2020

Giving Nature a Home

Rover Liz S. will be presenting on how to garden for wildlife in the suburbs with native plants, illustrated with plenty of photos from her yard. She attracts birds, butterflies, bumblebees, and a wide range of other visitors to her backyard.

Liz has been a Minnesota Rover since 2005. She is also a Minnesota Master Naturalist. She started her native plant wildlife garden in 2008.

Brian Goodspeed, Rover Equipment Director will be talking about the Equipment Locker. He will tell us about what gear the Rovers have, How to access Rover gear and guidelines regarding equipment use and the Minnesota Safe Rovers plan for COVID-19.

We all know that First Aid kits can be essential in the wilderness or on outdoor adventures, especially when we are off the grid. But we also may have limited space and weight. How do you choose what to put in your First Aid kit? Often people may have a small personal first aid kit and there may also be a larger group kit.

What are the most important and useful items? How do you decide what to bring based on type of trip, length of trip and size of group? Wilderness First Aid instructor Tom O’Neal will be discussing First Aid kits and decisions about what you need in your kit.

Summer is a great time for Star Gazing. Suresh will be presenting on night objects easily seen in summer. More to come.

People get lost or have things go wrong in remote outdoors activities and even in large county and city parks. In 2010, a woman and her son were lost at Lebanon Hills while bicycling, leading to a search and rescue effort and a their return after midnight. In the process a rescuer also became lost. Things can happen at any time.    What are the Ten Essentials that you need on any adventure in the outdoors?

What hacks do you use for items serving this purpose?

This will be a hands  on discussion of which items are essential to stay safe and to cope in the event that something goes wrong when you are outside.

Chicago Adventure Therapy (CAT) works with diverse youth and young adults in Chicago who usually wouldn’t get the opportunity to get outdoors or to be involved in outdoor sports. Andrea Knepper, the founder of CAT, will join several of CAT’s young and young adults to talk about engaging young people in the outdoors. We’ll talk about making the outdoor a welcoming space where young people WANT to be, and some the challenges to doing this well. We’ll focus on getting young people there – and on strategies that make outdoor communities and sports places where young people want to KEEP being involved. The youth and young adults presenting are CAT leaders who have all been involved for several years; some have earned globally recognized outdoor leadership awards.

Andrea Knepper is a Social worker, and BCU 5 star sea kayaker. In 2019, she solo kayaked the US Pacific West coast.

For more information, their website is 2011.chicagoadventuretherapy.org

Yoga is a great way to take a break and get energized for the next leg of a long hike, bike ride or paddle. It can be done in the outdoors without any equipment – a mat is truly optional. You probably know that yoga increases balance, flexibility, and strength, but did you also know it protects the spine, cartilage and joints so we can continue to pursue an active lifestyle?

Tammy N. (5 year Rover member) will lead us in some yoga poses and stretches over Zoom. You can do these in your home or your backyard.

We will be waterproofing an old, leaky Rover tent – sealing the seams, and treating both the rain fly and the underside of the tent using products commonly found at local outdoor sports stores.

I’m not an expert but have done it enough to learn a trick or two.

Presented by Rob Chase

The Bay of Loreto Marine Park is a protected national park area on the Eastern side of the Baja peninsula. It includes 5 desert islands in the Sea of Cortez. It is home to a wide variety of sea birds, marine life and desert plant life. Blue whale migrations can be seen, as well as gray whales, fin whales, and humpback whales. Hikers on the island cliffs can look down and see pods of dolphins playing and feeding. Nights tend to be clear and starry. Sandy beaches, rocky shorelines, desert landscapes, and clear water make for wonderful camping, snorkeling, hiking, and kayaking. This trip occurred in February and early March of 2020, just before the pandemic took hold.

Fran Lesicko has been a Rover since 2007 and is an avid outdoors person. She loves camping, hiking, and sea kayaking.

What motivates a middle-aged woman to brave extreme weather, precarious river crossings, swarms of sandflies and epic mud? Breathtaking scenery and a renewed sense of wonder. Join Blissful Hiker Alison Young for stories and images of her spectacular solo tramp of New Zealand’s 3,000 kilometer “Long Pathway,” Te Araroa

A former professional flutist and Minnesota Public Radio host, voice artist Alison Young is the Blissful Hiker. She’s backpacked on six continents and this past year, walked New Zealand’s “long pathway” Te Araroa and the Pacific Crest Trail.

Her trail name is Singet. Find our more at blissfulhiker.com

Explore Antarctica’s vast ice world landscape from a penguins point of view! Zack Kruzins has spent the past couple of years working seasonally as a kayak guide aboard a 100 passenger expedition cruise ship traveling to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica. Zack will speak about what it is like to paddle with the penguins, seals and whales of the southern ocean and how important it is to protect this fragile ecosystem.

Zack lives in Thunder Bay Ontario and operates SAND Adventures. He has worked all over the world as a sea kayak guide, outdoor educator and instructor. He spends a good portion of his winters on an expedition cruise ship in Antarctica with Polar Latitudes

Come see all the work that has been accomplished so far!  All the initial buckthorn on the lot has been removed! Lots of invasive work has been done and is beginning to be under control.  Many natives have naturally come up on their own now.  See the future goals and challenges and see where we are going on 2020!

Presented by Cheryl Batson

In May of 2019, 8 intrepid Rovers explored the Warwickshire Ring by canal boat. We visited the cities of Coventry, Birmingham, and Warwick, as well as castles, cathedrals, and the lovely Warwickshire countryside.

Presented by Bob Jarvis

Where do we go from here?! Join us to learn about our plans for the future of the Minnesota Rovers. Find out about the changes the Board has in store, share your input, and learn how you can get involved.

Get online before 7:30 so you don’t miss anything! After the presentation, we’ll do some socializing.

We started our journey with a cable car ride from the beautiful town of Chamonix France to the 12,605’ summit of Aiguille du midi. Over the course of eleven days we hiked though beautiful little towns and villages like Les Contamines, La Fouly and Trient. We then spent a couple of days in Switzerland which include a leisurely, and well deserved, boat ride along the eastern shore of Lake Geneva from Chateau de Chillon to Lausanne.

Presented by Mike Hogan.

What’s not to like about a springtime tour of Holland on the seat of a bicycle (with no hills!). Enjoy stories and pictures as Sue explored windmills, tulip fields and a dairy farm (think Gouda!) by bike during the day and ended in a different town every evening with a gourmet dinner and comfy bed waiting for her on the barge.

Presented by Sue W.

Which climatic changes are and are not currently affecting Minnesota? What changes do we expect in the years and decades ahead? Where do we have gaps in our knowledge that preclude definitive statements? This presentation will answer these questions by focusing on the foundational data and research available to climate scientists.

Kenny Blumenfeld, Ph.D. – Sr. Climatologist, State Climatology Office

Explore Urban Glasgow by bike, with visits to historical St. Andrews University (think Hogwarts from Harry Potter), the River Clyde, whisky tasting, and Carhart kilts. Fort William’s Ben Nevis offers stunning vistas of the valley. From here hop a train, ferry and a bus to Portree on the Isle of Skye for castle tours, the Quiraing, Neist Point Lighthouse and Fairy pools. Hunt the legendary Loch Ness monster while sailing the illustrious loch near Inverness. And if you’re into history (or Outlander) a trip to Culloden battlefield is a short cab ride from the city. Post Nessie sightings (or lack there-of) or take a 35-minute train ride to the town of Aviemore in Cairngorms National park. E-bikes make it easy to explore the parks woodsy bike paths and picturesque Lochs. Edinburgh, our final destination, offers cobblestone streets, castles and ancient architecture.

Presented by: Shelly G.