 Left to right: Steve Christenson (past advisory board member TPL and emcee), Fred Bengtson, and Susan Schmidt, Trust for Public Land Minnesota state director.
Bengtson honored by Trust for Public Land
Fred Bengtson, DNR area wildlife manager based in Sauk Rapids and serving Stearns, Wright and Sherburne counties, was recently honored by the Trust for Public Land as a 2019 Conservation Leadership Award winner.
The awards recognize leadership in protecting and investing in Minnesota’s special places, and were announced at an event recently at St. Paul’s Science Museum of Minnesota.
“These awards bring together an incredibly diverse range of leaders and advocates,” said Susan Schmidt, the Trust for Public Land’s Minnesota state director. “This diversity of background and experience is a testament to Minnesota’s parks and natural lands – they really do have the power to bring people together.”
Bengtson has worked for over 30 years to protect and restore upland and wetland habitat on both public and private lands, including creation of state wildlife management areas for easier access to hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and other outdoor activities.
The William H. Houlton Conservation Area in Elk River and the Grass Lake Wildlife Management Area in Wright County are two recent examples of this work. Bengtson has a long history of building partnerships; working closely with communities, private landowners, and nonprofit partners to achieve common conservation goals.
“I really appreciate this recognition by the Trust for Public Land," Bengtson said. "WMA acquisition is important to me and it means a lot to be called out by an elite conservation organization, like TPL, that focuses its work on partnering with local communities to provide public areas for people and conserving critical habitat for fish and wildlife species. Their work also augments efforts to improve water quality across watersheds."
The DNR's partnership with TPL and other conservation organizations resonates with the public, he said, and allows the agency to accomplish more meaningful land and water stewardship projects on the ground.
 Save the date for the next science chat webinar: May 7
Join us Tuesday, May 7, for the next conservation science chat webinar about climate change impacts on Minnesota water resources.
Climate change is expected to shift patterns in precipitation and temperature across Minnesota, with impacts on water resources and other valued ecosystem services. In this webinar, Dr. Bonnie Keeler and Dr. Tracy Twine from the University of Minnesota will present results from a research project investigating the climate - water nexus in Minnesota.
They will share hot-off-the-presses dynamically down-scaled climate projections for Minnesota and explain how anticipated shifts in climate may affect decisions about how we manage water resources today and in the future. Results of a recent statewide survey on water values and survey results from agency staff on climate data needs will also be shared with the audience for feedback.
Tune in via WebEx on Tuesday, May 7 from 1:30-2:30 p.m.; visit the conservation science chats intranet page the day of the event for the WebEx link. If you need accommodation for a science chat webinar, contact Nora Bateman, 651-259-5539.
Employee Profile:
CFO Mary Robison
Toward a healthier society
As often happens with people who work in government, Mary Robison felt called to public service.
“I want to spend my career working for the public, toward a healthier society,” said Robison, who has been the DNR chief financial officer since September 2018.
As the CFO, Robison oversees the Office of Management and Budget Services, which includes managing the department’s budget, accounting functions, purchasing, data governance and related policy development and planning.
“Budgets are moral documents and tell you about the values and priorities of any institution,” Robison said. “The money is for the mission. It enables the organization to do its work.”
Robison grew up in Wisconsin and made the move to Minnesota after high school to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Macalester College in St. Paul. She then went on to receive her master’s in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs in Minneapolis. After graduating, she worked in Washington, D.C. for the Government Accountability Office, before heading back to Minnesota.
Prior to working at the DNR, Robison worked at the Minnesota Zoo — which is a state agency — as the CFO for five years, before moving to the Metropolitan Council as its budget manager for community development and transportation.
Robison said she was interested in a position at the DNR because of her enthusiasm for the outdoors and the unique financial challenges the DNR presents.
“This agency has many, many different funding models within it,” Robison said. “It’s a real challenge to understand all those systems, how they work together and how to keep the agency on sustainable financial ground.”
At the moment, Robison said she is balancing preparing for the end of the 2019 fiscal year and preparing for the years ahead.
“The challenge of the position, and like so many of our jobs, is to balance the immediate demands of the day-to-day with the long-term needs of the organization,” Robison said.
The Office of Management and Budget Services helps the DNR attain its goals, Robison said.
“That includes following state law and policy and it also means pushing things forward to meet the needs of our divisions,” she said.
Robison said she likes that her job is so multi-faceted.
“I know I’m never going to be bored,” she said.
-- Maggie Stanwood, information officer, Operations Services Division
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Bio Box
Mary Robison
Title: Chief financial officer
Location: Central office
At DNR since: September 2018
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Macalester College, St. Paul; master’s degree in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Minneapolis.
Something her colleagues don’t know about her: Robison and her family are intending to visit all the state parks over the next few years. The family likes to go hiking in the state parks and take photos of interesting flora and fauna. The next planned trip is to the Big Bog State Recreation Area to photograph wildflowers in the spring, followed by a trip to Douglas Lodge in Itasca State Park.
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2019 Lafayette Park Earth Week
St. Paul's Layfayette Park celebrates Earth Week April 15-26. Join some educational, inspirational, and sustainable activities.
Weekly events:
- Union Gospel Mission Donation Drive
- Treasures Table
- Cell phones for soldiers
- Organic, local lunch options (cafeteria)
There are many daily events planned to include:
- Tours: Lafayette Park history tour; guided walks to Swede Hollow Park or Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary.
- Electric vehicle showcase
- Fix-It clinic
- Lafayette Park neighborhood cleanup
- Community Fair with sustainable food trucks
Get more information about Lafayette Park Earth Week on this intranet page.
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 DNR naturalists gather to build cross-cultural relationships
Parks and Trails naturalists recently gathered for a two-day workshop in Bemidji at Lake Bemidji State Park and the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University. Their focus was to build their knowledge and understanding of cross-cultural relationships, learn from natural resources experts and share ideas about marketing and promoting state parks.
Presenters from the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State, Indigenous Environmental Network and Minnesota Indian Affairs Council as well as Grand Portage State Park shared indigenous perspectives and knowledge on topics such as making tribal connections, the importance of language and cultural resources.
The naturalists also heard from a panel of forest resource specialists from Cass County, Leech Lake Division of Resource Management, DNR Forestry Division and DNR Parks and Trails Division who discussed multiple perspectives in forest management. The Chippewa National Forest led a hike to a bald eagle nest at Lake Bemidji State Park and retired U. S. Forest Service biologist John Mathisen discussed the history and recovery of this iconic species. Other sessions included a topics on traditional skills and top resource stories and a discussion about personal safety.
Meeting sessions support Minnesota State Parks and Trails Statewide Plan for Interpretive Services (2018) goals to develop and deliver inclusive interpretive experiences for diverse audiences and to promote public understanding of, involvement in and support for division and department goals.
 Brush Cut Habitat Day provides habitat enhancement at Pembina Wildlife Management Area
A group of mostly college student volunteers spent a snow-filled day cutting brush on Pembina Wildlife Management Area March 31 to enhance prairie and brushland habitat for prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse.
This was the fourth annual Volunteer Brush Cut Habitat Day in northwestern Minnesota, spearheaded by the MN Sharp-tailed Grouse Society with support from the MN Prairie Chicken Society.
Volunteers included 31 students from South Dakota State University, Minnesota State University-Morris, University of Minnesota-Crookston, Bemidji State University and University of North Dakota.
“This event serves as a volunteer effort match for very important Conservation Partner Legacy (CPL) grants used to enhance open landscape habitats on Pembina WMA,” said Jodie Provost, DNR assistant wildlife manager and open landscape habitat leader.
The effort generated an in-kind grant match worth $9,520 toward an aspen girdling project on another portion of the WMA that was recently purchased from Pennington County. Aspen invaded the area, largely due to the absence of fire. The girdling (removing a section of bark around the lower portion of the tree) is intended to block the flow of nutrients to the underground root system thereby “starving” the aspen clone. The aspen die over the course of a few years, but the girdling does not trigger as much of a suckering response (sprouting from buds on the roots) as would removal by cutting down the aspen.
“We are trying to reduce aspen cover, in conjunction with reintroducing fire, to create prairie brushland habitat for plants and wildlife that are dependent on open landscapes,” said Becky Ekstein, Thief River Falls assistant area wildlife manager.
Not only did the day include habitat improvements and a CPL grant match, it was also a day when ideas flowed and relationships were forged and strengthened. There was also a lot of good food, fresh air and fun.
-- Kristi Coughlon, northwest region information officer
We're listening...
 DNR commissioners are now holding Commissioner's Awards ceremonies and listening sessions across the state. Pictured is the listening session Thursday at Central Office in St. Paul. The session not only included a talk by Commissioner Sarah Strommen about her priorities but also time for questions and a group conversation about safety and connecting more people in the state with the outdoors. The ceremonies and sessions started April 10 in Britt and conclude April 26 in St. Cloud.
From the field...
 Fisheries crews around southern Minnesota were busy stocking streams ahead of the April 13 trout opener. Staff from the Hutchinson fisheries office had to use a bit of ingenuity, however, at Brown County’s Spring Creek (south of Ft. Ridgely State Park). Without a safe, efficient way to get the trout to the stream, the crew fashioned a “zip line” across the waterway to get the trout down to waterway. As you will see in this video, Hutchinson area fisheries supervisor Scott Mackenthun had the honors of standing in the water and dipping the trout into their new home!
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