Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Love the State Fair and passionate about the outdoors? The Minnesota DNR needs your help at the Great Minnesota Get-Together! Volunteer at the DNR building and help: 🎡 Welcome fairgoers and share information about Minnesota wildlife. 🎡 Promote Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). 🎡 Share basic wildfire prevention tips. Why volunteer? 🎡 Free admission to the State Fair on the day you volunteer. 🎡 Just a 3-hour shift, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the fair. 🎡 No experience needed – just a willingness to engage with fairgoers and represent the DNR. Ready to sign up? 🎡 Visit the Volunteer Impact page: https://lnkd.in/eT6V44B9 🎡 Select a State Fair volunteer opportunity. 🎡 Click "Fill in an application" and submit your application by August 7.

Farmfest starts tomorrow! 🌾 Every year, Minnesota Farmfest brings together farmers, ag businesses, and other leaders to share ideas and connect across the ag community. If you’re planning to stop by, the DNR will be at Booth 2207. Here’s when to visit if you want to talk with our experts about specific topics: All Day, Aug. 4-6 🦅 Wildlife 🏹 Hunting Regulations 🦌 Big Game 🦺 Volunteer Safety Tuesday, Aug. 4 🐟 Fisheries: 9:00 a.m. to noon 🌲Forestry: noon to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5 🪨 Lands and Minerals: 9:00 a.m. to noon 💧Ecological and Water Resources: noon to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 🏞️ Parks and Trails: 9:00 a.m. to noon. 💧Ecological and Water Resources: noon to 4:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there! Learn more at farmfest.com.

Urban and community forestry grants alert! Local and Tribal governments, nonprofits, and schools can apply to get help with the impacts of Emerald Ash Borer. Grants can help support needed tree work on residential property for low-income residents (work must be done by accredited arborist), remove and replace ash or other unsafe trees, maintain your existing canopy with watering and needed pruning, and educate and engage your residents. Request for applications available starting Aug. 3, with applications due Sept. 14. Need more information? Join us for a grant overview on Aug. 3 or attend one of the other five in-person sessions around the state. Learn more: mndnr.gov/2026-protect

The DNR’s Mike Bates, Blair Olson, and Jake Corty recently assisted the Minnesota Incident Command System (MNICS) wildfire response team in northern Minnesota by serving as wildfire investigators. Using indicators like burn intensity, charring, recent weather data, and other evidence from the scene, investigators determine the origin and cause of the wildfire. "You'll typically see an area where there's not a lot of consumption of fuels which indicates where the fire started." said Mike Bates. "We'll see fresh vertical marks on the trees where the bark was blown off." These investigators documented tall trees struck by lightning as the origin of the aptly named July Lightning Fires. (Turns out frost isn’t the only way for trees to explode!) Knowing the cause and origin of the fire supports accurate reporting, helps inform recovery costs, and provides valuable information for public education about wildfires in Minnesota.

When you think about wildfire aircraft, you probably picture water drops from planes and helicopters. But there's also important work going on 10,000 feet above the fire. The DNR's aviation team is using advanced infrared technology to map active wildfire even through thick smoke. Flying at 10,000 feet, crews can detect heat, track fire movement, identify hotspots, and provide a real-time picture of how suppression efforts are progressing. “Our primary role is not dumping water or doing any of the flashy stuff,” said Captain Jake Willis. “We’re using infrared technology to map the fire and show how it’s moving.” The MX-10 sensor has been in service for just over a year, but it's already proving to be a critical tool in wildfire response and helping keep Minnesotans safe. 🎥 Watch to learn how this technology helps firefighters and emergency managers respond to Minnesota's wildfires.

Responding to the large wildfires burning in northeastern Minnesota and Canada requires a massive, coordinated effort. In addition to DNR personnel actively fighting the fires on the ground, the agency has committed some of its pilots and aircraft to supporting its wildfire response. One aircraft of note is a Cessna 206 equipped with a cutting-edge camera and mapping system. Flying thousands of feet above the ground, this aircraft's dedicated crew uses the onboard technology to detect fire activity through the smoke. This means they can map fire perimeters, locate hotspots, and provide critical information to fire crews and emergency managers as they decide where to deploy resources and which areas may need to be evacuated.

"Everything below your feet is on fire." Listen as Tom Simone, DNR wildland fire training specialist, describes the challenges of fighting fires that burn deep into the ground, and the role heavy equipment plays in containment. https://lnkd.in/eY8DRcYh In addition to supporting active fire response, Tom plays an essential role in preparing Minnesota’s firefighters for the complex and unpredictable conditions they face on the ground. He provides training on fire behavior, safety, and incident response, ensuring crews are ready for deployment at a moment’s notice.

It’s time for a new Minnesota State Parks and Trails license plate design! 🚗🌲 Minnesota State Parks and Trails is hosting a license plate design contest to celebrate state parks, state trails, the North Shore and the Lake Superior Agate. The new design will join the current specialty license plate as an option to support the state parks – and just like the current plate, will provide free entry to all Minnesota state parks and recreation areas. Read on for more contest details: • Designs must celebrate the North Shore and the Lake Superior agate, as determined by the Minnesota Legislature in 2026. Designs celebrating the region can draw inspiration from waterfalls, forests, wildlife, unique geology or other natural features and recreational experiences found throughout the North Shore landscape, which can be easily accessed from state parks, trails and other public lands. • All designs must be created without the use of artificial intelligence, as mandated by the Minnesota Legislature. • This contest is open to all Minnesota residents. One person may submit multiple entries. • You can begin working on your designs now! We will begin accepting designs online this fall, from Sept. 15 through Oct 31. Watch for updates in the fall. • Make sure you read and understand the full contest rules by going to https://lnkd.in/euNy7Qtq Know someone who should participate in the license plate design contest? Share this post with them!

NOTICE: State Holiday Closure In observance of Independence Day, MN DNR offices will be closed on Friday, July 3. Note: State parks and recreation areas will be open Friday, and ranger stations will be staffed. We will resume regular business hours on Monday, July 6. You can reach us before offices close at: 651-296-6157 or 888-MINNDNR (646-6367) info.dnr@state.mn.us Information center phone hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visit our website: www.dnr.state.mn.us

Great Outdoors Month 2026 was one for the books. 🍃 We spent the month helping you Find Your Wild. From launching our new electronic licensing system (ELS) and supporting Take a Kid Fishing events, to hosting nearly 200 naturalist-led programs, it was a busy way to kick off the summer. But the real highlight was seeing the community engage with our state parks, forests, and waters. ⛵🌊🏕️ Whether it was on the trail or at the docks, those connections are why we do what we do. June might be wrapping up, but the summer is wide open. Your adventure, our mission. #MinnesotaDNR #Conservation #PublicService #OutdoorRecreation #GreatOutdoorsMonth2026