Meet our Volunteers

Spring 2012

Amy Westmark – Resource Management Volunteer

The Region 3 Headquarters campus in St Paul is made up of over 80 acres of a variety of significant resource management areas. These areas include a lake, stream, wetlands, prairie and hardwood forest.

“Over the past few years, a team of regional staff have developed an ongoing and sustaining management plan to manage these areas and shape them for a destination area for our urban neighbors. Amy Westmark has volunteered to assist this team with this management plan and some of the fieldwork needed to map and document our resources,” said Don Matthys, Management Resources, St Paul.

Amy has developed a draft Resource Management Guidance Document for the site, compiling a vast amount of data into a single source document. She has also spent many hours mapping specific quality resources that have potential for resource management enhancement. One of these areas includes a tamarack growth area with potential for adding filtration for Saint Paul storm water management.

Amy is from Brooklyn Center and has a resource management degree from Bethel College.  She has spent the past few years working at national parks and resource management areas. She brings a wealth of experience, new ideas and enthusiasm for the resource management community. The region appreciates her efforts and wishes her the best as she searches for full time work in resource management!

Patti Roggenkamp - Loon Watcher Program & Loon Monitoring Program

Patti Roggenkamp has been in the Volunteer Loon Watcher Program since 1997 and also volunteers for the Minnesota Loon Monitoring Program, travelling from her home in Monticello to the Aitkin/Crow Wing Index Area to monitor several lakes there. She started in the Loon Watcher Program working with Pam Perry, DNR NonGame Specialist, by reporting on her home lake of Birch Lake in Wright County.

Pam says, “The loons on Birch had not been successful for many years, but through Patti's efforts to add a nesting platform and working with other lake residents to give the loon family some space, the nesting pair were finally successful. Patti continues to add other lakes to her Loon Watching efforts. She is an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer who cares deeply about loons and lakes.”

Find out how you can become a Loon Monitor this summer!

Norma Malinowski - SNA Outstanding Volunteer

According to Amberbeth VanNingen, DNR Ecologist, Tower:

“Norma Malinowski has been the volunteer site steward for Kawishiwi Pines Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) near Ely since 2008.  Kawishiwi Pines is one of the more remote SNAs; it is not accessible by motor vehicle and a 2.5 mile hike may be necessary to access it in the winter!  Despite this, Norma has faithfully visited the SNA nearly every month, making note of things such as illegal ATV use, boundary sign conditions, and general nature observations.  She has also shared her knowledge of Kawishiwi Pines, and the Northwoods in general, by leading small groups to the site.”

"Norma" involvement goes beyond just one SNA, however.  She has helped monitor other SNAs and participated in gathering information on them such as species records for plant and bird lists.  Recently, she has become involved with the SNA Program’s new outreach and education initiative by recruiting new site stewards and volunteers and helping the SNA program plan outreach events such as hikes into SNAs in the region.  Because of our small staff, we are dependent on volunteers like Norma to be our eyes and ears on the ground and to help promote SNAs.  Norma represents what we admire in our volunteer site stewards, and we are grateful to have her!”

Robin Trott, Starbuck, Project Learning Tree Facilitator

Robin presents Project Learning Tree (PLT) activities to teachers-in-training at the University of Minnesota in Morris each fall. Often, this is the first contact that these pre-service teachers have with environmental education.

“It's important that new teachers understand why teaching about and IN nature will help students not only become more engaged learners, but also connect to their environment. Robin does a great job of this!” says Laura Duffey, PLT Planning Specialist, Forestry, St Paul.

Beth Walters - Red Lake WMA, Breeding Bird Atlas Volunteer

Beth Walters lives in Crookston, but has volunteered throughout the Beltrami Island State Forest and stayed at the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA) barracks at Norris Camp this past year while she conducted breeding bird surveys for the Breeding Bird Atlas.

According to Gretchen Mehmel, Area Wildlife Manager, Red Lake WMA, “The data Beth collected was not only important for the Atlas, it is vital information for planning for wildlife and vegetation management work throughout the Red Lake WMA and Beltrami Island State Forest. She volunteered at least 317 hours which does not include the time she spent commuting between her home in Crookston and Red Lake WMA.”  Thank you, Beth!

Learn more about Minnesota’s Breeding Bird Atlas and how you can get involved now!