Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer 11 this summer, which means there will no longer be security updates for the browser.

You can use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome as your default browser, both of which receive regular security updates.

If Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome are not on your machine currently, you can install them from the Software Center. For more information about how to import bookmarks into a new browser, visit the help pages for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

If you have a business need for a different browser, have questions or need help making the switch, contact DNR IT Services at: mnitservices.dnr@state.mn.us.

Thousands of languages make up the modern structure of speech, writing, and gestures; the ways people access and retain important information needs to accommodate multilingual groups.

Thankfully, the DNR has convened a multi-divisional team to study data that creates a picture of Minnesota’s cultural and language landscape, to address communication barriers, and to identify solutions for bridging language gaps that may inhibit a person’s ability to participate in DNR programs and services.

The result of this workgroup will be an agency-wide Language Access Plan, a document that spells out guidance and policies on how to provide information and services to individuals who are non-English speaking or have limited English proficiency (LEP).  

“Our state is home to diverse cultural communities, each with their own histories, characteristics, and language,” said Rowzat Shipchandler,  Diversity Program coordinator for DNR. “The organization takes seriously this responsibility to plan and execute efforts to ensure language access for DNR stakeholders, partners, and customers across all backgrounds and cultures.” 

Through Executive Order 13166, the Department of Justice requires all state agencies that receive Federal financial assistance to provide meaningful language access to people with limited English proficiency. Although the plan focuses on limited English proficiency, the DNR will broaden its language access planning scope to include the indigenous languages of Ojibwe and Dakota.  

“The inclusion of tribal languages is another way DNR will continue to build meaningful relationships and collaborations with diverse and native communities who have long called these lands home,” said Bradley Harrington, Tribal Liaison for the DNR. 

When it is complete, the DNR’s Language Access Plan will outline resources and definitions to help leadership and staff understand the critical nature of language access, and provide DNR’s new policies and procedures to assure that DNR communicates effectively with LEP individuals, through translation services and other materials.  

Language access needs can touch every corner of the agency, for example, Fish and Wildlife staff frequently communicate hunting and fishing information or details on wildlife and habitat management activities. The DNR Language Access plan will help ensure that everyone has opportunities to discover, explore, and experience Minnesota's outdoors.

“It is so important for the DNR to have a commitment to language access because communities are quickly becoming more diverse,” said Eh Moo Kue, ELS agent management for Fish and Wildlife. “More and more people from different cultures and communities are getting outside and using Minnesota’s beautiful natural resources. Each culture might use natural resources for different purposes, but we all ought to be able to understand information that helps us explore, enjoy, and take care of our natural lands.”  

A plan to engage and communicate effectively with all Minnesotans, regardless of their primary language, will also help staff who connect with people out in the field.

The Enforcement Division has already hired multilingual conservation officers to help enforce outdoor regulations and laws across communities. DNR Conservation Officer, Blong Lor, knows that language access will help many native and immigrant Minnesotans who speak a variety of primary languages. 

“Minnesota is an increasingly diverse state with many cultures and languages,” said Lor. “Language access helps all people in Minnesota – regardless of where they come from – understand their role in ensuring future generations have the opportunity to enjoy Minnesota’s natural resources.” 

DNR leadership and divisional staff will use the language access plan to understand and address communication barriers, and connect effectively with LEP communities.

Visit the Language Access Planning Team intranet page to learn more about the project.  

In the 25 years following the 1975 fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, more than 3 million people fled the countries of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, seeking refuge from communist forces. This is the story of one of them.

Born in the same refugee camp where his parents first met, Tou Vang remembers little of those early years. He only knows what others have told him, about the rations and the crowded conditions, with four or five families crammed into a 20-by-20-foot room. His father had been part of the “secret army,” a CIA-organized group of Hmong fighters who supported American military efforts. 

Only four years old when he came to America, Vang is now one of DNR’s newest conservation officers, having started at the Pierz station in December. And he credits his immigrant background as a big factor in his career path.

“I picked up English fairly easily, so I often found myself in a service role with my family, translating and helping out,” he says. “Ever since I remember, I’ve been in kind of that role of service.”

Vang was sitting in a guidance counselor’s office his senior year of high school when he saw a brochure describing a career that would draw upon his drive to serve: becoming an emergency medical technician.

At first he planned to pursue it by enlisting in the Coast Guard, but at about the same time, his brother deployed to Iraq and an uncle died – heaping emotional distress on his parents that he didn’t want to add to. So he started taking classes at Century College, then transferred into the paramedic program at Inver Hills Community College.

Vang then worked 11 years as a paramedic for Ridgeview Medical Center in Carver County. He enjoyed the work, but there were several things that bothered him a little. Unlike most other public safety professionals such as police or firefighters, paramedics typically work in the private sector, so they’re not eligible for some of the important benefits that accrue to public service, such as a pension.

Then there’s what you might refer to as that old call of the wild: Vang’s love of the outdoors nurtured as a youth through involvement with scouting and other experiences.

“I’ve always been an outdoors guy,” Vang says. “I wanted to be able to find a job that’s not nine-to-five -- that’s just not me.”

When he heard about the Conservation Officer Pre-employment Education Program (CO PREP), he grew excited. It offered the opportunity for public service in a highly regarded agency that dealt with the outdoors.

And because the program focuses on diversifying the ranks by welcoming well rounded candidates without previous law enforcement experience, his background was an asset instead of a hurdle.

Vang knew the selection process was rigorous, and he admits he didn’t have high hopes, but he went ahead anyway. And he points to his acceptance as encouragement for others.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” he says. “The DNR is looking for people who are well rounded. The big thing is getting out there, getting involved.”

After a fast-track course in law enforcement through Hennepin Technical College and Century College to meet the requirements for peace officer licensure, Vang went through DNR’s conservation officer academy, followed by four months in the field as an officer in training.

It’s a lot to take in at a fast pace, he says. And with DNR’s role in enforcing a broad variety of environmental regulations in addition to hunting, fishing and recreational laws, Vang readily admits there’s plenty he’s still learning as he works with DNR partners on such issues as wetland rules. That’s just fine with him.

“If I’m not learning something new every day, I feel I’m not doing enough,” he says.

Vang is also glad to be living and working in a more rural area, a place where he feels he and his family can settle in for a while.

“I’ve been wanting to get out of the cities a bit,” he says. “I thought maybe it was time to start growing some roots.”