Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ (CC) mission is to serve those most in need and to advocate for justice in the community. With programs located throughout Hennepin and Ramsey counties, CC serves a wide spectrum of clients, including children and families, older adults and people with disabilities, and individuals seeking emergency shelter or…  Read More →

When Molly Stoddard retires from her job at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center at the end of the month, her life is going to look a lot like that of many retired people: even busier. Not surprisingly, the (former) US Fish and Wildlife Service Instructional Systems Specialist will still be teaching classes at PWLC, volunteering…  Read More →

David Fallon is a BIPOC artist with a disability, living in the Twin Cities. A photographer and painter, David captures the day-to-day experiences that come with living in the city. His photographs remind people that there is natural peace in urban environments. “Having epilepsy limits my mobility. I can’t just drive to the lake for…  Read More →

I am Colin Willemsen, an 18-year-old landscape and nature photographer located in Duluth, Minnesota. My mission revolves around finding and capturing distinctive locations, along with revealing the hidden splendor within well-known areas along the North Shore of Lake Superior. My experiences along Superior’s shores have fostered a connection between the vast lake and the surrounding…  Read More →

My name is Louise Ba and I am currently a senior at St. Catherine University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I am from Minneapolis, Minnesota, but my family is originally from Senegal.  As a Political Science, Economics, and Public Policy major, it is not easy for me to find ways to connect nature and the outdoors…  Read More →

Do you love where you live? Are you an artist, a maker, a creative, or a culture bearer with a story to tell about your place? Are you always trying to inspire people to be stewards of the places we love and share? Upstream, supported by Springboard for the Arts, seeks 12 Minnesota artists, creatives,…  Read More →

Interfaith Creation Care South Metro (ICCSM) began in 2015 with folks coming together around a common theme: caring for our environment for generations to come. The Creation Care group led by Chris Erickson at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville — a southern suburb of the Twin Cities — wanted to reach beyond their…  Read More →

Rhys Williams could imagine nothing better for his retirement than starting a farm in the beautiful bluffs of the Minnesota driftless region. “I’m very blessed to have this opportunity,” says Williams of his switch back to farming. After serving as the Executive Director of The Good Acre, a nonprofit food hub based in Falcon Heights…  Read More →

Giving children positive experiences in the outdoors is one of the best ways we can inspire the next generation of stewards of our natural places. This is exactly what the educators at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center are doing. Near Lanesboro in Southeastern Minnesota, the staff at Eagle Bluff are helping children from all walks…  Read More →

Jerry Johnston raises cows  in Northern Minnesota along with his family. The Floodwood resident has a small dairy farm that’s operated by him and his family. He’s spent the better part of his life caring for cows.  Whether at his grandparents or at his uncle’s, caring for them became second nature.  His goal was to…  Read More →

How a flood mitigation project almost 30 years in the making became an overnight success Lisa Johnson for Upstream Snow geese and the moon at the North Ottawa Impoundment, 2021-03-19 ©Sparky Stensaas/thephotonaturalist.com The first time naturalist Mark “Sparky” Stensaas traveled to the North Ottawa Impoundment he’d heard so much about on social media and eBird,…  Read More →

Situated along the Mississippi River in the heart of the Twin Cities, St. Thomas University is inspiring the next generation of stewards.  At St. Thomas, caring for our natural spaces starts with empowering students. “We’re catalyzing university-wide engagement so that we can prepare students to be leaders in sustainability, no matter what field or path…  Read More →