Long Lake Conservation Center near Palisade
This report is brought to you by Izzy, Lakota, Henry and the students from Migizi in Minneapolis.
Hi, this is Izzy, Lakota and Henry from Migizi Communication in Minneapolis reporting on our trip to Long Lake Conservation Center, July 6th through the 8th. The temps for our were a high of 85 degrees Fahrenheit, jumping in the lake felt so good! The low was 55 degrees. We spent as much time as possible in and on the water. During our canoe adventures we saw two loons, two muskrats, and two beavers. A couple of people from our group went fishing and caught a few small sunfish. The Long Lake staff said this was a big deal because it shows that the DNR’s restocking efforts are paying off. The DNR restocked Long Lake with adult sunfish and crappies a couple of years ago after two bad winter kills. They appear to have survived and are reproducing. There’s good eating in the woods right now. There is Chicken of the Woods popping up in various places, including a few clumps that looked about ready to harvest. The first wild raspberries are ripe and it looks like the blueberries aren’t far behind. Despite all the natural foods available, a black bear got into the garbage on campus. I guess they were hungry for fast food. We had a great trip and we want to remind everyone to go jump in a lake, head to the woods for a snack, AND, as always, unplug, get outside and LIVE CONNECTED!
Roots and Wings Forest School in New York Mills
River Bend Nature Center in Fairbault
Chad Kaddatz in Little Falls
Pierkku in Hinterlands
What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
For more phenology, subscribe to our Season Watch Newsletter and podcast or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
-
For Minnesota youths, leaders in charge of combating invasive species in lakes said the work can be a career training game changer.
-
The annual art contest highlights the stamps’ revenue generation, supporting fisheries management, habitat and stocking efforts in Minnesota lakes.
-
The University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute, or NRRI, launched a new simulator to test innovations in iron refining July 27, 2026, in Coleraine.
-
Warm water temperatures across the state go along with an increasing number of fish mortality events, where a large number of fish die at once.
-
Periods of reduced air quality due to wildfire smoke are expected for the rest of the warm season as fires continue to burn in Northern Minnesota and Canada.
-
As wildfires burn, they release a mixture of toxic compounds like heavy metals, mercury and carcinogenic chemicals that form from burning organic matter.