Wild Times in MN Lake Country with Kelly and Carol Carol Fischer

The sun is setting on the first season of Wild Times in MN Lake Country. Join Kelly and Carol on the season finale in the heart of MN Lake Country as they talk about endings, discoveries and new beginnings.

Kelly and Carol venture out on a portion of the North Country Trail in Becker County in search of signs of spring. The snow is gone (for now) and there are signs that the woods and vernal ponds are beginning to awaken under the decomposing leaves left over from the fall. 

Travel anywhere in MN Lakes Country and you'll likely see, or hear, Trumpeter Swans. It wasn't always the case. Kelly and Carol visit a popular hangout for people and the Trumpeters near Detroit Lakes and talk about how the Trumpeter swan made a triumphant comeback in Minnesota not that long ago. Kelly shares the story of how the Minnesota swan population had dwindled to zero by the early 1900's and how wildlife conservation groups and individuals worked successfully to reintroduce the Trumpeter swans to Minnesota in 1991 near Detroit Lakes. Today the swan population is estimated at 30,000 in Minnesota.

Kelly and Carol take a trip into the sugarbush near Vergas, MN,  to catch up with Tom Franklin who is busy collecting sap from the maple trees and turning it into this year's batch of maple syrup.

Join Kelly and Carol as they head to the site of a beaver lodge at the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge near Detroit Lakes. This time of year after  winter torpor they are hungry and are running out of cache. What do they do? 

Venture to Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge with Kelly and Carol for an end-of-winter walk on Hesby Trail among the wild grass, seed pods, deer and swans. What you see sticking out of the snow-covered prairie this time of year appears dried up and brown but Kelly says there's a lot more action going on underground.