We now know the identity of the clever treasure hunter who tracked down a gold statue worth more than $25,000 — though whether he gets to keep tens of thousands more in bounty money apparently remains up in the air.

Dan Leonard, a meteorologist in Andover, Massachusetts, was identified as the winner, not by the founders of Project Skydrop, but by NBC affiliate News Center Maine, which actually introduced Leonard and the people whose puzzle he solved in the woods of Wendell State Forest.

Leonard described the moment to founders Jason Rohrer and Tom Bailey like this: “I’m kind of in disbelief that this is happening. I see the camera so expertly hidden in that stump, and I think, ‘Oh my god.’”

The digital treasure hunt for the gold statue whose value was appraised at $26,536.25 sparked widespread speculation from puzzle enthusiasts and more. The founders created clues to make the search hard, but not too hard, specifying an area where the 10-ounce, 24-karat gold statue could be that shrank every day. People could also pay $20 to receive a daily clue, which helped fund the bounty.

People are searching for a golden statue worth more than $25,000.

The circle was centered roughly on Greenfield, Massachusetts, north along the Connecticut River from Springfield.

The person who tracked the statue down was seen on cameras grabbing the puzzle off the floor, but the Skydrop organizers didn’t hear from him until News Center Maine reached out. Leonard explained that he narrowed down where the treasure could be based on the temperature recorded in the camera, plus the cloud cover and plant life seen in the stream.

When they did meet, Leonard learned there was a catch to claiming the bounty, as News Center Maine reported: the prize could only be accessed by solving clues written onto the trophy itself, which technically meant that anyone with access to the statue could crack the code and claim the money.

Leonard was surprised, but not particularly bothered, saying, “Let’s say I don’t get it: I still had a really good time and got a treasure out of it.”

Rohrer shared more about the circumstances around Leonard’s victory in a message to the game’s official Discord server, a social media chat site where players were able to get more information about what happened.

The winner’s name is Dan Leonard. A news channel up in Maine figured out who he was, based on their meteorologist connections. They connected us with him, and we got to talk to him on camera yesterday. That encounter should appear on the news soon.

Dan joined Project Skydrop for $20 on October 25. He explained how he solved it. Along with weather patterns, temperature data, and cloud cover stuff from the trail cameras, he also depended heavily on the aerial image clues. He said it would have been impossible to solve if:

1. He had no aerial clues
   or
2. We had cropped the temperature sensor data off the camera images.

The aerial clues helped him in two ways. First, they showed him that the treasure was in a large, deciduous beech grove, and there aren’t many large beech groves in the Erving area. Second, they showed him a “map” of what the scene looked like around the treasure (the logs, etc.)

He never had an exact GPS coordinate figured out. He was simply walking the (few) large beech groves in Wendell, looking for the distinctive logs that he saw in the clues.

The temperature sensor data and weather patterns just helped him narrow down the area.

Also, he actually stared right at the treasure and didn’t see it. He walked away, thinking he had found the wrong logs. He was about to leave (he walked off-camera for 1 min and 30 seconds), and then he came back to take one more look, because those logs looked like such a close match. Then, staring at the leaves in the spot he had already checked, he suddenly saw that the treasure was there after all. He said it was almost impossible to see.

There comes a time in every young beaver’s life when they decide to branch out and leave their parents’ lodge to build their own home.

For Nibi, Massachusetts “diva” beaver, it’s a bit more complicated than that. And in the end, the governor of Massachusetts had to get involved.

Nibi was just a baby when she was abandoned and discovered on the side of the road about a few years ago. She was saved and cared for by Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, northwest of Boston. That’s how the public was introduced to and fell in love with the beaver, known for its round furry frame, tiny paws and mischievous smile.

Rescuers have referred to Nibi as a “diva” because of her confidence and how she has misbehaved in the past when she did not get things her way.

Nibi when she was young.

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Nibi, now 2 years old, is roughly the age when wild beavers embark on their journey to find a mate and build a home. Over this past summer, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), a state division, said it was time for Nibi to do the same, according to court documents.

But Nibi’s rescuers disagreed — arguing that the beaver was far from ready to live on her own without human intervention, and warned that her chance of survival would be low in the wild, court documents read.

Newhouse Wildlife Rescue cited beaver ecology expert Glynnis Hood, who speculated that if Nibi is released in October, she would be ill-prepared for the winter and likely experience starvation and hypothermia.

The disagreement ultimately went through state courts. It also amassed 29,000 signatures on an online petition advocating for Nibi to remain at the rescue center.

On Thursday, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey entered the debate, announcing that she sided with Newhouse Wildlife Rescue and would issue a permit for Nibi’s stay as an education beaver.

“Nibi has captured the hearts of many of our residents, mine included,” Healey said in a statement. “I’m happy to report that we have issued a permit for Nibi to remain at a wildlife rescue as an educational beaver and inspire folks to protect our natural world.”

Nibi eating.

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Newhouse Wildlife Rescue applauded the governor’s decision and thanked the overwhelming support from Nibi fans.

“This was not about making a wild animal a pet. That’s so far from what happened here and was never the goal,” the group wrote on Facebook. “This was about speaking for a creature who could not speak for herself. This was about righting a wrong.”

MassWildlife told the Associated Press that the state division is “committed to protecting the well-being of all wildlife, including Nibi the beaver,” adding that agency officials plan to “work with Newhouse Wildlife Rescue on the best steps forward.”

Beavers are common and plentiful throughout Massachusetts. They play a vital role in the state’s ecosystems by damming rivers and streams and forming shallow ponds.

Nibi falls asleep after eating too much.

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In court documents, Newhouse Wildlife Rescue said they tried several times to introduce Nibi into the wild, but given that she was so young when she was found, she appeared to have no instincts on how to hunt for food on her own. “She also refused to integrate with other beavers on more than occasion,” court documents read.

The group said they plan to continue training Nibi so she could eventually be released into the wild.

There has been an explosion of investment in the food economy over the last few years and the latest food tech developments are as likely to come from MIT as Michigan State. The major developments fall into three main areas: increasing productivity while decreasing waste, increasing sustainability, and making healthier food to reduce rising healthcare costs.

Growing up in farm country, with a half-acre food and vegetable garden in my backyard, gave me a deep connection to the food we eat. My early experiences in 4-H, exhibiting at the county fair, and learning how to grow fruits and vegetables from seed packets shaped my understanding of food. I took a course in college titled “The Political Economy of Food and Nutrition.” My professor argued that many of the world’s most pressing issues — from poverty and regional warfare to the medical-industrial complex and climate change — ultimately connect to food.

In the U.S., we tend to assume that food will always be available on grocery store shelves and in restaurants. However, the COVID-19 pandemic provided a stark reminder of how fragile the food system can be in the face of disruption, with shortages and inflation affecting food availability. The reality is that more shocks to the food system are inevitable, whether from future pandemics, climate change, or other global crises. As we look ahead, three major trends are shaping the future of food:

Increasing Food Availability

Farming has always relied on innovation. To meet the growing global population’s food needs, two primary strategies have emerged: increasing yields and reducing waste. Precision farming technologies are at the forefront of this effort, employing GPS-guided tractors, drones, robotics, and vertical farming. These tools help maximize the use of space, conserve water, and control pests more efficiently than ever before.

Technological advancements extend beyond the farm itself. Supply chain management now benefits from advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), which predict consumer demand more accurately, thereby reducing overproduction. Blockchain technology is also being utilized to ensure transparency, improve food safety, and cut down on waste. Genomics continues to play a significant role in agriculture but is now paired with precision agriculture to optimize crop growth conditions based on genetic potential, leading to increased yields.

However, climate change complicates efforts to boost food productivity. Shifting weather patterns, extreme temperatures, and unpredictable rainfall are likely to make it harder to grow food in many regions, exacerbating food insecurity.

One of the most alarming statistics is that in the U.S., 30–40% of the food supply is wasted. Reducing this waste involves several initiatives, such as upcycling, zero waste food, using parts of food that were previously considered unusable and employing technologies that extend the freshness of produce. Efforts are also underway to redistribute food that would otherwise go to waste, channeling it to food banks and charities.

Enhancing Sustainability

The second major trend in the food industry focuses on producing food in a way that minimizes environmental impact. This includes sourcing insect protein.

One of the biggest shifts in this area is the rise of plant-based and alternative proteins, including lab-grown meat, plant-based seafood, and dairy substitutes. These innovations are designed to reduce the environmental burden of traditional livestock farming, which is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion. Animal agriculture, especially meat production, has a substantial impact on deforestation, water use, and overall inefficiency in producing calories.

Sustainable agricultural practices, such as regenerative farming, are becoming increasingly important. Techniques like crop rotation, cover cropping, and reduced tillage help improve soil health while reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Consumers are also seeking products that support carbon sequestration and have minimal ecological footprints.

Companies are also exploring compostable, biodegradable, reusable, and recyclable materials to reduce packaging waste and its environmental impact. These innovations are critical as consumers demand greater transparency and responsibility from food producers.

Sustainable seafood management and more sustainable livestock farming practices are also on the rise, aiming to ensure that both land and marine resources are used in a way that protects ecosystems while meeting the global demand for protein.

Food as Medicine

The concept of “food as medicine” has deep historical roots, with ancient Eastern and Western medical systems both emphasizing the healing properties of food. Today, the “food as medicine” movement is gaining broader recognition thanks to significant research and institutional support.

Institutions such as Tufts University’s School of Nutrition and Kaiser Permanente have published studies showing that food plays a crucial role in preventing and managing diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. This research has helped legitimize the idea that diet can be as powerful as medicine in improving public health.

In 2022, President Biden hosted the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 years. The conference aimed to address issues of hunger and diet-related diseases in the U.S., with the ambitious goal of ending hunger and improving diet quality by 2030. This initiative has focused federal attention on how diet can improve health outcomes.

Major organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation, the Aspen Institute, and the Milken Institute have also thrown their support behind food-as-medicine initiatives. In January 2024, the Rockefeller Foundation committed an additional $80 million in funding for these programs, bringing its total investment to over $100 million since 2019.

However, the concept of “food as medicine” is still evolving, and definitions can vary widely. For example, Rock Health reported that between 2023 and early 2024, $373 million was invested in 22 digital health startups that offered food-as-medicine products or services. Another report mentioned that eight food-as-medicine startups raised $400 million in funding.

Looking forward, we expect to see more personalized, or precision nutrition solutions based on an individual’s genetics. Advances in life sciences, particularly in microbiome research, will likely drive a new generation of nutraceuticals. Gender-specific and life-stage-specific nutritional solutions will also become more prevalent as we continue to learn about the unique dietary needs of different populations.

We’re not in Kansas anymore.

Ed Gaskin is Executive Director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets and founder of Sunday Celebrations.