Friends of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge celebrated its 50th anniversary with free cake during their annual Fall Wildlife Festival Saturday.

 

The event offers many exhibits and activities, with opportunities to work on arts and crafts, learn about nature at the Handke Explore Nature Center or discover a new hobby.

 

Naturalist Stan Tekiela gave presentations at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and was available to sign copies of his books at The Eagles Nest nature store.

 

There were exhibits from Crane Meadows and Rice Lake Wildlife Refuges as well as the Audubon Center of the North Woods.

 

Former SNWR staff member Bill McCoy talked about the Refuge in the 1970s. Roy and Lee offered live music in the presentation tent in the meantime.

 

In the hospitality tent there was hot coffee, chocolate and cider to drink as well as free cake and cookies to munch on.

 

A lunch of brats, hot dogs, chips and pickles was served at a nominal cost. There was Diamond City bread to purchase for $2 per loaf and silent auction items to bid on.

 

A bonfire for roasting marshmallows drew quite a crowd and there were many booths and exhibits, including an opportunity to practice archery with the Minnesota Bowhunters Association, or practice shooting wild turkeys at the NWTF Jakes BB gun shooting range.

 

There was also an opportunity to try geocaching, or to learn about mineralogy with the Minnesota Mineral Club and become a rock hound.

 

Visitors learned about how to help a number of creatures that live on the SNWR through exhibits from the Bluebird Recovery Program, the Monarch Information Station, the pollination station and the habitat management station.

 

There was an opportunity to learn about prairie seeds and tea that can be made from plants which grow while in the area.  A Poachers Wall of Shame DNR tip trailer was on site and members of the Sherburne County Soil and Water Conservation District were on hand with interesting information about prairie plants and how deep their roots grow.

 

The one disappointment to the day was the fact that the new Oak Savanna Learning Center has yet to be completed, forcing volunteers to hold the entire event outside again, although they had been hoping it would be ready in time

 

Construction on the new, 4,000-square foot building began in March. The Friends of the Refuge are leading a Be Wild campaign to raise $250,000 to furnish the building and provide educational displays and materials as well as outdoor learning spaces.

 

Several miles of new Schoolhouse Trails have been created or are under construction near the Oak Savanna Learning Center. They pass by three wetlands in addition to prairie and wooded habitats.

 

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge is a 30,700-acre area in the heart of Sherburne County set aside by the federal government. The Refuge includes much of the St. Francis River Valley.