Earth Day 2023! Free entrance day at MN State Parks! The 40th annual celebration of spring, or Seegwan, at Wild River State Park!
There are 7 free activities throughout the day to commemorate the turning of the seasons.
7:30-9am – Bird Walk with Joe Sausen
Meet at the main Boat Landing.
Join Joe, an experienced bird watcher, who will take you through a variety of habitats to see and hear our feathered friends. Learn ID tips for all levels of experience. Bring binoculars if you have them.
9am-5pm – Visitor Center Grand Opening following remodeling
The Visitor Center is now open to showcase new exhibits and our newly remodeled exhibit room.
10-11am – Signs of Spring Walk
Meet the Visitor Center.
With new Park Naturalist Sean Hoppes. Walk along the trails to discover the amazing springtime plants and animals in the park.
11:30-12pm – Bluebird Talk by Gloria Peterson
Meet at the Visitor Center. Ever wonder what’s happening in a bluebird house? Gloria Peterson, a longtime bluebird program volunteer who maintains the bluebird trail at Wild River, will give you an inside peek with her talk and great photos.
1-2pm – Leap Creep Slither program: an Osprey Wilds presentation by Savannah Maiers
Osprey Wilds is a private, non-profit residential environmental learning center and conference & retreat center nestled on the shores of Grindstone Lake in east-central Minnesota.
From water to land to trees, reptiles and amphibians have special abilities that help them survive. Meet live reptiles and amphibians that live in Minnesota as they teach us how they survive.
2:15-4pm – Help build a sculpture for the Visitor Center
Meet at the Visitor Center rear deck. Drop by the Visitor Center deck to lend a hand in creating the final piece of the newly remodeled Visitor Center puzzle…a sculpture! Artist Jessica Trutle of the Natural Heritage Art Centre will guide you in making plant imprints in clay tiles that will become a larger sculpture on the deck.
6:30pm – The Dann Adair and Marissa Dodge Duo concert
Meet at the Amphitheater (or Visitor Center if inclement weather). Enjoy Dann and Marissa as they entertain with a wide variety of music, including folk, country, rock, and jazz. Dann’s earlier days found him on fiddle and banjo though guitar is his primary instrument. Marissa is a composter, lyricist, vocalist, musician, and producer.
All programs are FREE and open to the public. A MN State Park Vehicle Permit is NOT required on Earth Day, 2023.
Photo credit: Mike Chrun