The Wandering Naturalist

Join us as we explore the third river in Three Rivers - The Crow. Dan Nadeu joins us from Wright Soil and Water Conservation District. He explains why the Crow used to be called "the armpit of the Mississippi" and how the partnerships he has with farmers along the Crow River are integral to improve its water quality.

Park Service Assistant Thao Vang talks to us about fishing in Three Rivers Park District, how fishing has changed over time for Hmong culture in Minnesota, and how to create a welcoming environment for people new to fishing.

Nick Sacco from Three River's Outdoor Recreation School and Janine Kohn from the Minnesota DNR drop us a line to go over fishing basics such as how to get started, what equipment you might need, where to go, and proper fishing etiquette. 

Join us as we dive under the water to explore fishing habitats with Brian Vlach, Water Resources Senior Manager at Three Rivers.  Diverse aquatic habitats throughout Minnesota support a huge range of fishes, not all lakes are the same. We also discuss how climate change is impacting fish populations in Minnesota.

The great coffee migration ends back in Minnesota where we talk to Anne Costello of Peace Coffee Company, a local Minnesota roaster. Anne discusses how coffee is roasted, the environmental impacts of roasting coffee, and best practices in the coffee industry.  Julia Holiday, a historical interpreter from Three Rivers joins lastly to share past coffee substitutes. 

In this episode we are joined by three coffee farmers to hear their perspective on farming everyone's favorite morning drink. Ashley Prentice in Guatemala, Gabriel Miari in Brazil, and Mario Palomo in Honduras discuss the similarities and differences of growing coffee in their different companies and steps they have taken to grow environmentally friendly coffee. Translation is done by Giannina Pos...

Amanda Eastwood of Westrock Coffee Company joins us to talk about what it is like buying coffee from farmers, how the process can support local communities economically and improve the health of farmers, and why that is important in the coffee trade. She also provides some recommendations on what you can look for on coffee labels to see if your coffee supports coffee farming communities.  

Birds and coffee have more in common than just hearing both early in the morning. Many of the migrating species that call Minnesota home in the summer live on coffee farms in the winter. Learn how coffee farms impact birds and steps that can be taken to create coffee farms that have bird biodiversity as rich as actual rainforests. 

Three Rivers believes you belong here. Making sure that "You" applies to everyone is a continual job with a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure our parks are accessible. Join us as we talk to Chris Boyer, Executive Director of Three Rivers Park District Foundation about what the Foundation is, and how it helps make our parks more accessible. Then, Lynn Stoltzmann, Director of Facility...

Three Rivers Park District wants everybody, of any abilities, to participate in programs and enjoy experiences in a natural resourced based park setting. Sam and Tracy Tabaka from Outdoor Recreation talk to us about adapted programming and equipment in the Park District. Learn how programs are adapted to meet people's abilities, why this is important, and some etiquette on the trail when someone i...

Join us to discuss how Three Rivers Parks and The Autism Society of Minnesota have partnered to provide programing specifically designed for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Eric Ringgenberg, Director of Education Services for the Autism Society of Minnesota, discusses what autism is and how programming can be done differently to help participants with autism feel more welcome in our parks. C...

Perspective from a retired biologist and current Three Rivers volunteer, Mike Sweet, shares his goal to get outdoors every day to enjoy the benefits of interacting with nature.  He describes the welcomed surprises that evoke both feelings of relaxation and energization.  As a member of Minnesota Rovers, an outdoor club, there are many opportunities to join with others in outdoor activities. 

Silverwood Park of Three Rivers has an exciting first in Minnesota to share and Angela and Brandon immerse themselves in forest bathing with a certified ANFT Shinrin Yoku guide.  Guests David Donovan, Silverwood Program Coordinator, and David Motzenbecker, Landscape Architect, provide further insight on healing in nature. 

Joining Angela and Brandon from the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Brent A. Bauer shares the science behind parks and greenspaces improving both physical health and emotional well-being.  You can now be prescribed nature, listen to learn more. 

Why do we give roses on Valentine's day? It has something to do with the Language of Flowers. A tradition at least as old as Shakespeare where the flowers people sent carried specific messages. Learn about the history of this tradition and a few flowers you can send messages with from Jayne Becker, Cultural Heritage Interpreter.

Wander through the Plant Kingdom as Missy Anderson, Propagation Specialist at Three Rivers Park District Nursery, joins us to discuss the love life of plants. Do trees really alternate their forms every generation like ferns do? How does plant reproduction cause you to sneeze and are humans making it worse? Join us and find out!

Join us as we give tribute to the most romantic month of the year by exploring the weird, at least to us, mating habits of the animal kingdom. From flatworms that fence to snails that shoot love darts, explore some of Brandon and Angela's favorite reproductive strategies among animals.

What does it take to interpret a historic village? Cooperation between education and natural resource management. Join us as Bill Walker, Historical Programs Supervisor, and Steven Hogg , Natural Resources Supervisor, discuss how nature and history are managed at The Landing and how working together leads to a better park.  

Join us as we talk to Anne Ketz, co-founder of 106 Group, an archeology consultation group that has worked in and around The Landing-Minnesota River Heritage Park. She discusses how archeology has revealed human use in the area of The Landing going back 3,000 years, talks about the award-winning archeology project 106 Group did in partnership with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community on the vi...

Gain perspective from a Three Rivers volunteer, Allison Weyer, who is making a difference with a Minnesota threatened species the Blanding's turtle.  Hear how efforts of monitoring during nesting season can lead to late night adventures to protect nests from predators.  Differences can be made even in the smallest actions of environmental stewardship.

The metropolitan Twin Cities area is home to more than half the citizens of Minnesota.  Despite this factor wildlife is still diverse partly thanks to progressive open space planning.  Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame Specialist, Erica Hoaglund, joins to share what makes this central region unique and the challenges of conservation. 

Wildlife supervisor of Three Rivers, Steven Hogg, joins hosts Brandon and Angela to discover at risk species that call our parks home.  Learn which species have found their own way to restored habitat and those that were reintroduced such as the Regal Fritillary butterfly.

Take a journey out of our own local restored prairies of Three Rivers and expand to the entire state of Minnesota.  To think big picture guest Megan Benage with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shares her connection to the prairie and how it's all about balance and diversity.

Wildlife staff from Three Rivers, Brian Fredlund and Mitch Haag, join to talk about using prescribed fire on restored prairies. Learn more on how managed fires help a prairie ecosystem and whether or not you can bring marshmallows.

Minnesota once was home to 18 million acres of prairie habitat but today only a little over 1 percent of native prairie remains.  Protecting and recreating grassland is one of the most critical environmental challenges facing Minnesota.  To highlight this unique habitat hosts Brandon and Angela take listeners through the seasons of the most endangered ecosystem, the tallgrass prairie.