Big Woods, Big Rivers: An introduction to the Natural History of Minnesota's Deciduous Forests

Description

The Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteer training program promotes awareness, understanding, and stewardship of Minnesota's natural environment by developing a corps of well-informed citizens dedicated to conservation education and service within their communities. Participants complete a 40-hour class on the natural and cultural history of a Minnesota biome, then conduct 40 hours of natural resource volunteerism each year.

Big Woods, Big Rivers: An introduction to the natural history of Minnesota’s deciduous forests is a 306 page textbook developed for use in the Minnesota Master Naturalist program. Published in 2011, it represents the culmination of six years of development and revision work by the team of authors and a variety of other reviewers, editors, designers, and photographers.

This book is the first in an eventual series of three, each corresponding to a major biome type in Minnesota. This book is intended to introduce the reader to the Deciduous Forests typical to about one third of the land area of Minnesota. We informally refer to this area as the “Big Woods.” The other books in the series will introduce the prairie grassland and coniferous forest systems. Each book also introduces a major water feature typical in the state: wetlands, lakes or rivers. Because the Mississippi River cuts a path through the Big Woods, river systems are addressed in this book. Wetlands and shallow prairie lakes are included in the prairie book (“Prairies & Potholes”) and lake ecology is included in the coniferous forest book (“North Woods, Great Lakes”). These titles parallel the courses offered by the Master Naturalist volunteer training program, so a participant could take each of the three courses, one on each biome/water feature, and develop a full understanding of the natural resources in Minnesota with minimal overlap between the courses. For a specific map of the biomes of Minnesota, please refer to page 29 of the text. See also the icon on the front cover of the text.

The book is divided into chapters that correspond with topics addressed within the Minnesota Master Naturalist courses. For example, there are chapters on geology, plant communities, terrestrial wildlife, aquatic plants and wildlife, ecology, and human impacts typical of the Big Woods biome. Within each chapter, participants find topic-specific information and resources that will support their work as Master Naturalist volunteers. The first half of each chapter includes technical information written in plain, easy to understand language. Examples and colorful diagrams are provided to illuminate complex subjects. The second half of each chapter is the “Master Naturalist Toolbox” which contains suggestions for places participants can visit to witness firsthand the concepts addressed in the chapter (“Explore”), activities they can use when they are instructing others on the content of the chapter (“Teach”), organizations or agencies whose volunteer opportunities relate to the content of the chapter (“Conserve”), and further activities participants can do to extend their learning on the content of the chapter, such as keep a journal, read selected resources, or join vetted organizations relevant to the content of the chapter (“Expand”). Thus, each chapter is a treasure trove of ideas and opportunities related to the topic of the chapter.

Target Audience

Any adult who is curious and enjoys learning about the natural world, shares that knowledge with others, and supports conservation is welcome to take a Minnesota Master Naturalist class. Our participants range in age from 18 to 85, and span a wide range of economic levels and educational backgrounds. The only way to receive this text is by participating in a Minnesota Master Naturalist class (with a few exceptions, see below).

Issues Addressed

This book is not limited to one particular issue, but is intended to provide an overview of many aspects of the biome. It does, however, introduce a variety of environmental issues and dilemmas as platforms for understanding how the ecosystems function. For example, in the chapter on wildlife, case studies of invasive species and threatened species are presented (see p. 79 and p. 81, respectively).

Distribution

Participants in Minnesota Master Naturalist training courses receive a copy of this book on their first night of class. Participants are encouraged to read the chapter that corresponds to the topic of the week’s class.

In addition, we have received requests to use the book in ways we never anticipated. For example, the book is currently being used as a reading textbook for a “English as a Second Language” course for 23 English language learning adults in Mankato, Minnesota due to its easy readability and orientation to the natural resources of the state. The book is also being used as a textbook for Freshman level survey courses at the University of Minnesota Crookston and Anoka Ramsey Community College.

Resources Involved

The content for this book was developed by the state program team operating the Minnesota Master Naturalist program in conjunction with content experts across the state. Robert B. Blair served as the lead writer for the science content, and the rest of the program team divided up other tasks.

Robert B. Blair – lead science writer, coordinator of writers

Dawn A. Flinn – Chapter 5, proofreader, liaison with graphic designer

Nathan J. Meyer – several lesson plans for “Teach” sections

Karen S. Oberhauser – science writer/editor

Amy R.B. Rager – Chapter 9, several lesson plans for “Teach” sections, selection of “Explore” locations, coordinator of technical editors and publication

Andrea Lorek Strauss – several lesson plans for “Teach” sections, some text for “Explore” locations and “Conserve” organizations, journaling instructions, some content editing, liaison with copy editor

Graphic design was provided by our partners at the Department of Natural Resources, with some work provided by Master Naturalists with expertise in graphics. Photos and figures were acquired from public domain sources or shared with the program at no cost. Printing was paid by a grant from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0540358 at a cost of $25 per book.

Evaluation Results

The first draft of this book was developed in 2005 and field tested with the first few class groups of Master Naturalist participants and instructors. This audience identified useful features, additions, and changes through a lengthy survey. In 2006, a select group of participants also received a copy of Minnesota’s Natural Heritage, an in-depth textbook by John Tester, to compare to their initial course materials. We asked them whether they felt this resource would be sufficient for their learning goals. Participants resoundingly preferred a resource customized to the Master Naturalist program, and expressed a high value for the chapter-specific recommendations for places to visit, extended reading, volunteer opportunities, and organizations to join. A second draft of the book was developed in 2008-2009 and each chapter was reviewed by technical experts in the content of the chapter. See the list of 26 reviewers on the Acknowledgements page. Initial feedback on the published version of the book is very positive. A more formal evaluation is planned.

Files

"Big Woods, Big Rivers" cover

This is a graphic of the front cover of the book "Big Woods, Big Rivers: An introduction to the natural history of Minnesota's deciduous forests." The entire text will be mailed to the ANREP Webmaster.

Big Woods, Big Rivers

Pages 1-150. Uploaded by SREF staff.

Big Woods, Big Rivers

Pages 151-300. Uploaded by SREF Staff.