Outdoors

Minnesota’s stay-at-home order encourages getting outside, but how far away?
Outdoor activities like fishing, hiking and biking are explicitly allowed under Minnesota’s stay-at-home order. But that order also limits nonessential travel. So, just how far can people travel to get outside?
Even outside on a trail, 6 feet of distance is necessary
While many parks and trails are open in Minnesota, the DNR says people must follow the governor’s rules on social distancing, stay close to home and avoid crowded parks.
Audio postcard: Searching for early spring wildflowers
This year’s first bloom report comes to us from a stretch of prairie in Cannon Falls, Minn, where wildflower hunters Kelly Povo and Phyllis Root went looking for tiny purple pasqueflowers, an early sign of spring.
A missing boy and a freezing swamp test Wisconsin tracker's instincts
The rookie Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warden heard the radio squawk: a 13-year-old boy, missing, in a freezing swamp with snow moving in. He flipped on his lights and sirens and headed for a search that would test all his skills and abilities.
With schools around the country closing for two weeks or more, parents and caregivers face a stiff challenge: Keep kids active, engaged — and as safe as possible. We've got a few suggestions.
Iditarod mushes on; fans being urged to skip finish in Nome
As Iditarod mushers drove their dog teams across Alaska on Saturday, race officials scrambled to make last minute changes prompted by concerns over the new coronavirus, including asking fans not to fly to Nome for the finish.
Minnesota DNR: Wild deer in Dakota County tests positive for CWD
A wild deer in Dakota County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, the first case of the fatal brain disease discovered in that area of Minnesota, state wildlife officials said Friday.
For one sunny day, Minnesotans make the most of spring in February
As temperatures climbed into the 40s across much of Minnesota under sunny skies on Sunday, many people got outside to go for a walk, get their car washed — or check out the melting ice sculptures in downtown St. Paul.