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Our Neck of the Woods Exploring Minnesota's Wild Places Daniel J. Philippon Table of Contents EVENTS: 11/30/09 St. Paul, MN 1/14/10 St. Peter, MN OTHER: Daniel Philippon talks about what makes this book "decidedly old school" on the University of Minnesota Press blog.		$19.95 paper ISBN: 978-0-8166-6591-4
From Minnehaha Creek to Lake Superior—Minnesota’s great outdoors beckons What are the odds of finding Minnesota’s tiniest orchid? Why take a Breathalyzer test to study frogs? How does ice fishing warm the heart? Who would live in such a cold, lean region? Our Neck of the Woods takes on these and other urgent (and sometimes quirky) questions, showcasing writers’ own experiences in the best-loved places in Minnesota, including the North Shore, Lake Bemidji, the western prairies and grasslands, the Boundary Waters, and the Mesabi Iron Range. The outdoor experiences described here range from sweeping natural history observations to adventurous tales of coming-of–age camping and hunting trips. We follow notable writers and conservationists Sigurd F. Olson, Paul Gruchow, Bill Holm, Jan Zita Grover, Greg Breining, Laurie Allman, and many others as they descend a frozen river toward Lake Superior, explore a crystalline palace at minus 20 degrees, and trace a family’s history along the Mississippi River. Writing on such themes as embracing winter, making camp, and finding wildness even amid development, these authors tell of hunting, fishing, birding, canoeing, and other great outdoor activities that help define what it means to be Minnesotan. Drawn from the pages of Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine—published by the Department of Natural Resources since 1940—these writings evoke a strong sense of place and suggest that the outdoor experiences we share with others come to mean the most to us. With rich observations and spirited tales, Our Neck of the Woods beckons Minnesotans to work, play, and explore in the natural places close to their homes and hearts. Daniel J. Philippon is associate professor of English at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of Conserving Words: How American Nature Writers Shaped the Environmental Movement. 272 pages | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword    Kathleen Weflen Introduction    Daniel J. Philippon Making Camp Trapper’s Cabin    Sigurd F. Olson             In trappers’ cabins, the wilderness always sings. My First Trip Up North    John S. Sonnen             To camp on Mantrap Lake, the “men” in the family must first conquer the “machine.” Deer Camp    Phil Aarrestad             A deer camp enriches life and inspires growth. The Path Between    Holly Atkinson             The author travels the path from girlhood to womanhood between cabins. Sugar Bush Journal    Anne M. Dunn             For Ojibwe families, maple sugar camp was a place of intense work and spiritual renewal. Mother’s Day in Rattlesnake Country    Susan Maas             Weekend camping trips connect a family to their home state.  Paying Attention Drawing Life from Nature      Vera Ming Wong             Drawing becomes a way of seeing deeply, a meditation with open eyes. Lessons from a Young Explorer    Steve Dibb             A young girl shows her father how to discover the treasures of the natural world. Birding with Ben    Mary Kroll             A road trip for the birds brings together a mother and her son. Birding in the Fast-Food Lane    D. Scott Shultz             The author spots hawks in the Twin Cities. Heart of the Hunt    Terri Sutton             A vegetarian tries to figure out what hunting means to the hunter. Why I’m a Bowhunter    Tom Conroy             Why do thousands of people take bows and arrows and set out for deer each autumn? The Apple Tree Stand    Marsha L. Kessler             A bowhunter with a fear of heights inherits an eye-level tree stand. A Perfect Start    Dan Brown             His first deer hunt becomes a boy’s rite of passage.  Encountering Wildness The Road to Wild Places    Don J. Dinndorf             Sometimes the roads don’t change, and the magic of wild places abides. The Bog    John Henricksson             This tiny geological wonder is a wilderness by default. The Wagon Wheel    Joel M. Vance             In the sprawl of the Wagon Wheel, woodcock shooting is at its best. The Strike Tree    Peter M. Leschak             A tree delivers fire to its fellows. Adventure Underground    Cary Griffith             Cave exploring is wet, cold, muddy—and enlightening. I Flew with Eagles    John K. Grobel             High over Lake Pepin, the author encounters unexpected company. The Lurker    Tony Capecchi             A St. Croix fisherman lands a monstrous sturgeon.  Getting Wet Heron Lake Legacy    Lacey Rose Horkey             A girl inherits her great-grandfather’s legacy of waterfowl hunting. Around the Next Bend    Tim Holschlag             A river guide never fails to find something new on the Mississippi. Fishless Waters    Jan Zita Grover             An urban fisher learns to see in Minnehaha Creek. The River    Sheila Deyo             The Mississippi weaves its way through one family’s history. Going with the Flow    Jim dale Huot-Vickery             A river bears a canoeist on the currents of his own past. A Search for Whitewater    Hal Crimmel             Desperately seeking rapids to run, a newcomer finds them in Minnesota’s state parks. River Passage    Janet Blixt             A woman remembers running the rapids. Kayaking the Wild Shore    Greg Breining             A kayaker goes in search of wilderness amid development on the North Shore. Down at Miller Creek    Shawn Perich             Progress ignores what a fishing kid understands intuitively. Embracing Winter Boundary Waters Wilderness: January    Laurie Allmann             Who would live in such a cold, lean region? Brittle Beauty    Rick Naymark             A cold-weather trek puts life in perspective. Lake Superior, Winter Dawn    Gustave Axelson             Thanks to a friend, a man encounters a crystalline palace, at minus twenty degrees. Rivering on the Onion    Stephen Regenold             Skiers descend a frozen river toward Lake Superior. Me and Joe    C. B. Bylander             Ice fishing can warm the heart. Fishing the Ice    John Brandon             A father and son learn lessons from a simple pleasure. A Flash of Summer    Jason Abraham             Winter fly-fishing fast-forwards summer. A Thousand Chandeliers    Will Weaver             A northern Minnesotan waits for ice-out on Lake Bemidji.  Doing Science Memories of the Landscape    Nancy Sather             Explorations from a boat launch a career as a biologist. Elusive Orchids    Erika Rowe             What are the odds of finding Minnesota’s tiniest orchid? A Great Small Universe    David Czarnecki             A lake’s green blobs are microcosms worthy of awe. A Ribbiting Adventure    Philip C. Whitford             Sometimes you have to take a Breathalyzer test to study frogs. My Night Life with the Boreal Owl    Bill Lane             A biologist’s search for the elusive boreal owl often leaves him in the dark. Count Your Loons    Eric Hanson             With more than twelve thousand common loons in Minnesota, why try to keep track of them? Solo Sojourn    Joan Galli             One rare bird arrives, while another departs. Land Use: A Bird’s-Eye View    Kim Alan Chapman             Keeping diverse birds in the Twin Cities region will require habitat protection. Practicing Conservation One Seed at a Time    Sue Leaf             Is rebuilding a bit of presettlement landscape worth the toil? Giving Thanks on the Prairie    Michael Furtman             A hunter expresses gratitude for the protection of grasslands. The Dropping Duck    Tom Chapin             A conservation officer tells the tale of the ones who didn’t get away. A Hunter’s Journal    Dave Schad             One cabin’s old journal tells two connected stories: one of hunters, the other of wildlife managers. This Old Farmland    Blane Klemek             A farmer witnesses decades of conservation changes wrought by his own hands. Finding Home The Grace of the Wild    Paul Gruchow             What does it mean to be native to a place? Battle for the Cottonwood    Evelyn Wood Moyle             Generations of birds convert a dead tree into prime housing. Iron Red Home    Margaret A. Haapoja             The author recalls growing up on the Mesabi Iron Range. Home Is Where the Hearth Is    Mary Hoff             A random act of fire turns a space into a place. Call Me Island    Bill Holm             A man (whose name in Old Norse means island) recounts his island in a sea of grass. Marking Time    Tom Baumann Expectation and hope are jointly fashioned by nature and humans.   Acknowledgments Publication History Geographical Index Contributors

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