The Friends of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge are pleased to announce the completion of a new amphitheater at the Oak Savanna Learning Center at the Refuge.
The public is invited to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:15 a.m. during the Wildlife Festival on Sat., Sept. 28.
The amphitheater will be a place to host nature-related public events, provide an education space for school groups, and jumpstart collaborative events with other nature-focused community organizations. It will provide a gathering space for refuge activities such as bird and wildflower tours, nature hikes, volunteer training, scout badge work, and more. The site is impressive with views of prairie, wetland, and oak savanna habitats and the wildlife that live in the refuge.
The Friends wish to thank donors and partners for making the amphitheater possible and acknowledge grants from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, Bernick Family Foundation and Knife River. Refuge staff, Terra Construction and Damon Farber Landscape Architects were key partners in the planning and construction of the facility.
To honor Indigenous Peoples, the original stewards of the land, the Friends commissioned artwork for the new amphitheater from Holly Young, Dakota artist, and Giizh Agaton Howes, Anishinaabe-Ojibwe artist. It is well known that many Tribal Nations including the Dakota and Ojibwe were strongly connected to and thrived on the land and waters of the present-day Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. The artists collaborated to create an engravable design which incorporates Native values and languages, and includes plants and animals significant to the refuge. The presence of traditional yet contemporary Native American art at the refuge gives visibility to the important past and current presence of Indigenous Peoples in Minnesota.
During the Wildlife Festival, several programs about local wildlife and habitats will be held in the amphitheater.
29th Annual
Wildlife Festival
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of Sherburne invite families and nature enthusiasts to attend the 29th Annual Wildlife Festival, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oak Savanna Learning Center. The Festival will be a fun-filled free event featuring booths with hands-on activities, meet-ups with Puddles the Blue Goose, education about Native American culture, exploration of refuge wildlife and management, and tours featuring grazing goats. Other activities will feature a BB gun range, native seed cleaning, live animal observation, discovery of aquatic invertebrates, and a bird banding demonstration.
Additional highlights of the festival include:
• Friends silent auction and shopping at the Eagle’s Nest Nature Store;
• A presentation by the Wildlife Science Center at 12:00 p.m. will feature some of Minnesota’s most remarkable raptors, including live hawks and owls;
• At 1:15 p.m. naturalist Al Batt will present on “spark birds,” encouraging participants to discover the joy of birdwatching.
Free meals will be served for kids 17 and under, provided by L.L. Bean and National Wild Turkey Federation, and a food truck will be on site.
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors will have the unique opportunity to drive along several refuge service roads, providing access to areas typically closed to vehicle traffic.
The Oak Savanna Learning Center is located ¼ mile west of refuge headquarters off Sherburne Co. Rd. 9 at 16797 289th Ave NW, Zimmerman, MN 55398. Look for event signs to guide your way. For more information: email sherburne@fws.gov or go to www.fws.gov/refuge/sherburne/.
