

Tuesday, April 21
Check-In | 10:30 AM
Summit | 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
2101 14TH ST, CLOQUET, MN 55720
Registration Required – Admissison Free
Register Now

Community members – students, educators, artists, researchers, environmentalists, sustainable farmers – share projects, collect stories, attend workshops and strategize to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink.

in partnership with Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College Environmental Institute
Welcome
Teaching From the Earth
Vernon Northrup
author, visual storyteller
Document Spring 2020 Lead Photographer

Vernon Northrup (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), author of “Akinomaage Teaching from the Earth”. Vern uses photography as a tool to educate both himself and the viewer about the rhythm of nature, the preservation of tradition, and the relationship between resilience and sustainability. He recognizes the ability of the land to act as a narrator and uses photography to reveal the story in landscapes.
Keynote Speakers
Mercury Contamination in Peregrine Falcons
Joseph Barnes
Raptor Specialist
southern Nevada regional supervisor at the Nevada Department of Wildlife

Most recently, Joe has been looking closely at mercury contamination in various raptor species with an emphasis on peregrines.
RANDY KOLKA
Acting Project Leader / Research Soil Scientist
Northern Forest Science & Applications
Marcell Experimental Forest

Through collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Lab, SPRUCE is a large experiment testing the effects of increased soil and air temperature and elevated carbon dioxide levels on northern peatland ecosystems
Workshop Presenters
the Nature of plein air
Matt Kania
plein air painter

Matt Kania is an oil painter, plein air artist, and fine art printmaker living in Duluth. An endless desire for being outdoors and a profound love for the art of painting has made plein air painting a natural fit for Matt. Most important to Matt is the idea that a painting should reflect what it felt like to be ‘in this place, at this time’. Painting pretty pictures of nature is not the goal for Matt — instead, it is the creation of a painting to serve as a vehicle for the experience of being in a place.
Phenology and Citizen Science
John Latimer
co-founder, Minnesota Phenology Network
“Phenology is the rhythmic biological nature of events as they relate to climate. ~John Latimer”

Latimer notes when the butterflies arrive, when the flowers open and when the birds appear. These natural observations and more are meticulously recorded along with the day, time and location. This began as a hobby while delivering mail along a 100 mile route in rural northern MN USA, and quickly became a way of life long after his last envelop was delivered. These types of observations, termed phenology, are aptly defined by Latimer as the rhythmic biological nature of events as they relate to climate.
Stewardship and Advocacy – A Blueprint for Community Action
Michelle Lee
retired journalist
DFL candidate for MN Senate District 11

Engaging in effective environmental stewardship, advocacy and legislative action
Tabling and Student Presentations
Water Bar
Water Advocacy and Stewardship

Sample water from local municipal water supplies and wells.
Discuss water treatment, infrastructure, and water quality concerns.
Honey Tasting Bar
Pollinator Advocacy and Environmental Stewardship

Taste honey and learn from local beekeepers.
Sign up for summer pollinator stewardship events in Carlton County in a joint project with Carlton County Soil and Water District.
Environmental Stewardship and Advocacy Resources

What individuals and communities are doing and resources to turn to
.
Story Collecting

Share your stories – your observations and perceptions about our changing climate.
We will record and archive them.
Inspiration Wall

Share and leave your hopes, dreams, ideas and thoughts about climate and environmental stewardship.
Environmental Projects

Environmental projects conducted at local schools and agencies.
Environmental Advocacy and Art

Student Environmental Art Projects
Trash Art
Poetry
Photography
Writing
etc.
Document Spring Expedition SignUp

Capture spring on guided nature expeditions with phenology and art.
Download the iNaturalist app – sign up with Document Spring’s 2020 iNaturalist project.
Document Spring 2019 Exhibition

On display throughout Earth Week at the college – the exhibit made possible by a generous donation from White House Custom Colour.
Join us
Be a part of this wonderful collaboration!