Buena Vista Fall Colors Festival, continuing DNR webinar series, coming up on Outdoors Calendar
Sep. 17—To get an event in the Outdoors calendar, contact Brad Dokken at (701) 780-1148, (800) 477-6572 ext. 1148 or by email at
. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesdays.
* Sept. 17-18: Fall Colors Festival, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Buena Vista Ski Area, 12 miles north of Bemidji on County Road 15. Variety of activities on tap, including blacksmithing, woodcarving and spinning demonstrations; wagon rides with Go & Whoa Harness Club; historical paintings on display; and food and crafts for sale. Admission $10 age 13 and older, $5 age 5 to 12 and free admission for children under 5. Info: (218) 243-2231 or on the web at www.bvskiarea.com.
* Sept. 18: Parks for Pollinators Bioblitz, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Red River State Recreation Area Sherlock Park Campground, East Grand Forks. Bioblitz is an event in which community members work with park staff to create a snapshot of the variety of wildlife found in the campground using an app called iNaturalist to photograph plants, insects and animals. A help session on setting up and using the iNaturalist account and/or learning the Seek app is set for 2 to 3 p.m. Sept. 11. Info: Catherine Johnson, catherine.dnr.johnson@state.mn.us.
* Sept. 22: Birding presentation, 7 p.m., Family of God Church, 327 Fifth Ave S.E., East Grand Forks. Dave Lambeth of Grand Forks will give a presentation on his recent trip to South America's Pantanal region, described as the world's largest wetland with an amazing variety of both animals and birds.
* Oct. 8: Badlands Conservation Alliance annual meeting and potluck, 1 to 4 p.m., Church of the Cross meeting space, 1004 E. Highland Acres Road, Bismarck. Potluck supper will follow the business meeting, with entertainment provided by Rick Watson, an associate North Dakota Poet Laureate from Minot whose poetry has appeared on the pages of "Wild Badlands" and who recently was a featured guest on "The Great American Folk Show." The public is invited to attend, and guests will be encouraged to become members of the BCA. More info:
https://www.badlandsconservationalliance.org.
* Oct. 15: 12th annual Chili Bowl Walleye Tournament, Border View Lodge near Baudette, Minn. Entry fee $75 per two-person team; maximum 75 teams.
Info: borderviewlodge.com.
* Sept. 23-25: 49th annual Plainsmen Black Powder club shoot and rendezvous, original Hudson Bay Trading Post site near Georgetown, Minnesota. Directions/info: Mark Roster, president, (701) 799-0980; Dave Zaeski, vice president, (701) 367-6811; or plainsmenblackpowderclub@gmail.com.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is continuing its series of hunting, fishing and outdoor learning webinars this summer. The webinars, which are free, begin at noon Wednesdays, and pre-registration is required at
. Webinars also are recorded and available online. Upcoming webinars are as follows:
* Sept. 21: "Preparation for Archery Season." Dana Keller, an archery coach and bowhunter, will lead the session.
* Sept. 28: "Fall Birding: North Shore and Hawk Ridge." Margie Menzies, education program director at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, will share info on when and where to observe the area's spectacular fall bird migrations.
* Oct. 5: "All About the Secretive Fisher." John Erb, wildlife research biologist, and Blane Klemek, DNR Northwest Region wildlife manager, will discuss fisher life history, management and harvest opportunities.
* Oct. 12: "Pheasant Research: Impacts on Pheasant Populations and Hunting." Tim Lyons, DNR upland game research scientist, will share results from recent pheasant studies.
* Oct. 19: "CWD and Deer Hunting." Todd Froberg, DNR big game program coordinator, will highlight changes to Minnesota deer hunting permit areas, CWD testing requirements and other info.
* Oct. 26: "Tundra Swan Migration." Mary Stefanski, Winona district manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will share info on tundra swan migration and life history.
* Nov. 2: "Preserving Your Harvest." DNR staff will go over some tried-and-true techniques for preserving harvested fish and game.
* Nov. 9: "Fat Bikes for Winter." Gunnar Carlson from Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists will share opportunities for biking year-round.
* Nov. 16: "The Art of Wildlife Photography." Gordon Dietzman, retired national park ranger, will share what it takes to become a better nature photographer.
* Nov. 23: "Minnesota State Park Opportunities." Sara Joy Berhow from DNR Parks and Trails will look at what's happening in Minnesota state parks and how people can get active in enjoying them.
* Nov. 30: "Fishing for Northern Pike." Bethany Bethke, DNR fisheries research scientist and coordinator of the Northern Pike Technical Committee, will highlight research, harvest regs and tips and techniques for catching pike.
