The Brainerd Lakes area is one of Minnesota's most beloved "up north" destinations. With a population of 162,000 that expands by approximately 300,000 annually, North Central Minnesota is home to a complex mix of year-round residents, second home owners, seasonal visitors, and a growing immigrant population. The area is home to both promise and challenge. WonderTrek Children's Museum and its partners envision a more connected region and state and actively works to create connections by bringing together visitors and residents from diverse backgrounds in shared experiences.
To meet our community's call for creative, humanities-based programming for younger students, 826 MSP will offer Identity Exploration through Poetry Field Tripsfor primarily-BIPOC Twin Cities youth in grades 1-2. Students will work with mentor texts from BIPOC poets, write their own pieces, and leave as published poets. Each student will receive a bound anthology including all the poetry from their class and with prompts for extended writing and discussion in the classroom and at home.
Pollinators play a key role in ecosystem function and in agriculture, including thousands of native plants and more than one hundred U.S. crops that either need or benefit from pollinators. However, pollinators are in dramatic decline in Minnesota and throughout the country. The causes of the decline are not completely understood, but identified factors include loss of nesting sites, fewer flowers, increased disease, and increased pesticide use. Developing an aware, informed citizenry that understands this issue is one key to finding and implementing solutions to counteract these factors.
Continuing pollinator habitat creation and enhancement on 11 sites from Lakeville to St. Cloud, with public engagement and education centered on youth, schools, and community awareness of natural resource stewardship.
Though many parts of the Twin Cities metropolitan area are urbanized, there are also has large areas of natural lands that continue to serve as important habitat for fish, wildlife, and plant communities. However, pressure on these remaining lands continues to intensify as population and development pressures increase.
To prepare a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for Bridge No. 3145 Long Meadow Lake Bridge (Old Cedar Ave. Bridge), Bloomington, MN.
Telling Queer History was founded to bring the hidden and undertold stories of queer people to light and to connect our community by fostering compassion, empathy, and healing through curated storytelling gatherings. Since its founding 9 years ago, TQH has recorded these gatherings. In this project, we will transcribe, catalog, and make public this rich collection of stories to share with a wider audience, including those unable to attend past programs and researchers.
Queer Voices helps to expand opportunities for LGBTQIA+ writers of Minnesota and enhance community-belonging through 1) apprenticeships (resume building, skill-setting, expanding networks, and capacity building); 2) two emerging and mid-career writers' retreats (16-18 participants); 3) hosting space at the Queer holiday market (community exposure for artists allowing the public to purchase from queer artists); 4) three panel discussions; 5) documentation of eight events the events listed.
