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    Webinars on Indigenous crafts, ice fishing for walleye, bat boxes and Hmong hunting heritage make up the winter lineup of the Minnesota Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

   “Winter is here and this season we have some great webinars to encourage people in their outdoor adventures by sharing helpful perspectives and tips,” said Benji Kohn, DNR Fish and Wildlife Division volunteer mentor program coordinator.

   The live webinars are at noon and last an hour or less. Upcoming topics include:

   Jan. 14 – Indigenous crafts, including the process and meaning behind traditional porcupine quillwork and deer hide tanning, along with other crafts.

   Jan. 28 – Ice fishing for walleye, including necessary gear, where to go and walleye ice angling techniques.

   Feb. 11 – Bat boxes, including what they are, why they are important, what species of bats rely on them and new guidelines from the Minnesota DNR on bat boxes.

   Feb. 25 ­– Learn about what hunting means to Hmong people, what hunting was like as a means of survival in Southeast Asia and how Hmong people are continuing their hunting heritage in the U.S.   

   All webinars are live-captioned and free. Participants need to pre-register. The DNR posts recorded webinars online for those who can’t attend the live event. Episode descriptions, registration information and archives are available on the Minnesota DNR Outdoor Skills and Stewardship Series webpage (mndnr.gov/discover). Registration is not required to view archived events.

   For other education and learning opportunities from the Minnesota DNR – including boat and water safety, hunter education, firearms safety, natural resources education, and recreational vehicle safety – visit the DNR’s education and safety training webpage (mndnr.gov/education-safety).

   For information about the Minnesota DNR I Can! program, which includes offerings to help people of all ages learn about camping, paddling, mountain biking, fishing and archery, visit the Minnesota DNR I Can! webpage (mndnr.gov/ican).

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