Happening

Krueger’s Christmas Tree Farm has been a part of Minnesotans' holiday season for over six decades. Third-generation tree farmer John Krueger is now in charge of daily operations, and keeping the legacy—and the magic—of their farm thriving. 

Conservation Minnesota has begun a new phase in how we connect with issues and people around the state. I’ve recently changed roles from working in the east metro area to becoming the organization’s Food & Agriculture Program Manager. I recently hosted an online conversation with Conservation Minnesota members to discuss how climate is impacting agriculture and how we can create a vision for action and climate-resilient solutions across Minnesota’s agriculture industry and economy.

In a question of public land and private property, Minnesota’s Land Exchange Board recently defended a Lac qui Parle property owner’s right to sell their land to the DNR. 

Micah Rivera, a local technical student from Apple Valley, is excited about his clean energy career path. “Solar is one of the fastest-growing fields to be in right now.”

Working with local governments is one way we make progress on our most important conservation issues. That’s why we helped organize a meeting of city environment commissions dedicated to how their work can help protect the land, air, and water that is so important to us.

As a pediatrician in St. Cloud, Minnesota for over 25 years, Dr. Kathleen Kulus has seen the state’s changing climate impact her patients and she’s speaking up about it. “I need to be advocating for these children and the impact it's having on them because they don't always have a voice.”

Dusty Thune from House of Thune is an award-winning Minnesota artist specializing in snow- and sand-sculpting and climate activism. Thune creates large-scale design projects with messages about conservation and the environment. “It’s important to get people drawn in, to at least start the conversation...”

This fall, Conservation Minnesota is proud to launch Conservation Crew, a student leadership program for Minnesota middle schoolers designed to empower youth through conservation projects.

Metro area landfills have seen a 30% increase in garbage in the last year alone, and landfills are quickly running out of space. Dealing with more waste and fewer places to put it remains a major challenge for cities like Burnsville. 

In the land of 10,000 lakes, it’s easy to forget that much of southeastern Minnesota has very few. So, in Rochester the pools are where it’s at to beat the heat! Which is why it's important that as Rochester looks to invest in their amenities, the city consider not just how many people use the current park facilities like the pool, but who uses them.