Friday May 15

Friday Pre-Conference Sessions

Half Day

12:30 - 5:00 p.m. Sessions

Minneopa State Park: Bison, Buckthorn, and a Prairie Stream

Description: Explore Minneopa State Park while learning about its natural resources and how they are managed.

Level of activity: Moderately hiking on trails, and walking on prairie

Presenter Biography:

Molly Tranel Nelson has been a resource specialist for the MN DNR Parks and Trails Division for the past 15 years. Prior to that she was the Farmland prairie habitat specialist for the Wildlife research program with DNR Fish and Wildlife. In her current position she oversees protection and management of the natural and cultural resources in state parks and trails for southwest Minnesota. Her work includes working with two bison herds as a founding team member of the Mn Bison Conservation Herd. Molly has a master’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Illinois. Her family regularly calls her with obscure descriptions of birds they see and expects her to ID them.
Neil Slifka is an Area Resource Specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Parks and Trails Division in southeastern Minnesota. Neil's work focuses primarily on habitat management and both grassland and forest restoration/reconstruction as well as environmental review. Prior to working for the Minnesota DNR, Neil attended graduate school and spent over a decade in the Pacific Northwest working as a field biologist in both managed and unmanaged landscapes. He has been involved in various research and conservation projects related to fisheries and wildlife management as well as forest management and climate adaptation.
Augusta Grumdahl is an Interpretive Naturalist for Minnesota State Parks at Minneopa State Park. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Stevens-Point , where she earned a degree in Wildlife Ecology Research and Management. Augusta began working with the Department of Natural Resources as a seasonal naturalist at Buffalo River State Park in 2024. She has over a decade of experience as a naturalist, having worked with environmental education organizations across the country.
Brooke Hacker: Brooke is a Regional Planner with the Department of Natural Resources, where she has worked since 2012. Previously, as the South Region Clean Water Specialist, she conducted stream morphology surveys and supported watershed planning and project implementation. Her interests include climate resilience, continuous improvement, nature-based outdoor recreation, sustainable resource management, and enhancing connections with the land. She is a graduate of Iowa State University.

How to Speak Prairie + Guided Tour of Gustavus' Restored Tallgrass Prairie

Description: How to Speak Prairie: Do you find the sheer diversity of life on a prairie overwhelming? Do you ever wonder why it matters and what you can do to help preserve it? How to Speak Prairie will cover a range of topics, from landscape conservation to species identification. The classroom portion will be focused on the prairie ecosystem and the importance of diversity. Then we’ll head outdoors to practice plant identification and share stories about what makes prairie plants so unique.

Guided Tour: Learn about reconstructed native grasslands with a walking tour through the Gustavus Arboretum with Arboretum Director and Naturalist, Scott Moeller

Level of activity: A little bit active. Wear supportive footwear and clothing that provides protection from the sun and possible insects. Bring water to stay hydrated during our hike.

Presenter Biography:

Genevieve Brand is a Regional Ecologist with the MN Department of Natural Resources. Her mission is to conserve native plant diversity, through monitoring, research, education and outreach. She previously ran her own ecological services business and has a Master’s in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota, Saint Paul. After two decades of field work in Southern Minnesota, she's pretty sure her favorite Minnesota plant community is the dry hill prairies, found mainly in the southwest part of the state.
Mike Worland has been a wildlife biologist with the Minnesota DNR Nongame Wildlife Program for over 10 years. Currently he’s stationed out of Mankato and living in Northfield. Before coming to Minnesota he worked in wildlife research, mostly in the forests of northern Wisconsin. There he studied species such as spruce grouse, golden-winged warbler, and Kirtland’s warbler (at the time one of the most endangered birds on the planet, but which has since recovered). In Minnesota he’s helped lead research on habitat use of reptiles including the bullsnake and the common five-lined skink—one of Minnesota’s three lizards. He led work to monitor grassland birds in western Minnesota and in recent years has been monitoring migrating birds using audio recorders. Several years ago Mike and DNR colleagues expanded their prairie monitoring to include bumble bees and butterflies, which led to Mike’s interest in pollinator communities in urban habitat.
Scott Moeller is Arboretum Director and Naturalist at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Biking Minnesota: Bike Touring Skills for Naturalists

Description: Learn about bike touring basics and expand your horizons for exploring Minnesota nature by bike! We will talk about regular bikes and ebikes, gear, explore trip itineraries, demonstrate and practice basic bike maintenance, and bike to a nature destination. Bring your own bike if you have one (this is best for learning about your own bike) and all of your questions! No bike? No problem. Bike rentals are available for an additional cost through our friends at Nicollet Bike & Ski (nicolletbike.com). Make your reservation for Friday and put "Master Naturalist Class" in your reservation. They will deliver the bikes to our class at Minneopa. If cost is a barrier, please contact Ashley (aprado@umn.edu) for bike rental assistance.

Level of activity: Active - we will bike about 5 miles at a leisurely, no-drop pace

Presenter Biography:

Ashley O'Neill Prado manages statewide engagement programs at the Bell Museum and has been working in non-formal environmental education for over 10 years. Ashley spent four years working as a bicycle delivery person and fell in love with bike camping and the incredible experience of exploring nature on a human-powered vehicle. Since then, they have bike camped across Minnesota and the midwest.
Hugh Gabriel is happiest when hopping between storytelling and environmental science: he operates in both the Statewide Department and the Marketing department. Hugh specializes in designing curriculum, delivering virtual programs, and promoting the awesome projects his statewide colleagues are leading. Before arriving at the Bell, Hugh was busy restoring prairies and researching frogs in Madagascar.
Jamin is the owner of Long Haul Bike Repair and is a long-time bicycle and e-bicycle mechanic. Before opening his own business, Jamin began working on his own bicycles which launched a career as a full-time professional mechanic working at two different Twin Cities bike shops for four years. He changed gears to work on electrical and mechanical repairs for medical equipment for three years which translated beautifully to a career in ebike mechanics. Jamin loves how bicycles can enhance our everyday lives. “I can’t carry that on my bicycle” is not a phrase you will often hear him say.

Professor Hike: Connecting Students to Content and Each Other

Description: On a short walk, a Naturalist will train each student to be a “professor” of a unique topic. Each person will teach and learn from everyone in the group. You'll hone your own ability to create captivating nature nuggets on the fly, learn from others, and add a fun activity to your back pocket! This activity has been wildly popular as part of Master Naturalist courses and fifth grade science camps.

Level of activity: A little bit active

Presenter Biography:

Emily Stone is a naturalist by birth, training, profession and passion. A childhood spent as a “mud and water daughter” in NE Iowa led to a degree in outdoor education with a minor in geology from Northland College and a Field Naturalist Master’s from the University of Vermont. As the Naturalist/Education Director at the Cable Natural History Museum in Cable, Wisconsin, Emily writes a weekly “Natural Connections” column published in more than 20 local and regional newspapers. She has earned multiple Excellence in Craft awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America and recently published her third Natural Connections book.

Conference Begins:

6:00 p.m. (Dinner and Keynote)

Joe Walewski

Fostering Attentiveness: The heart of Naturalist Practices

Joe Walewski has dedicated nearly 40 years to his practice as a Wolf Ridge Naturalist, including three decades leading the graduate program. As a curious grandfather and author of Lichens of the North Woods, Ferns of the North Woods, and Mosses and Liverworts of the North Woods, Joe has studied with both human mentors and the land itself. Joe’s work explores our kinship with the vibrant natural world, reminding us that we aren't just observers, but a functional part of the landscape's story. Joe’s approach fosters a shared practice of attentiveness, moving beyond imparting facts to embracing our roles as lifelong learners in the grand, wild classroom outdoors.

Abstract:

We often head into the woods to find something, but the real magic happens when we stay long enough to let the land find us. In this keynote, Joe explores Naturalist Practices - a simple, rhythmic framework of slowing down, noticing our surroundings, gathering information, and sharing those discoveries with others. Rather than a clinical checklist, these practices are a gateway into a deeper relationship with the world. We’ll trace the path from the first physical spark of a sensory observation to the quiet reflection that follows, eventually arriving at those "aha!" moments that change how we understand our place in the ecosystem. By embracing a bit of whimsy and treating the land as a wise co-teacher rather than a backdrop, we can disrupt our digital hum and reclaim the ancient, whispered stories of the landscape. Join us to rediscover the transformative, radical power of simply paying attention.

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