Outdoors

Breaking hues: Most of state past peak for fall colors — but not southeastern Minn.
For those looking to catch a last glimpse of this year’s fall colors, head to the southeastern portion of the state. In an area where the leaves have already fallen? Here’s one bright spot: “(Y)ou actually have much better bird- and wildlife-watching opportunities,” says the DNR’s Rachel Hopper.
Bands continue moose hunts to maintain tradition, treaty rights
The Minnesota DNR has not authorized a state moose hunting season for years, after a sharp crash in the iconic animal’s population. But more recently, as the moose population has stabilized, three Ojibwe bands in northeastern Minnesota have allowed limited hunts to keep alive an important cultural tradition.
Fall colors emerge just in time for the start of autumn
Tuesday is the first day of autumn, but it’s already feeling like fall. And according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ fall color map, we’re well on our way to what seems to be a promising fall season.
Growing demand for wilderness education may widen learning inequality
Parents desperate to get their kids outdoors and offline are choosing wilderness schools for their kids, but poor, urban kids are missing out. Educators in Kingston, N.Y., are trying to change that.
Widened by erosion, iconic Mississippi headwaters to undergo restoration work
More than half a million people visit the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park every year, most stepping along the path of stones to cross the river at its humble beginnings. Over decades, those many feet have eroded the shoreline.
DNR urges caution over holiday weekend as boating’s popularity rises in Minnesota
With interest in boating on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, state safety officials are advising people to use caution while spending time on Minnesota lakes over the Labor Day weekend. 
Meeting friends this Labor Day weekend? Here's 5 ways to stay COVID-safe
With hundreds of new infections each day, public health officials are again sounding the alarm ahead of the Labor Day weekend. State infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann shared a few tips for how to socialize safely in the pandemic.