HUTCHINSON, Minn. — Volunteers stepped up to save a deer sanctuary in central Minnesota.

The Gopher Campfire Wildlife Sanctuary has been in Hutchinson for 60 years. But due to a new law, it lacked the proper fencing to keep wild deer away putting the sanctuary in jeopardy.

“It’s a very nice sanctuary. You can bring kids. You can feed the animals,” said Conni Johnson Bergo, who was visiting the attraction.

Getting up close and personal with deer, ducks and geese is what’s made this animal refuge a popular place.

“It’s just nice to see all the wildlife. We love wildlife,” said DeLue Grams. “If it wasn’t here a lot of these kids aren’t going to see what’s out there in the wild.”

But a new law put the 28-acre site in jeopardy. The DNR required a second fence around the perimeter so wild deer couldn’t come into contact with sanctuary deer and potentially spread chronic wasting disease. Building that new fence was going to cost $100,000. If the money wasn’t raised, the deer would have to be euthanized.

“When we started, I didn’t think we’d come close,” said Craig Schmeling. 

Schmeling is a sanctuary board member, and one of the people who began raising funds for a second fence. 

“We’ve received funds from Duluth, Rochester, Mankato, Florida,” he said.

Thanks to local businesses and fundraisers, they got the money they needed right before their mid-July deadline.

“The community really came together and showed how much they want the deer to stay too,” said Schmeling. “When the new fence gets built, there will be four walk-in gates in this area. So people can still get close enough to the deer to feed them.”

Construction on the new fence is expected to being later this week. A testament to a town that couldn’t stand the thought of losing a big part of its history.

“It’s a huge relief for everybody. Nobody wanted to see this go,” said Schmeling.

The sanctuary had eight new fawns born this spring, adding to the more than two dozen deer on site. 

The new fence is expected to take several weeks to build. 

The Minnesota Wild have signed star defenseman Brock Faber to an eight-year extension worth $68 million ($8.5 million AAV), the team announced Monday. The new extension kicks in for the 2025-26 season, as Faber is entering the final year of his rookie deal that pays him just $925,000.

Faber, 21, is coming off his first full NHL season, and has already cemented himself as a franchise player. The former second-round pick played all 82 games, notching 47 points (eight goals, 39 assists), 26 penalty minutes and 150 blocked shots while averaging 24:58 of ice time per game. He set the franchise record for points by a rookie defenseman and recorded the second-most points by any rookie, only behind Kirill Kaprizov’s 51 points in the shortened 2020-21 season.

Faber also finished second in Calder Trophy voting, trailing only Chicago Blackhawks star and last year’s No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard. As a nice bonus, he did earn a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team, joining teammate Marco Rossi.

Before his jump to the NHL, Faber was argaubly the face of the University of Minnesota’s renowned hockey program. In his three seasons with the Golden Gophers (2020-23), he recorded 53 points (seven goals, 46 assists), a plus-54 rating and 130 blocked shots across 97 games. He also won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year two years in a row, and helped the Golden Gophers make back-to-back Frozen Four appearances.

On an international level, Faber, a Maple Grove, Minnesota native, notched five assists to help the U.S. win gold at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also captained the U.S. team at the 2022 World Juniors and played during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Faber was originally the No. 45 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, but was traded to Minnesota in the Kevin Fiala trade in 2022. Now the local kid gets to shine for his hometown team, and the Wild couldn’t be happier about it.

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