Minnesota Master Naturalist

08/29/2026

A little rain at the State Fair this morning, but the volunteers are at the fair and ready to meet you. Dtop by and spin the wheel, answer a Minnesota nature question and get a trading card and a Lake Superior Agate!

08/28/2026

The Minnesota Valley State Trail in the Wilkie Unit is officially open and ready to explore!

We appreciate your patience as we work to make improvements supporting refuge recreation.

08/28/2026

Yesterday, Aloe stopped by our Minnesota Master Naturalist booth at the stste fair. She is a Louisana Master Naturalist from New Orleans. She is participating in a program where they explore a topic in their own state and then visit another to learn more about the topic. Water is this years topic.
She has has visited Owamni, Itasca, Lake Superior and all the cool stops along the way.
Nice to meet you Aloe, enjoy the rest of your time in Minnesota. It was great to meet you. Thanks for stopping by!

08/28/2026

Look out for this grass that can overtake a forest floor. Stiltgrass has never been spotted in Minnesota, but is of high concern. Stiltgrass grows up to three feet tall and in dense, thick mats. It has alternate leaves that oftentimes has a reflective, silvery midvein, which distinguishes it from other lookalikes.

Early detection of stiltgrass is vital, so please report any sightings to EDDMapS. And always remember to practice preventing the spread of invasive species by brushing off your shoes before entering or leaving a natural area. For more information, visit https://z.umn.edu/TIPS-Stiltgrass.

08/28/2026

Monarch Joint Venture is looking for volunteers for the upcoming Minneapolis Monarch Festival! 🦋

This event will occur on September 12 at Lake Nokomis. Monarch Joint Venture is looking for volunteer help at their Education Tent to engage festival guests on monarch biology, ecology, migration, and conservation. Even if you do not have prior experience in teaching the public about monarchs, they are happy to provide some learning materials and talking points to review prior to the festival or pair you with more experienced volunteers.

This is also a bilingual event, so they try to have at least one Spanish-speaking volunteer in the Education tent at all times. If you are a Spanish speaker, please let us know! Volunteers shifts are divided between morning (9:30am-1pm) shifts and afternoon (12:40pm-4pm) shifts.

Read more information and sign up for Monarch Education Assistant volunteer shifts here: https://dash.pointapp.org/events/754182?token=173f1463-fcb2-4942-b5c5-c9cf25ddedbb
Monarch Festival Website: https://monarchfestival.org/
For questions, contact MJV Education Coordinator Alexa Koch: [email protected]

08/28/2026

Late summer is a good time to spot porcelain berry, an invasive woody vine with berries that can range from yellow and purple to bright blue. Its leaves are highly variable in shape, which can make identification tricky.

Porcelain berry is a restricted noxious w**d in Minnesota. It can grow rapidly over trees and shrubs, blocking sunlight and crowding out native vegetation. Although it is widespread farther east, every Minnesota observation can help natural resource managers better understand where it is spreading.

If you think you’ve found porcelain berry, take photos and report your observation to EDDMapS.

Learn how to identify and report it: z.umn.edu/TIPS-PorcelainBerry

Images © Mark Eanes via iNaturalist, some rights reserved (CC-BY); James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, via Bugwood; Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, via Bugwood.

08/27/2026

Come and visit at the Great Minnesota Get Together! South side of the DNR building.

08/26/2026

Did you know the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley has Adult Camps?
On Friday, Sept 11, Delve into the unique lives of the only true flying mammals: bats! Explore their adaptations, myths, human connections, and more, including how to track and participate in local bat research. Survey the Zoo to determine the bat-friendliness of our property and learn how you might be able to improve bat habitat near you. Learn more and register at https://mnzoo.org/adult-zoo-camps/

08/26/2026

Stop by and see us at the Minnesota State Fair! We are on the south side of the DNR building, by the fish pond.

08/25/2026

Learn more about the Chimney Swift Roost Monitoring Project through these upcoming free events!

📣Chimney Swift Sits begin soon!
We are hosting these events in partnership with Urban Bird Collective Friday, Aug. 28 through Monday, Sept. 7. A biologist will give a short talk about swifts, and we will watch hundreds of swifts swirl together and descend into their communal roost at dusk—it's quite a spectacle.
The events are free to attend and open to everyone.
Our first swift sit occurs 6:30-9p.m., Friday, August 28th at Mahtomedi High School (with more event dates below).
For more details, check out the DNR chimney swift project webpage: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nongame/projects/chimney-swifts.html
Interested in staying in the loop on more of our community science project happenings? Sign up for our Community Science Email Bulletin for regular updates (link on chimney swift webpage).
👇Check out the comments for a video of chimney swifts from a previous swift sit!