• $50

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.

• $50

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 Saturday 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.

• $50

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. 

• 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.