Minnesota
Minnesota elk meeting, October Options Accessible Deer Hunt coming up on Outdoors Calendar
To get an event in the Outdoors calendar, contact Brad Dokken at (701) 780-1148, (800) 477-6572 ext. 1148 or by email at
bdokken@gfherald.com
. Deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesdays.
- Oct. 12: 14th Annual Chili Bowl Walleye Tournament, Lake of the Woods and Rainy River at Border View Lodge, 3409 MN-172, Baudette, Minnesota. Entry fee $300 per boat, with a tournament limit of 75 two-person teams. Prime rib dinner and rules meeting the night before the tournament. Info: borderviewlodge.com, info@borderviewlodge.com or (800) 776-3474.
- Sept. 10: DNR-hosted meeting to discuss elk management and where it’s headed in northwest Minnesota, 6 to 8 p.m., Northland Community and Technical College Performance Arts Theater, 1101 Highway 1 East, Thief River Falls. Info:
dnr.state.mn.us/elk/index.html.
- Sept. 13-15: Wild Outdoor Women (WOW) fall session, Lake Metigoshe State Park, ND. For ladies at least 16 years of age or older looking to learn or refine skills related to a variety of outdoor recreational activities. Activities and topics on tap include canoeing, kayaking, fly-tying, archery, fly-fishing, TREEmendous trees, pollinators, fall birding, waterfowl basics, bike maintenance and more. Info:
parkrec.nd.gov/events/wild-outdoor-women-wow-fall.
- Sept. 17: Grand Forks Audubon, 7 p.m., Edgewood Grand Forks, 1800 47th Ave. S. Seth Owens, an avid birdwatcher, wildlife photographer and education and outreach coordinator for Pheasants Forever North Dakota, will talk about regional grouse species. Info: Rolf Paulson, rolfpmd@yahoo.com.
- Oct. 10-12: 29th Annual Accessible Deer Hunt for Persons with Disabilities, Rydell National Wildlife Refuge, 17788 349th St SE, Erskine, Minnesota. Hunting hours for the event are from noon through the end of legal shooting hours each day. The accessible hunt is open to a maximum of 20 people of any age or disability, and applications are now available. The hunt is coordinated by Options Interstate Resource Center for Independent Living in East Grand Forks in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Applications are available by calling Options at (800) 726-3692. If applications exceed openings, participants will be selected based on severity of disability, ability to hunt in other locations other than Rydell, hunting experience as a person with a disability, and hunting experience at Rydell Refuge. If all is equal, a random drawing will take place. For more information, contact Randy Sorenson of Options at (218) 779-7408, (218) 773-6100 or (800) 726-3692.
- Oct. 13: Third annual “Walk for the Wild” event, Rydell National Wildlife Refuge. Free 5K and fundraising event will include a designated 5K route with three different paved, yet scenic trails. Either take a guided trail walk or go on your own. All 5K finishers will receive an official “Walk for the Wild Finisher” sticker. Additional activities on tap throughout the day, as well. Info: Gregg Knutsen, refuge manager, (218) 686-4329 or gregg_knutsen@fws.gov.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources webinars are free and begin at noon Wednesdays. Pre-registration is required at
mndnr.gov
. Webinars also are recorded and available online. Upcoming series topics are as follows:
- Sept. 11: Exploring Minnesota’s wildlife and aquatic management areas. Learn the history of the WMA/AMA program, the purposes of these lands and the variety of recreational opportunities they offer. Participants will also learn about the system-wide planning process currently underway to ensure consistent and holistic management of WMA and AMA lands into the future.
- Sept. 18: From seeds to canopies: collecting seeds and cones for the Minnesota State Forest Nursery. Webinar will cover seed collection techniques, tree identification tips, and the importance of this program in supporting reforestation efforts on both public and private lands.
- Sept. 25: Managing moose in Minnesota: challenges and opportunities. Learn which factors influence moose survival and productivity and what recent research has shown to be the major challenges to moose recovery in Minnesota.
- Oct. 2: Preserving the memory of your harvest. Meadow Kouffeld, Natural Resources Sciences instructor, wildlife biologist and taxidermist, talks about ways to preserve and honor your harvest. From photography and decorative tail fans to euro skulls and life size mounts, the webinar will touch on what hunters can do to make the most of their harvest from field to finished display.
- Oct. 9: Fun and easy campfire treats for fall cookouts. Naturalist Pam Welisevich from Dodge Nature Center shares some of her favorite simple and easy treats made over the fire.
- Oct. 16: Bobcats in Minnesota. Minnesota DNR wildlife staff will discuss the history of bobcats and their management in Minnesota, recent population trends and important aspects of their biology and ecology. They will also share preliminary results from an ongoing radiotelemetry study in northern Minnesota.
- Oct. 23: Late season pheasant hunting. Pheasant hunting experts will discuss where to find pheasants once the crops are out and the snow is flying and how to prepare for hunting once the weather turns colder.
- Oct. 30: Deer hunting secrets. Minnesota DNR outreach staff and lifelong deer hunters Jeff Ledermann and Kraig Kiger will share their top 10 list, plus a few extra tips, to bag a deer.
- Nov. 6: Minnesota’s redhorses. Redhorse are a fascinating group of Minnesota native fish and actually include several different species: golden, silver, greater, river, shorthead and black redhorse. Devon Oliver, Minnesota DNR fisheries scientist, will share recent research on these fascinating fish, how to identify them, and where they are found in Minnesota rivers and streams. We will also talk with Corey Geving, expert native rough fish species angler, about how to catch them as they make great table fare.
- Nov. 13: Fall birding and photography tips. Monica Bryand, executive director of the Urban Bird Collective, will share tips on photographing birds, some of her favorite birding spots for the fall migration, and the work of the UBC.
- Nov. 20: Accessible hunting and fishing stories and opportunities. Join us for a discussion with Capable Partners to hear stories about accessible hunting and fishing in Minnesota. Webinar also will share opportunities for people who have a disability to be supported in hunting and fishing in Minnesota.
- Nov. 27: What’s up with perch in Minnesota? Beth Holbrook, Minnesota DNR fisheries research scientist, has been looking into changes in Minnesota’s yellow perch populations. She will share the latest research results and what that means for perch as an important prey for big game fish and for anglers who are targeting perch. Scott Mackenthun, DNR area fisheries supervisor, will discuss how to improve your chances to catch perch through the ice this winter.
Minnesota
Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota pushes further into US, engulfing DC in eerie haze
NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of people in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states muddled through another day of unhealthy air from uncontrolled wildfires on Friday, as smoke enveloped the nation’s capital in a gloomy, eerie haze.
Air quality warnings were expected to remain in effect through Saturday across a wide swath of the U.S., but there’s potential for temporary relief with rains and storms forecast over a chunk of the affected region over the weekend.
The smoky conditions won’t be gone anytime soon, though, as fires burn unchecked across a remote region of Canada, cautioned Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service based in Maryland. Wildfires in a wilderness area in Minnesota are also contributing to the smoke.
“The source of the smoke is going to continue on for certainly a week, probably,” he said. “So in some form, there’s going to be smoke that gets transported from the fires downstream, and it’s just going to depend upon which way the wind’s blowing as to where the smoke is going to affect the most.”
On Friday, communities in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois closest to the Canadian border and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota again registered some of the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, an air quality monitoring website.
Not far behind them was Washington, D.C., where the thick smoke created eerie scenes. The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and other national landmarks could be seen enveloped in a thick, orange-hued haze in the morning.
“Wow that Canadian smoke haze is no joke,” Stewart Verdery, a former assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, wrote on X as he shared a panorama of D.C. at sunrise. “Almost nothing visible – no sun, no monuments, no Reagan Airport.”
Air in and around Washington was expected to go from bad to worse as the day progressed, reaching “very unhealthy” and potentially “hazardous” levels on the air quality index, regional officials said.
People, particularly those with heart or lung disease, older adults and children, were urged to limit or avoid going outside as much as possible until air quality improved.
There was also concern in the New York City area about how the foul air might impact the World Cup final match between soccer powerhouses Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
Oravec said winds will continue pushing the wildfire smoke east in the U.S., though conditions should be better on game day Sunday than on Saturday.
Just a day earlier, a thick haze tinged with orange and yellow darkened skies across several states and partly obscured Manhattan’s skyline.
Officials from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other Northeast states distributed free K95 face masks, canceled outdoor programming and opened libraries and other public buildings as cooling centers where people could get a respite from the sooty air.
As Friday progressed, air quality measures improved from “unhealthy” to “moderate” in some places in and around New York City.
A strong sun broke through a thin veil of smoke, and large chunks of clear blue sky were visible across much of the region by Friday afternoon.
Saturday brings a high chance of thunderstorms across much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, which will help dampen the bad air.
How long the reprieve lasts depends on what happens hundreds of miles north, as some 100 wildfires burn without end in sight, largely in the Ontario area in Canada. In the U.S., officials have closed the Boundary Waters while battling multiple fires.
Long-term exposure to smoky conditions can complicate existing health problems and lead to chronic and deadly issues, including respiratory illness, cardiovascular and neurological diseases and premature death.
See how the bald eagle’s story shows its enduring symbolism
As the U.S. celebrates 250 years, the bald eagle endures as North America’s native sea eagle and national bird.
The common loon, Minnesota’s state bird, is more closely related to a penguin than a duck.
Despite loons predominantly living in the northern hemisphere and penguins mostly living in the southern hemisphere, researchers consider them to be genetic cousins. Taxonomic analyses placed them in an evolutionary cluster tracing back 40 million to 50 million years ago, along with herons and pelicans.
While loons and ducks share habitat on Minnesota lakes, they aren’t close relatives. Ducks are closer cousins to geese and swans.
After sharing a common ancestor, penguins and loons developed distinct characteristics. Loons can fly, but struggle to move on land; penguins can’t fly, but waddle on land. Penguins use flipper-like wings to swim; loons use webbed feet for underwater propulsion.
They have some similar features, however, including dense bones to help dive underwater and their tuxedo coloring.
MinnPost partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Fires in the past burned more frequently in western Canada, but recent years have seen that trend migrate eastward, with large fires now burning in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic provinces, Prof Chasmer said, leading to more noticeable smoke in densely populated cities like Toronto and New York.
-
Tennessee2 minutes agoTennessee woman arrested after allegedly trying to drown one of her children in backyard pool
-
Texas8 minutes agoHow a man once ordered to pay libel damages helped launch an investigation into Islamic private schools
-
Utah14 minutes agoUtah Jazz vs Portland Trail Blazers Summer League recap and final score
-
Vermont20 minutes ago
VT Lottery Mega Millions, Gimme 5 results for July 17, 2026
-
Virginia26 minutes agoMaryland, Virginia elections officials push back on Trump assertion that system is ‘broken’ – WTOP News
-
Wisconsin38 minutes agoWisconsin Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for July 17, 2026
-
West Virginia44 minutes agoWest Virginia Wesleyan College to keep Governor’s School for the Arts through 2030
-
Wyoming50 minutes agoRacines runs unopposed for Wyoming State Auditor
