2023

Zoom Presentation

See how fellow Rover Greg Sumner  was able to do a no-build minivan trip to  AZ & NM  for 6 weeks in Jan/Feb 2022.  He attended the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (as seen in Nomadland) and with the skills he learned and friendships he made, he boondocked most nights on public land or other camo camping situations.

Greg has been enjoying the outdoors his entire life. He  grew up in Northfield MN with parents that loved the BWCA and canoe racing. Currently he  lives in Duluth enjoying hiking, biking, canoeing, sailing, climbing & camping..

Zoom Presentation

Beavers are important prey for wolves throughout the boreal ecosystem…but how on earth do wolves catch these semi-aquatic rodents that spend very little time on land? People have assumed that beavers must be easy prey for wolves to kill but that is almost certainly not true. For the past 8 years, the Voyageurs Wolf Project (VWP) has been studying how wolves hunt and kill beavers. Join Dr. Tom Gable to learn about what the Voyageurs Wolf Project has revealed about how, where, and when wolves choose to ambush beavers, and how beavers avoid fatal encounters with wolves!

Tom is the project lead for the Voyageurs Wolf Project and he recently completed his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. He has been studying wolves in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem since 2014 when he started his Master’s at Northern Michigan University. Gable is particularly fascinated by wolf-beaver interactions and his graduate work was focused on trying to understand this predator-prey dynamic. Much of Gable’s early interest in wolves stemmed from encountering wolf tracks, kills, and the occasional wolf while exploring the wild places around his family’s cabin just outside of Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario during the winter.

In winter, the stories left by our non-human neighbors are visible in the snow. With time and attention, we can learn to read the snow like we read the morning newspaper: What happened here? Who did that? How does this affect me? Learn where to look, questions to ask, and how to identify the tracks you find on your next adventure, whether in your backyard, nearby park, or the BWCA.

Kirsten Welge is a volunteer with the Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project, and has led teams for wildlife track surveys and trailing practice since 2016. She holds a Level III in Wildlife Track & Sign Identification and Trailing through Cybertracker International, and is certified as a forest bathing guide. Through her business, Natural Awareness LLC, she guides experiences to help others relax and thrive through connection with themselves and the natural world.

Join intrepid and curious desert lovers as they find surprises, raves, and the surreal in the spectacular high desert of Mojave National Preserve in Southern California and Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon’s Basin and Range. These two unique trips took place in March 2021 and July 2022.

Glenda Marsh has lived and explored in CA and the west for over 30 years in all seasons and all corners. She is a retired environmental scientist and avid outdoorswoman and naturalist. Her family roots are in the Door County Peninsula in Wisconsin and she has enjoyed many years of outdoor experiences in the beautiful upper Midwest and looks forward to more.