Season Watch Newsletter: 1/20/2023

This week's newsletter features a new episode of Local Forest History, a warm spell in January, and a focus on winter tree identification!

FEATURE: Pre-Colonization Wildlife

This month, the Local Forest History series covers the changes in wildlife ranges and populations in Minnesota since European settlement. A few nuggets of information include: we used to have a large population of woodland caribou (particularly in northern bog country), wolves were more abundant in the southern half of the state than the northern, and ~shockingly~ the voyageurs weren't conservationists and nearly killed every beaver in the state. (Whoever has a time machine, let me know: I'd like to go poke some holes in a few voyageur canoes. Take that, ancestors!)

Listen in!

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STUDENT AND LISTENER REPORTS

We have four great reports this week: All the way north in Baudette, Black-capped Chickadees are singing their spring song. Students are building quinzees (snow huts), and John and Scott have a hilarious discussion about the age of Minnesota Master Naturalists. Also, there are some wonderful Barred Owl impressions!

Hear their voices!

JOHN LATIMER'S WEEKLY REPORT

Mid-January is here, and it's oddly warm! In this week's phenology report, John compares this January's temperatures to the historic record. He also discusses how to encourage Pileated Woodpeckers to live on your property, the annual molting cycle of American Goldfinches, and where to find Common Goldeneyes in the Cohasset area.

Listen to John's report!

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More dates and locations will be announced. Desperate to get in on the fun? Send me an email, and we'll set up a zoom meeting!

2/11/23: Phenology in the Classroom and on the Radio. Back to Basics Conference, Pine River MN. Register here.
3/10/23: Phenology in the Classroom. TrekNorth High School, Bemidji MN. Registration TBA.
3/11/23: Phenology in the Classroom. UMN Crookston. Register here.

SARAH'S RECOMMENDATION

Birders, this one's for you! Please meet Lesley the Bird Nerd, whose videos include:

This adorable video about a charismatic Red-breasted Nuthatch named Lentil.
This one about the Black-Capped Chickadee's "Phoebe" or "Cheeseburger" call. (I learned so much!)
How to help birds during winter.
Or this one, featuring the beautiful, crystalline call of the Hermit Thrush.

Basically, this whole channel is gold and I need to go befriend a bird (and Lesley) immediately!

Enjoy!

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Anishinaabemowin: Atatigoise

Go search for a birch!

Northern Community Radio

KAXE/KBXE

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Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.