Arts and Cultural Heritage funds supported staff time devoted to creating "Then Now Wow," a major, new, hands-on exhibit that brings fascinating people, places and stories of our state to life. Visitors to "Then Now Wow" (the exhibit's working title was "Our Minnesota") which opened at the Minnesota History Center in late November 2012, explore the state's distinctive places and meet the diverse people who have made their homes here.
Then Now Wow is a long-term educational exhibit designed specifically for Minnesota's children and families. This year staff created a comprehensive marketing strategy to increase overall attendance while driving specific increases among diverse families. New programs, including a monthly offering called WOW! Family Sundays, will give families the opportunity to discover the connections between old and new through activities, games, hands-on art projects and sharing stories.
MNHS is promoting the "Then Now Wow" exhibit at the Minnesota History Center to ensure that Minnesota families, schoolchildren and teachers are aware of, and therefore visit, the exhibit to learn about the history of our state. The marketing program to date is extremely successful. Family attendance increased 73% and school group attendance increased 19% from FY12 to FY13.
Developed for families with children and school field trips, and complementing the Northern Lights state history curriculum, this highly interactive exhibit explores the regions and cultures that have defined Minnesota over the course of the state's history.
The Together in Time project meets the needs of a diverse, aging population by empowering them as lifelong learners, encouraging them to tell stories, and supporting their caregivers in carrying out their essential roles.
The Together in Time project meets the needs of a diverse, aging population by empowering them as lifelong learners, encouraging them to tell stories, and by supporting their caregivers in carrying out their essential roles. Core elements of the program include leading programs in multiple locations for those with memory loss and their caregivers and working on tools such as a mobile app to show objects from MNHS's collections in order to spark conversations.
This project will make updates to existing information and incorporate new information into the Minnesota Stormwater Manual including monitoring, modeling, and pond assessment guidance to assist permittees in satisfying the municipal stormwater (MS4) permit requirements and water quality case studies for MS4 permittees.
To hire qualified professionals to repair exterior masonry and other features on the Tower Fire Hall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The exhibit told the stories of the toys of the baby boom era--of the kids who played with them, the adults who bought them, the child-rearing experts who judged them, and those who invented, packaged and advertised them--reflecting the rhythms of American life. Minnesota originals such as Tonka, Gumby, Twister and Cootie were highlighted. The 5,000-square-foot exhibition opened at the Minnesota History Center on May 24, 2014, and ran through January 4, 2015.
Partner Organizations: Fond du Lac College, Carlton County Historical Society.
More than 130 Ojibwe tribal leaders were interviewed for the award-winning Waasa Inaabida television documentary series, about the second largest tribe in North America, the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe nation of the upper Great Lakes region.
We will develop technologies that utilize indigenous microbes to convert waste plastics into useful chemical compounds and fuels, lowering the likelihood that these materials end up in our environment.
Production agriculture’s dependence on fossil fuel energy carries significant economic and ecological risks. The energy consumed within livestock facilities alone is the equivalent consumption of several large cities, and agriculture currently contributes approximately 14% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the state. As consumers increasingly demand low carbon footprint products, adoption of clean energy systems in crop and livestock production would position Minnesota’s agricultural sector with a competitive advantage.
The City of Henning hopes to rescue the 117-year-old Trinity Lutheran Church building, preserving its' architectural history, its' history for the many residents that attended the church, and restore this building as a point of Pride for the Community and the surrounding region. This twin spire church, built by a Danish Congregation, has rooted itself in the lives of many area descendants, all now participating in the rescue of this property.
Turtle Island Skywatchers - Innovative Research and Data Visualization project works to protect Minnesota water, wildlife, and natural resources while empowering Indigenous youth as leaders and all citizens as researchers.
The final outcome of this project will be a chloride management plan which will lay out a strategy for addressing chloride impacts to our surface waters for the 7-county metropolitan area. This chloride management plan will satisfy EPA requirements for impaired waters, address waters not yet listed, and develop a strategy to protect waters that are currently meeting the water quality standards. This management plan will also include implementation activities for reducing chloride to TCMA waters as well as identify high priority areas to target implementation activities.
From family reunions to the nightclub scene, nobody documented the Twin Cities black community like Charles Chamblis.The 1,500-square-foot exhibition, "Sights, Sounds, and Soul: Twin Cities through the Lens of Charles Chamblis," opened April 26, 2014, and ran through February 16, 2015.
We will reconstruct historical lake conditions to identify factors linked to successful walleye fisheries and guide effective management in the face of warming temperatures, invasive species, and nutrient loading.
A class of insecticides known as systemic neonicotinyl insecticides has been identified as a potential factor in recently observed declines in pollinators, including the phenomenon amongst honeybees known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Previous research examining the effects of neonicotinyl insecticides on lab colonies of bumblebees found that exposure to these insecticides at various levels increased queen bee mortality and detrimentally altered bee behavior and production.
Minnesotans increasingly value native fishes. For example, >95% of bowfished species in MN are native, yet all are poorly understood. Foundational natural resource data is absolutely necessary for all stakeholders.
A 2017 workshop determined we don’t know enough about brainworm transmission to moose and what mitigation strategies are optimal. We’ve assembled a multidisciplinary team to tackle the highest research priorities.
Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are found in surface waters in Minnesota and nationally. CECs can cause adverse ecological and human health impacts, and occur as complex mixtures in the environment. One of the greatest barriers to addressing the problem of CECs is a lack of understanding of where these compounds come from and which sources dominate in different locations and at different times.
