In This Issue
Minnesotans are encouraged to explore outdoors with friends and family
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is waiving vehicle permit fees at all 75 state parks and recreation areas on Saturday, April 22. This ?Free Park Day? is one of four days each year on which the DNR waives the requirement for a vehicle permit at state parks and recreation areas.
In addition to being a Free Park Day, April 22 is also Earth Day. Several state parks are offering Earth Day events, such as the Earth Day celebration at Gooseberry Falls State Park and clean-up events at Frontenac, Lake Bemidji and Myre-Big Island state parks. Find details about these events and others on the state parks event calendar (mndnr.gov/ptcalendar).
?Minnesota state parks and recreation areas are great places to make memories with loved ones,? said Ann Pierce, director of the DNR Parks and Trails Division. ?Earth Day is an ideal time to have fun outdoors and enjoy the natural resources of Minnesota. We hope those who visit on Free Park Day will have a positive experience and come back again soon.?
Visitors looking for certain recreational opportunities or amenities can use the ParkFinder tool (mndnr.gov/parkfinder) to find great options to meet their interests and needs.
The DNR recommends visitors wear clothing appropriate for the weather and bring water and snacks. Spring brings a variety of weather conditions, and trails can be icy or muddy. Traction devices and/or waterproof footwear might be useful. Check for updates in the visitor alerts on park websites (mndnr.gov/parks).
For more information, visit the DNR?s Free Park Days web page (mndnr.gov/freeparkdays) or contact the DNR Information Center by emailing?[email protected]?or by calling 888-646-6367 from 8?a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has named Darren Durst, who teaches snowmobile safety in Kasson-Mantorville in southeastern Minnesota, the 2022 volunteer snowmobile safety instructor of the year.
As part of the K-M Snowdrifters snowmobile club, Durst has taught snowmobile safety for 17 years. He?s an avid snowmobile rider himself, and has been from a young age, and routinely relays his own positive and negative experiences to help inform the students he?s teaching. In an effort to reach kids and let them know about snowmobiling and ensure they get the training they need, Durst goes to local schools and invites students to take the course.
?Darren loves to get out and enjoy the outdoors on his snowmobile, but he also recognizes the vital role volunteers like him play in recruiting and training the next generation of riders,? said Conservation Officer Phil George, the Enforcement Division?s regional training officer in southeastern Minnesota. ?He goes above and beyond to ensure all of his students have the foundation they need for a lifetime of safe riding.?
Durst is among the more than 1,000 volunteer instructors who teach DNR snowmobile safety classes across the state and who are the backbone of the program. Minnesota residents born after Dec. 31, 1976 are required to have a snowmobile safety certificate to ride, but DNR safety officials recommend all people who ride a snowmobile complete a safety training course.
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More volunteers means more and better precipitation data
With more than 600 new volunteers, Minnesota added more rainfall monitors during the annual March recruitment than any other state and again broke the national recruiting record for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.
This marks the fourth year in a row that the recruiting effort led by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota office of the National Weather Service has broken the national record and kept the ?CoCoRaHS Cup? in Minnesota. Last year, 365 Minnesotans volunteered, and 270 the year before that.
The rain, snow and hail data gathered and reported by volunteers are not only important in tracking weather trends, potential for flood and drought, and effects of climate change, but they also serve anyone who needs daily local area precipitation reports for any purpose.
?We?re so grateful to our national record number of volunteers in Minnesota,? State Climatologist Luigi Romolo said. ?While it?s fun to win cups and set records, the real winners here are science and the governments, businesses and organizations who benefit from more reports from all over the state.?
These new CoCoRaHS observers join more than 1,000 other daily precipitation observers who volunteer as part of the state?s homegrown MnGage network, making Minnesota?s citizen precipitation observing program the most comprehensive in the country.
While the big annual recruiting push is in March, the State Climatology Office is always seeking more volunteer rainfall monitors. The national CoCoRaHS network includes more than 20,000 volunteers nationwide who measure precipitation in their backyards using a standard 4-inch-diameter rain gauge.
Even with so many observers, more are still needed to help fill gaps outside the immediate Twin Cities metro area. Volunteers receive online training on how to observe the weather and how to submit their precipitation and weather event reports. They also must purchase or provide a standard 4-inch-diameter rain gauge (available at discount through CoCoRaHS) and have internet access to submit reports.
To sign up or for more information, visit CoCoRaHS.org or contact Luigi Romolo at [email protected]. The website includes lesson plans for STEM students and instructional videos for all participants.?
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