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October 2020
Monthly Chapter Meeting | 10/8/2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMj1THPNr1E Have you been to Elk River’s newest outdoor gem? The William H. Houlton Conservation Area is a 335-acre property located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk rivers in Sherburne County. It was one of the largest undeveloped family-owned riverfront properties between Elk River and Hastings. Since 2014, Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) has been working with the city of Elk River to protect and restore Houlton into high-quality wildlife habitat. Now, 180 acres of farm fields…
Find out more »Sandhill Cranes at Crex Meadows SWA
Due to challenging weather conditions both for driving and for crane viewing predicted for tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct 20, the field trip is cancelled. The Cranes will be at Crex as long as there is food on the ground and the marsh is not frozen solid. So we encourage you to make the trip when the weather is better to view the evening flights into roost for the night! The Auto touring map on the Crex Meadow website has some good…
Find out more »November 2020
Monthly Chapter Meeting | 11/2020
Dr. Sushma Reddy, the Breckenridge Chair of Ornithology at the Bell Museum of Natural History and the University of Minnesota. In her presentation, “The Dramatic Evolution of Birds on Madagascar,” Dr. Reddy will outline her team’s work so far in uncovering the remarkable diversity of birds on Madagascar and investigating the biogeographic mysteries of how they got to this island. November Series Recording
Find out more »Swans and Other Waterfowl, Brownsville, MN
WHO, WHERE, WHEN From 2-3 p.m. and again from 4-5 p.m. on November 22, Chase and Ed Davies will be at the Brownsville Overlook to talk about what swans and dabbling ducks are in sight, the life histories of the swans, and management challenges of the constantly changing river. Sundown is at 4:37; the sight of swans returning from feeding areas to congregate overnight in Pool 8 is an unforgettable experience and the reason for this late-day meeting. From 3-4…
Find out more »December 2020
Monthly Chapter Meeting | 12/2020
(Video Recording) “For Love of a River: The Minnesota” is a holistic biography of our state’s namesake river written by Darby Nelson with assistance from his wife, Geri, and editor John Hickman. Published in 2019, it was a finalist for the Midwest Book Publishers Award in the Nature category. Darby and Geri paddled the Minnesota River all the way from its source near the South Dakota border to its confluence with the Mississippi in St. Paul. Along the way, they…
Find out more »January 2021
SPAS Board Meeting | January 2021
Fellow Board Members: The Board will meet on Monday, January 11 at 6:00 pm because that is when almost everyone will be able to attend. I will ask Ben to send everyone a Zoom call invitation. The purpose of the meeting is to decide on Society priorities for 2021. Please note I have listed several proposed priorities but we are not limited to that list or that order. In addition, it is unlikely we will want to have more than…
Find out more »Monthly Speaker Series | 01/2021
January 14: Dr. Sarah Hobbie, Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Dept of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. Her research addresses the influence of changes in atmospheric composition, climate, land use, and plant species composition on communities and ecosystems, and the effects of urbanization on biodiversity and water quality. In this talk, Dr. Hobbie will describe her research on quantifying the sources of nutrient pollution to urban watersheds. This is one of her many research areas and that of her lab…
Find out more »February 2021
Monthly Speaker Series | 02/2021
Minnesota Master Naturalist Phil Hartley will use photos to show us 20 or so locations along the North Shore that are not actually hidden, but better known and used by locals than tourists.
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