Outside in MN

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Even during a pandemic, doctors say physical activity is crucial for your health
At a time when more people are staying at home, the World Health Organization recommends finding ways to be physically active and limit the amount of time you spend sitting.  
Jupiter and Saturn will be together again for the holidays
At least, that's how it will look to someone craning their head aloft. On the winter solstice, the pair of gas giants will appear closer to each other in the night sky than they have in centuries.
Voyageurs National Park designated a dark sky park
The area in northern Minnesota has some of the darkest skies in the Midwest, which makes the night sky more visible to people on the ground. There are only about 80 such parks worldwide.
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.
Race against the fall color clock: Over half of Minn. already at or past peak
Fall colors are moving quickly and there’s no time to lose. While north-central and central Minnesota are hotspots for fall color, the southern stretch of the state should be seeing peak color within the next week. 
Amid a deep recession, outdoor equipment is flying off the shelves
Kayaks and bicycles are now almost impossible to find in stores across the country. People who were able to keep their jobs and those who got expanded unemployment benefits have been driving demand.
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.