefited by contributions to the nongame wildlife check-off. People can help Minnesota wildlife by donating on their tax forms, or donate directly online at www.mndnr.gov/nongame/checkoff. 

BOLDEST MANKATO MARATHON STORY TO RECEIVE LIFE-TIME BIB

MANKATO, Minn. ― The Mankato Marathon, presented by Mayo Clinic Health System,  is looking for bold stories and is offering free race registrations for life for the boldest story. Participants of past Mankato Marathon races or the upcoming 2014 races can submit video stories detailing overcoming a hardship to run a race, an inspiring story of why they started running, or a touching story about why they are running or have ran a Mankato Marathon race.

Anyone who submits a story that meets the criteria of the contest (found at www.mankatomarathon.com) will be qualified for a chance to win a free race registration of their choice for the 2014 Mankato Marathon races, a Mankato Marathon merchandise item valued at up to $20 or a free 2014 Mankato Marathon Commemorative Print.

A Mankato Marathon merchandise item valued up to $20 will be awarded to any video with over 1,000 views. Top five finalists will receive a free race entry to a 2014 Mankato Marathon race of their choice and a 2014 Mankato Marathon Commemorative Print. The overall winner will receive all the prizes above in addition to a life-time bib which allows them to run any Mankato Marathon race for free for their entire lifetime.

Deadline to submit a video is August 29, 2014. The top five Boldest Stories will be chosen by committee and the winning video will be chosen from those top five videos through social media. The video with the most “likes” or “shares” will win.

The winning video will be announced at the 2014 Scheels and Under Armour Sport and Health Expo on Saturday, October 18. The top five videos will also be featured at the expo and in the post-race area of the Mankato Marathon on Sunday, October 19.

YouTube links of video submissions can be sent to Paige Schuette at pschuette@visitmankatomn.com.  For more information on the Bold Story Contest or the 2014 Mankato Marathon visit www.mankatomarathon.com.

About The 2014 Mankato Marathon:

On October 18-19 2014 Visit Mankato and Final Stretch will host the fifth annual Mankato Marathon. This accredited race is a qualifying event for the prestigious Boston Marathon and is projected to have a fifth year attendance of 5,000 runners. The event will continually grow to have significant economic impact in the community and already has incredible local sponsorship, with Mayo Clinic Health System leading a long list of area businesses. There are many ways to get involved as a business, runner, volunteer or spectator. For more information on the 2014 Mankato Marathon go to www.mankatomarathon.com or call 507.385.6660.

About Visit Mankato:

Visit Mankato, LLC, the local Convention & Visitors Bureau, is a Limited Liability Corporationof Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. Visit Mankato leads the development of the visitor economy in Mankato by actively promoting Mankato as a premier destination for conventions, tournaments and tourism. These activities bring a steady flow of visitors and business activity to Mankato that benefits local residents and future visitors. The work of Visit Mankato helps strengthen the hospitality industry which provides jobs, a diverse tax base and amenities for everyone to enjoy. www.visitmankatomn.com

Minnesota DNR goes live with video-streaming peregrine falcon camera

Starting this week, live video from a pair of peregrine falcons in a nesting box at the top of an office building in downtown St. Paul will be featured on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website at http://webcams.dnr.state.mn.us/falcon/.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to watch peregrines raise their young in an urban setting” said Carrol Henderson, DNR nongame wildlife program supervisor. “It is exciting to watch the birds first-hand, in their normal habitat, without disturbing them.”

Peregrines have been raising young in this location since 1988. The female has already laid three eggs and could lay up to two more in the coming days.

The public is able view the activity in the nesting box, with the help of Sentinel Property Management and the tenants at the Bremer office building.

Once pushed to the brink of extinction, the peregrine falcon has made a steady recovery in the United States. Once down to only a few pairs in Minnesota, peregrines have returned to Minnesota’s skies and their natural habitat, including Minnesota’s bluffs, cliffs and buildings.

The peregrine camera was paid for by the DNR’s nongame wildlife program, which is largely funded by donations, especially those made when Minnesotans file their state income and property taxes. The lines on the Minnesota income tax form and property tax form, marked with a drawing of a loon, give taxpayers the option to donate to the program, often referred to as the “chickadee check-off.”

The program works to protect and preserve more than 800 species of animals in the state that are not traditionally hunted or harvested. In addition to peregrine falcons, species such as bald eagles, trumpeter swans, loons, and American white pelicans are directly benefited by check-off contributions. To donate directly online, go to http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nongame/checkoff.html

BBB Video contest open to students in MN and ND

Saint Paul, MN – February 2, 2012 – The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) invites high school and college students in Minnesota a nd North Dakota to be a part of their “Lighting the Way” Centennial Celebration by entering the Ethics: Uploaded video contest. Students (and student groups) will be asked to consider how the decisions they make each day impact their lives, as well as their futures, and then submit short videos which demonstrate the value of ethics.

One of the goals of the BBB’s Centennial, which marks 100 years of promoting ethical business practices and nurturing a marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other, is to increase awareness and start a dialogue about the importance of marketplace ethics today.

“Events like the Ethics: Uploaded video contest and our upcoming Ethics Summit on April 17 are geared towards today’s students and young consumers,” said BBB President and CEO Dana Badgerow. “We want to highlight the importance of making ethical decisions. We also want to hear their voices, their visions. After all, these are our future business and community leaders.”

Interested students are asked to explain, in original videos 30 seconds to 3 minutes long, what ethics means to them and their peers. Video style and narrat ive is open, and creativity is encouraged. Contestants may produce their videos on any device they wish, including cell phones or Flip cameras. Entries will be judged by a panel of independent judges and scholarship prizes will be awarded for the best videos.

Submissions will be accepted beginning Thursday, March 1 with an upload deadline of 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 20. All videos must be uploaded to the BBB’s YouTube channel for consideration (bbbis100.org/ethicsuploaded). Each contestant must provide contact information on the submission website. A brief (50 words or less) introductory paragraph may be submitted but is not required.

Video categories/Winning Prizes:
High School (grades 9-12) individual / $1,250 scholarship

High School (grades 9-12) group/club / $1000 Best Buy gift card

College individual (undergraduate or graduate levels) / $1,250 Best Buy gift card

College group/club (undergraduate or graduate levels) / $1,000 Best Buy gift card

Contest rules:
This contest is open to high school students in grades 9-12 and to college students at any level. Entries will be placed into one of two categories: individual and group or club. A group or club entry must be from an official sanctioned club or organization.

The independent panel will evaluate videos for clarity of message, impact, production value and relevance to the theme of ethics. Videos become property of the Better Business Bureau and can be used by the BBB and its partners at its discretion. Visit bbbis100.org/ethicsuploaded to see full contest rules.

Summer Reading Program Theme Teen Video Challenge -Entries due February 1, 2012

The Lake Agassiz Regional Library (LARL) Youth Services Department wants to make sure all area teens are aware of the Teen Video Challenge, a new project offered through the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP). CSLP is the organization responsible for the Summer Reading Program LARL offers each year.

The Teen Video Challenge is asking Minnesota teens to create a video promoting the 2012 Teen Summer Reading theme, "Own the Night."

Teens could win $275 and an award for their local LARL location. Each state will have a winner, and the videos will be shared with libraries across the country.

The larl.org teen pages link to the Teen Video Challenge entry form - http://larl.org/youth/teens/. This form contains the rules and entry information.

According to the entry form, videos must be submitted by February 1, 2012.

Good luck and get creative with your video entries!

LARL serves the residents of Becker, Clay, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Norman, Polk and Wilkin counties, with branch libraries in Ada, Bagley, Barnesville, Breckenridge, Climax, Crookston, Detroit Lakes, Fertile, Fosston, Hawley, Mahnomen, McIntosh and Moorhead and LINK sites in Cormorant, Frazee, Gonvick, Halstad, Hendrum, Lake Park, Rothsay, Shelly, Twin Valley and Ulen.

More information about LARL services and programs at www.larl.org.

4-H Film Festival to Showcase Youths' Talent

The North Dakota Center for 4-H Youth Development is giving kids a chance to test their creativity and video-making skills this summer.

Youth will be able to create and submit a one- to 10-minute video in one of four categories. Judges will select the top three videos in each category. Those videos will be shown at the North Dakota 4-H Film Festival during the State Fair in Minot.

After the showing, set for 2 p.m. July 24 in the Norsk Room at the State Fair Center on the fairgrounds, the audience will vote on the video to receive the People's Choice Award.

The competition is open to teams of youth in the sixth through 12th grade this school year. Each team should consist of one to four members. At least one member should be a 4-H'er. To join 4-H, visit http://www.ndsu.edu/4h.

The four categories are:

* Fur, Feathers and Fins -- This should be a video featuring an animal as the main character or teaching how to train or work with an animal.

* 4-H SET on Going Green -- This video should promote conservation and "going green," which is the process of changing one's lifestyle by using environmentally friendly products, recycling and limiting the use of natural resources.

* Discover 4-H -- This video should promote 4-H.

* Just for Fun! -- This is a video that doesn't fit into any of the other categories.

Teams who created the top three videos in each category will receive a certificate and a $100 cash award that is to be split among the team members. The team receiving the People's Choice Award also will receive a certificate and a $100 cash prize.

Teams need to register by June 15 and submit their video by June 24.

For more details about the competition and links to information on digital storytelling and tips and tricks on videoing and video editing, click on the 4-H Film Festival link at http://www.ndsu.edu/4h.

"We know we have a lot of talented youth in North Dakota, so we are excited about holding the 4-H Film Festival," says Linda Hauge, NDSU 4-H youth development specialist and festival organizer. "We hope to make this an annual event."

Teen safety video

ST. PAUL — Minnesota teenagers are invited to shine lights and aim cameras on the issue of distraction behind the wheel in a TV public service announcement contest. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Office of Traffic Safety and AAA Minnesota/Iowa are coordinating the 2011 Don’t Drive Distracted, Teens! TV Commercial Challenge.

Minnesota teens in grades 9–12 are eligible to create and produce a 30-second TV spot to communicate the dangers associated with distracted driving — as well as solutions to avoiding distractions behind the wheel. Spots are due to DPS by April 18, 2011. Find rules and entry forms at http://www.dps.state.mn.us/ots, and click ―’Teen Drivers’ on the left side of the page.

The contest is one opportunity for teens to specifically address the distracted driving problem to their friends and classmates.

The top spots will be selected by DPS and AAA Minnesota/Iowa for a public online vote in May 2011. AAA Minnesota/Iowa will award first-, second- and third-place finishers with $1,000, $600 and $400, respectively.

The winning spot will also make its television broadcast premiere on the MTV Video Music Awards this fall.

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens — a group overrepresented each year due to driver inexperience, risk-taking behavior, distractions, nighttime driving, speeding and seat belt non-use. During 2007–2009, 107 teens (ages 16–19), were killed and another 565 were seriously injured in crashes.

Driver distraction is a leading factor in crashes in Minnesota, accounting for at least 21 percent of all crashes annually, resulting in at least 70 deaths and 350 injuries. DPS reports these numbers are vastly underreported due to officers’ challenges to determine ―distraction‖ as a contributing crash factor.

DPS offers these tips to minimize distractions:
* Cell phones — turn off cell phones, or place them out of reach to avoid the urge to dial or answer. If a passenger is present, ask them to handle calls/texts.

* Music and other controls — pre-program favorite radio stations for easy access and arrange music (mp3 player/CDs/tapes) in an easy-to-access spot. Adjust mirrors and heat/AC before traveling, or ask a passenger to assist.

* Navigation — designate a passenger to serve as a co-pilot to help with directions. If driving alone, map out destinations in advance, and pull over to study a map.

* Eating and drinking — if you cannot avoid food/beverage, at least avoid messy foods, and be sure food and drinks are secured.

* Children — teach children the importance of good behavior in a vehicle; do not underestimate how distracting it can be to tend to children while driving.

* If you’re a passenger, speak up to stop drivers from distracted driving behavior and volunteer to handle music/other controls and answer calls/texts.

* If making or receiving a call to or from someone driving, ask them to call back when they are not behind the wheel.