In Daehyoung “DH” Lee’s profession, he works by the motto, “keep calm and stay adapted.” Lee was recently hired as an assistant professor to help build UMD’s new Developmental Adapted Physical Education minor, which began spring semester. Developmental Adapted Physical Education (DAPE) is an inclusive way to improve health and well-being for all people. It makes physical activity more accessible and attainable by modifying activities to meet individual needs, enabling people with disabilities to experience quality physical education. Lee explains that all physical activities can be made inclusive for people with special needs. No one has to be excluded because of their mental, physical, or financial abilities. There is a teacher shortage in the area of Developmental Adapted Physical Education, which is federally mandated in public schools for all students with disabilities. UMD is currently the only campus in the University of Minnesota system that offers the DAPE licensure. Assistant Professor Daehyoung “DH” Lee To be successful in this field, teachers must be creative, caring, patient, and have a passion for helping others. Students in the new minor program will learn how to empower people with disabilities and modify physical activities to promote their health and well-being throughout their lifespans. This includes teaching fundamental motor skills; physical and recreational activities; aquatic skills; and competitive adaptive sports. With the help of UMD colleagues and students, Lee created a video demonstration of fun adaptive icebreaker games to illustrate DAPE in action for the Minnesota Developmental Adapted Physical Education statewide virtual conference last September. From Seoul, South Korea, to Duluth, Minnesota Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Lee has had extensive field experience in a multitude of countries. After spending time as a Taekwondo martial artist in Seoul, he went to college to study athletic coaching. Although Lee enjoyed this field, his experiences helping a sister-in-law with a disability sparked his interest in pursuing a career where he could help people with disabilities. Following acceptance into a master’s program in adapted physical activity in Belgium, Lee was able to choose another European university as a part of his scholarship program. He chose a school in the Czech Republic and worked closely with people who have disabilities, even participating in the regional Special Olympics program. Lee later attended Indiana University for a doctorate program in kinesiology and ran an adapted PE program for children with disabilities who live in Bloomington, Indiana and surrounding areas for 4 years as a program coordinator. Having the ability to help improve a child’s health and well-being is part of what makes Lee so passionate about this profession. “It is inspiring to meet kids of all abilities and see their happiness when attending the PE classes,” Lee says. He notes that adapted PE is all about small victories and long-term improvement. “When I was a volunteer teacher at the local YMCA in Bloomington, I was teaching an adapted Taekwondo class,” he explains. “I had a nonverbal student with autism spectrum disorder and during the first meeting, we didn’t even know how to handle him, but as he progressed through the class, I saw him improve. By the time I finished my degree program, the kid was able to move, bow, and speak out.” Lee loves interacting with people of diverse backgrounds and seeing prospective adapted PE teachers grow and develop in the field. In the DAPE program at UMD, Lee is most excited about a new adaptive aquatics course to be offered in the pool. A New App to Encourage Activity Along with teaching, Lee is a researcher and application developer. He is developing a mobile app, called PuzzleWalk, which is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store, for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). “It is designed to promote activity and reduce prolonged sedentary behavior for people with ASD,” he explains. The app is a visualized puzzle game that uses evidence-based gamification and behavior change techniques to promote physical activity. In order to play the puzzle games in the app, the user must walk or engage in other physical activities. Their accumulated walking steps then determine the amount of puzzle-solving time and number of tokens they receive, which enable them to play more games. This motivates users to exercise more, as more steps equate to more play time. Lee’s goal is to discover and design more affordable and accessible ways to improve physical activity for children with disabilities. “PE isn't a medicine for all of the problems we have, but it is a great way to improve the overall quality of life,” he says.

One of the traits people admire about Rick Smith is the ease with which he forges relationships. He’s gifted at remembering people and relating to them. He likes to tell stories but he’s also good at listening and making sure people are heard. Developing trusted relationships has been key to Smith’s work as director of the UMD American Indian Learning Resource Center (AILRC). Over the past three-plus decades, it has helped him bridge the divide between American Indian tribes and academia. It has also enabled him to assemble the country’s largest public library of culturally-specific American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) scholarly materials at UMD. Smith will officially retire on January 15. But efforts to improve access to higher education for AI/AN students and his influence on academic programs at UMD will have an enduring impact. “Rick Smith's compassionate, practical support has helped so many students' dreams come true. His legacy of dedicated, effective program-building and service is known and respected far beyond UMD,” says Professor Linda LeGarde Grover, one of Smith’s longtime colleagues from the Department of American Indian Studies. Supporting American Indian and Alaska Native Students Smith holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Education degree from UMD. He was hired as director of the AILRC in 1988. Since then, he has been instrumental to UMD’s recruitment of American Indian and Alaska Native students. The AILRC is formally housed within the College of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP). Dean Jill Pinkney Pastrana recalls, “Rick Smith was one of the colleagues here at UMD who immediately welcomed me to my position at UMD and helped me to understand the unique role that the AILRC plays in the college and on campus. This set the tone for a productive relationship that has positively impacted our capacity to serve American Indian students at UMD.” Professor Tadd M. Johnson credits Smith for his dedication to building connections between UMD and tribes in the state and region. “If you talk to Indian tribes, they can’t probably name an administrator at UMD or a professor, but everybody knows Rick Smith … He’s been out pounding the pavement, selling UMD to Indian tribes for three decades,” says Johnson, who joined the UMD Department of American Indian Studies in 2010 and was recently named the University of Minnesota’s first senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations. Having a trusted liaison like Smith helps convince kids from reservations to come and study in the City of Duluth. But because recruitment is nothing without retention, Smith’s work didn’t stop once he attracted students. He also created a welcome and nurturing atmosphere for students at the American Indian Learning Resource Center. And whether students needed counseling, financial aid, or some other form of advocacy, he was always ready to help. Pinkney Pastrana notes that “Rick Smith’s legacy in CEHSP and at UMD is simply immeasurable,” and points to Smith’s educational work with UMD faculty and staff. “Rick’s impact extends to his ongoing and patient work with all of us across campus who need to improve our policies and processes to support American Indian students,” she says. “His teaching and guidance on historical and cultural issues challenge faculty and staff to develop a critical understanding of our relationship with and commitment to American Indian communities and the students who come to us for their studies.” Johnson describes Smith as “a force” who has mentored hundreds of students in his career. He’s heard plenty of stories from AI/AN graduates who credit Smith as a powerful mentor. “People look back and say, ‘Well, actually I quit once, and Rick Smith convinced me to come back to school.’” Smith was honored with the Minnesota Indian Education Association Lifetime Achievement Award for his “outstanding leadership, contributions, and lifelong dedication to Indian education” in November 2018. Amplifying the Voices of Indigenous People Smith’s tendency to go above and beyond his AILRC director role didn’t end with direct student support. While at UMD, he also had an influence on curriculum and programs. He was involved in developing the Master of Tribal Administration and Governance program, which Johnson directs, and the Master of Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship. According to Johnson, Smith showed up in countless meetings and consultations throughout the years to help ensure the interests of tribes were represented while developing programs. “He wants to make sure the voice of Indian Country is heard at UMD,” Johnson says. Creating the Mishoomis Collection Library is another way Smith is ensuring the voices of American Indians and Alaska Natives continue to resonate. The AILRC started out with eight books focused on the lives and histories of indigenous people, written from their perspective. Now, it includes more than 10,000 materials, including books, videos, documents, and other resources. This impressive library includes many rare books and the private collections of several AI/AN elders and scholars. It was originally Ruth Myers’ goal to create this incredible educational asset at UMD. Often called “the grandmother of American Indian Education in Minnesota,” Myers was one of Smith’s mentors. Smith is thankful that so many scholars chose to leave their treasured books to the library and notes that it was “built with tremendous help from Dr. Rosemary Christensen,” who wanted to help realize Myers’ dream. “The first 900 books were donated by her. And she read every one of those books,” he says. A Life’s Work Though Smith is appreciative of the recognition he’s received for his decades of work, he’s quick to share the spotlight. “I’m standing on the shoulders of many mentors. I couldn’t have done it without great help and great mentors,” he says. “I have a wonderful wife and kids who support me. When you work in Indian Country and do this type of work, it’s not a five-day workweek with weekends off, it’s your life’s work. I couldn’t have done it without their support.” In the last several years, Smith and his wife Dianna decided to give back to UMD by establishing the Commander David R. Wheat Higher Education Return Opportunities Scholarship (HEROS). Named after a UMD alum and veteran, the HEROS fund provides academic scholarships and fellowships for UMD students who are military veterans, active duty service members, and those in the National Guard. The scholarship committee they assembled set an initial fundraising goal of $25,000 for an endowed fund. When they easily met that goal, Smith set another goal of reaching $100,000 in six years, by the time he retired. Smith is pleased to have met that ambitious target. But he says the effort wasn’t just about raising money. “We wanted to create an awareness and remind people what our men and women in the military sacrificed for our freedom and safety—and the sacrifices their families have made,” he explains. After a full career, Smith is looking forward to retiring—but he’s not slowing down. He plans to travel with his wife. He’ll also continue to serve others through a variety of roles including as a board member for several state and local organizations. Smith was recently invited to serve as Elder in Residence for the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team at the University of Minnesota Medical School. “Rick Smith is appreciated and loved by Indian Country. That’s probably his measurement for success,” says Johnson. “That and the hundreds of students he’s helped … I hope UMD finds somebody to take over who has his level of devotion to students and tribes. It takes a while to get his type of wisdom.” Top photo of Rick Smith by Zulema Rosendahl The College of Education and Human Services recognized Smith as one of its Distinguished Alumni in 2013. Learn more about Rick Smith’s impact on students and the Mishoomis Collection Library he cultivated.  A search for a new director for the American Indian Learning Resource Center will be launched later this spring. The search for a new assistant director is currently underway.

THREE FREE VIRTUAL EVENTS 40th Annual University of Minnestoa MLK Tribute Concert - Sun, Jan 17, 3 pm This tribute concert is one of the U of M Office for Equity and Diversity's signature events and the UMD community is invited to view the virtual celebration. It's co-sponsored with the U of M CLA's School of Music, and will take place on Sunday, January 17 at 3 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. See: https://diversity.umn.edu/events/martin-luther-king-jr-tribute It's free and open to the public. Streaming information is available at z.umn.edu/mlk21 About the concert: Honoring the Legacy of John Lewis As this event enters its fourth decade, the U of M honors the legacy of Representative John Lewis, a towering figure of the civil rights movement and a member of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s inner circle. The program, hosted and curated by U of M alumnus G. Phillip Shoultz, III of VocalEssence, celebrates 40 years of being in community and imagines an excellent way forward. Don’t miss this special virtual tribute intermixing the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis with musical performances from U of M students and the greater Twin Cities community. Virtual MLK Holiday Breakfast - Mon, Jan 18, 8:30 am UMD, the General Mills Foundation and United Negro College Fund (UNCF) invites the UMD community to attend the 2021 Virtual MLK Holiday Breakfast on January 18, 2021 to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy. 8:30 a.m. Log-in opens  |  8:50 a.m. Event pre-show  |  9 a.m. MLK Breakfast Free Registration Here   (registration closes at 4 p.m. CT Saturday, January 16) The event features: Dr. Bernice A. King, a global thought leader, orator, peace advocate, and Chief Executive Officer of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change; Ambassador Andrew J. Young, who has served as a member of Congress, African American U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mayor of Atlanta, and ordained minister; Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president, and CEO of UNCF, the nation’s largest private provider of scholarships and other education support to African American students and a leading advocate of college readiness; and H. Adam Harris, actor, director, teaching artist, and cultural equity consultant ----- Our Rising Voices- Twin Ports MLK Virtual Rally  - Mon, Jan 18, 12 noon The Duluth NAACP invites UMD faculty, staff and students to a free program on Monday, January 18, 2021, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. For more information, click here or see a live-stream video on YouTube. ----- For more information about these events, see the UMD Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Dr. Lisa Erwin, UMD’s vice chancellor for student life and dean of students, is the recipient of a distinguished honor in higher education: the 2021 Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean. Each year the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) recognizes those doing exceptional work in the student affairs profession, and Lisa Erwin, Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Dean of Students, is being announced today as the recipient of the prestigious Outstanding Performance as a Dean. Erwin says the recognition is humbling and deeply appreciated, and she’s also grateful for a talented and dedicated staff in Student Life who make her work exciting and gratifying. “I thank them for making this award possible, along with other colleagues in the UMN system and beyond who contributed to my nomination. I'm also very lucky to work with and support our amazing students at UMD. I'm biased, of course, but Bulldogs make this work so worthwhile!” “Dr. Erwin often says proudly that she has ‘the Best Job on Campus,’ says Chancellor Lynn Black. “Even though her portfolio of Student Life departments is large and complex, she provides energy and innovative leadership to them all, and her passion and love for UMD students never waivers.” Corbin Smyth, associate vice chancellor of Student Life, who nominated Erwin for the award, adds, “The last decade with her at the helm has been an incredible transformation. Student Life is recognized at UMD, in our five-campus system, and throughout Minnesota and the region, as a preeminent student affairs unit and always student-focused.” Erwin was hired as vice chancellor for student life at UMD in 2011, after a career working with college students, including vice president for student development and enrollment management at Bemidji State University. Active in professional organizations, Erwin is a past member of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Council on Student Affairs Executive Committee and is currently serving a term on the NASPA Foundation Board.

As a Water Resources Science master’s candidate, Adelle Keppers’ research has local impact that’s globally relevant. As the year wrapped up, Keppers defended her thesis “Characterization of Antibiotic Resistant Genes in Two Unique City Sewer Systems” based on work she did at the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) under the supervision of NRRI Senior Research Program Manager and UMD Civil Engineering Professor, Chan Lan Chun. Antibiotic drugs are used to fight bacterial infections and save lives. But some bacteria can survive the application of these drugs by acquiring antibiotic resistant genes and passing this resistance to their offspring and other bacteria. These resistant genes are a harmful pollutant that get into the environment in many ways, including getting flushed into sewer systems. It’s increasingly a concern world-wide. With a bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular biology and a master’s focus on microbial ecology, Keppers looked at upstream sources of the wastewater treatment plants – hospitals, homes and industry. “By the time resistant bacteria reach the wastewater treatment plants, they’ve had a chance to proliferate and shared their resistant genes with other bacteria,” said Keppers. “My goal is to figure out where the high quantities of antibiotic resistant genes are coming from so we can identify where to put onsite treatment systems.” Sharing Knowledge Keppers is using an automated sampling system to collect sewer samples every 30 minutes over the course of 24 hours. This technology provides more stable and consistent data than she could possibly get by sampling manually. And it’s this sampling process that Keppers shared her knowledge of with UMD Assistant Professors Richard Melvin and Glenn Simmons for their research to monitor the occurrence of the Coronavirus on the Duluth campus as an early detection tool. “This sampling process saves time and energy,” Keppers added. “I know it seems simple but establishing the sample collection process is the first step in a series to obtain good data and needs to be done with care.” Safety First And because she’s working with sewer water, Keppers is especially grateful for the safety protocols in place at NRRI. “Facilities Manager Craig Maly has been really helpful to make sure we have bleach or other disinfectants and secondary containment protocols in case there’s a spill,” said Keppers. “Obviously, if we can’t do this research safely, we can’t do it.” Pandemic Pleasures The stay-at-home order has opened up opportunities for afternoon walks with her husband, Justin, and dog, Sterling. “It is nice to get out and get some sun during the day since it sets so early now,” said Keppers. “It has become sort of a replacement to grabbing tea or lunch with a coworker or friend.”

On Thursday, Jan. 7, University of Minnesota Duluth Chancellor Lendley Black shared the following statement regarding the insurrection that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “I join with President Gabel in condemning the attack on our U.S. Capitol. This insurrection endangered members of Congress and tried to disrupt our critical democratic process of officially naming America’s next president. We must all condemn this violence and affront to our democracy. "Our UMD Core Values include Integrity, where we strive to adhere to the highest ethical standards and take responsibility for our ideas and actions. Our UMD Mission Statement emphasizes the importance of public engagement as we prepare students to thrive as lifelong learners and globally engaged citizens. "My hope is that yesterday’s insurrection will not deter the UMD community from our commitment to public and civic engagement, and that we renew our commitment to act with integrity, respect diverse individuals, perspectives and ideas, and work through differences in productive ways that promote our democracy, instead of violent attempts to tear it down.”

David McMillan stood on giant piers of steel that stretched out into the St. Louis River and looked over Duluth and Lake Superior. He was on top of the Canadian National Railway (CN) ore docks. A few feet from him were the train tracks and hundreds of feet down below him was the berth where the 1,000-foot ore carriers received their loads. Historic photo of the St. Louis River ore docks When the CN offered McMillan and the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) a tour of the docks, he jumped at the opportunity. “I've driven under the railroad tracks that lead to the docks hundreds, maybe thousands, of times and always wanted to get up there,” he says. From that high vantage point, it seemed that the history of the region played out before him … the mines, the railroads, the docks, the ships…. forestry, wood pulp, and wood product plants…  and all the jobs and people that held it all together.  BBER and UMD McMillan, a UMD 1983 alumnus and member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, came to UMD from the Twin City suburbs in 1979 to study economics and history. In his senior year, he joined the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) as a student researcher. The job fit with his interest in economics. He worked with Professors Jerrold Peterson and Richard Lichty, and other members of the Economics department faculty, on an input/output model, measuring regional economic activity, among other projects.  He found the work fascinating.  “It gave me a really good grounding in the area’s resource and service driven regional economy,” says McMillan. They did studies on the indirect and direct output of manufacturing and paper mills. And the models led to actual projects. “The Louisiana Pacific plant outside of Two Harbors, that produces wood trim and siding, came out of that research,” McMillan says. He found delight in the formulas. “X amount of capital investment is likely to create X amount of jobs; I just love that stuff,” he says. Petersen and Lichty encouraged McMillan to look at a Ph.D. and a career in academia, but there was a stronger field calling, the practice of law.  McMillan applied for several law schools and got into a few. David McMillan He anticipated the final word about his start date from his number one choice,  the University of Minnesota, where he was on the wait-list. That’s when things got interesting.  Peterson and Lichty were so impressed with McMillan’s work as a researcher, they offered him a one-year term faculty appointment as research fellow. The law school wait-list uncertainty made McMillan take the job offer seriously. There was one more factor to consider, McMillan had started spending time with Cari Charboneau, his future wife, and she was going to be in Duluth until her graduation the following year. “All the priorities changed,” says McMillan. He accepted the BBER offer. Back in Duluth After law school in Minneapolis, McMillan joined the legal team at Minnesota Power and then began his adventures as an executive of Minnesota Power.  In 2011, he was elected to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Over the course of his career he has served the community. McMillan currently serves as chair of the SLSDC Advisory Board and previously served as the board chair of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, UMD's Natural Resources Research Institute, the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion, and Goodwill Industrial Vocational Enterprises. He is also a past member of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center's Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of St. Luke's Hospital. “If the BBER funding had not occurred back in 1983, I don't know what direction my life would have taken,” McMillan says. “It certainly wouldn't have revolved around resource-based industries and the economic impact they have on northeastern Minnesota.” He calls it a “full circle.” He and Cari agree, “We’re blessed to call Duluth home.” BBER TIMELINE Early 1960s Cecil H. Meyers, UMD professor of economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and Glen O. Gronseth, a research analyst for the Duluth office of the Minnesota Employment Security Division, began producing a powerful and popular research report – the Duluth Business Index (DBI). BBER's DBI, 1965 The DBI, first published in 1964, provided an overview of the Duluth economy from the measurement and analysis of fifteen components that included coal, postal receipts, grain, and telephones. These extensive monthly reports became sought-after tools for businesses and government and were later joined by the monthly publishing of the Duluth Retail Sales Index and the Duluth Hotel-Motel Tax Index.  1970s Recognizing the need for a defined entity to oversee these extensive ongoing research projects, the BBER was officially established in 1970 through the appropriation of special monies in the amount of $10,000. Meyers was the first appointed director (1970–1979), and he also continued with full-time teaching responsibilities.  In October 1974, the Board of Regents approved UMD’s academic reorganization and named the School of Business and Economics, with the BBER and the DBI fitting under that umbrella. 1980s and 1990s Over time, the BBER gained the reputation as an unbiased and respected research entity, and expanded its offerings to include cost-benefit analyses, input-output modeling, publications, forecasting, and more. Tourism Research Inventory, by BBER Director Donald N. Steinnes, 1988 As requests for the BBER’s research and analysis capabilities continued to grow, its structure was changed to employ a full-time director, full-time editor/writer, and a small number of undergraduate research assistants. The business indexes that started it all continued to be pivotal data and information for the Duluth community and continued to be published until the late-1990s when it became increasingly difficult to gather the needed data.  BBER directors included Jerrold Peterson (1979–1983), Donald Steinness (1984–1990), Jerrold Peterson Interim (1990–1992) Kjell Knudsen (Acting 1993–1995), and Richard Lichty (1996–2003). 2000s James Skurla served in the director role the longest, from 2003–2014. The current director (2014–present) is Monica R. Haynes.  Alumni and Accolades Many of the BBER’s former student researchers have gone on to have impressive careers, working at companies such as IBM, Boston Scientific, Google, and Cirrus Aircraft. One former student, Chris McIntosh, is now UMD’s economics department head, and David McMillan is a University of Minnesota Regent. Tax Revenue Impact study, 2003, by BBER Director Jim Skurla and others. Over the years, the BBER has taken on many large and notable research projects, some of which have had significant impacts on the region. Among them, a cost-benefit analysis of curbside recycling for WLSSD, cost benefit analysis of Reserve Mining, a study on the relocation of the I-35 Corridor, a cost evaluation of the BWCA, and a valuation of the Arrowhead library study.  More recently the BBER has evaluated the impacts of the trade relationship with Canada, identified and mapped all employment service providers in the region, and evaluated the feasibility of mass timber manufacturing in the state. Today In 2020, the BBER provides economic information to the community in a new format, through its involvement in the Regional Economic Indicators Forum, a biannual event that highlights trends in employment, industry performance, business and consumer confidence, and local stock performance. With her background in applied economics,  Haynes has been increasing the BBER’s scope of services. Some of these initiatives include conducting comprehensive surveys, utilizing additional modeling software, verifying economic impact studies from other entities, and forming partnerships with other University of Minnesota departments to offer additional services like GIS mapping and business retention & expansion. Today’s BBER isn’t much different than its original iteration. It still seeks to provide research on economic factors affecting Duluth. But it has grown to provide research services for businesses, organizations, industries, government entities, and more for Duluth, the region, the state, and beyond.  Learn more about UMD's Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Banner Photo of the 1970 UMD Economics Department, above, top: (l-r): Charles F,. Holt, Jerrold M. Peterson, Dennis L. Nelson, Cecil H. Meyers, David A. Vose, Wayne A. Jesswein This story was co-written by UMD student Jack Harrington, who is majoring in writing studies and minoring in sociology and LGBT studies. Jack works with Cheryl Reitan in University Marketing and Public Relations. ___ SEE MORE Stories from the Past: The Rare and Remarkable UMD's 125th Anniversary Celebration Alumni Memories   |   Share a Memory

Debbie Waters Petersen was the first UMD student director of the Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center (BLELC). One of her most successful programs during her first year was a session on animal tracks. “Lots of people are interested in identifying animal tracks,” she says. The Learning Center Building at Boulder Lake And that February morning about 60 people showed up for the program. “There were so many, we had to split them into two groups,” she says. Petersen arranged for an area trapper, Dan Crocke, to help with the session. A day before the class, he had placed bait across the bay from the Learning Center building. The group found a lot to see. They found tracks of rabbits, squirrels, deer, fox, martin, and weasels. Most surprising were wolf tracks from a few wolves, coming directly at the bait in a straight line. “The tracks came from the other side of the lake, as far we could see,” says Petersen. “They could smell the bait from that far. It was the coolest thing.” The joy Petersen found on the wild land was balanced out by the struggle of learning to be a director. “It was trial by fire; I was it.” she says. “I was trained in biology and ecology, and I had learn how to teach and master 1,000 other skill sets, too.” She kept the books, found the instructors, led the sessions, and marketed the steady stream of public programs. The Boulder Lake property hosts several nest boxes. The moments of wonder made it worth it. Petersen tells one story after the next about those few years. There was the time instructor Judy Gibbs (UMD Environmental Education alumna) taught a program on wolves and ended by teaching the group to howl for wolves. “There were about 25 of us that night,” Petersen says. “We drove in a caravan to the east entrance and got out and howled.” Sure enough, the wolves answered back. When Petersen was the director, the BLELC had the greatest density and diversity of songbirds in the State of Minnesota. She has lots of bird stories. There was the time a group canoed across the lake to camp out, and they found a ruffed grouse and a nest of chicks. Once, she took her very young niece along on one of Boulder Lake's owl surveys.  Surveyors used playback of owl calls to elicit a response from owls at designated survey spots.  At one spot, they heard an answer. She and her niece witnessed two barred owls, a male and a female, calling to each other from across the road. Banding birds loomed in her life. Petersen still conducts research on birds for UMD's Natural Resources Research Institute and other entities, but she got her start at Boulder Lake. She is now also a songbird bander, although owls are still special to her. During owl irruption years, she and her friends would band Great Gray, Boreal, Snowy, and Northern Hawk owls. One time they banded “a ton of Great Grays,” she says. A mouse served as the lure, and when the owl landed, they flipped a landing net over it and quickly attached a band to one of its legs before they released it. Debbie Petersen Petersen was Boulder Lake's second director and first student director. She was also the first graduate student from the Center for Environmental Education, which is a part of the College of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP). With a master degree in environmental education from UMD under her belt, she spent 11 years at Duluth's Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and now she teaches high school in Walker, Minnesota. “I teach all my ornithology classes how to band birds.” From the texts and emails she get from former students, it’s clear they enjoyed Petersen’s classes. “I start every ornithology class by showing the motion picture, The Big Year. It’s about three men who compete to see as many birds as possible in one year. And then, when Petersen's students are “pumped up,”  she teaches them how to identify birds by sight and sound, eventually moving on to banding songbirds and woodcock chicks. And, some of them become, as she says, "bird nerds." About the BLELC The Boulder Lake Management Area (BLMA) and its Environmental Learning Center is a "window" for various audiences to view full-scale, integrated natural resource management occurring in the BLMA using such things as interpretive trails, public programs, and formal environmental education activities. The BLMA was conceived in 1988, was formally established in 1991, and contains over 18,000 acres of land and water, eighteen miles north of Duluth, Minnesota.  The area is cooperatively managed for natural resources by the BLMA landowners: Minnesota Power, the St. Louis County Land Department, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). That set of partners formed an alliance with  UMD's Natural Resource Research Institute (NRRI), and in 1994, Jerry Niemi, the director of NRRI’s Center for Water and the Environment, brought Ken Gilbertson, the director of UMD's Center for Environmental Education, on board. Over the years, workshops and speakers remained a mainstay, but several other larger programs have been offered, including the popular Master Naturalist Volunteer Training, Woodland Advisor classes, non-timber forest product workshops, and others. The number of participants has grown from a few hundred people a year to over 10,000. Many things have stayed the same, such as the Tracks and Traces outing, however the number of workshops, hands-on training, and public events has grown. Numerous scientific studies have taken place and are still underway, including the Great Lakes Worm Watch and a UMD Medical School Duluth and Minnesota Department of Health monitoring the status of mosquito and tick-borne diseases. In addition, external research partnerships have been added such as the Environmental Protection Agency Tree Swallow project to study potential impacts of polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), the Emory University's White-throated sparrow genetic study, and the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Jumping worm documentation. Current director, Ryan Hueffmeier, (boulder@d.umn.edu) says they are always looking for more organizations to conduct their research at Boulder Lake. UMD Adds Education Beginning in 1994, Gilbertson provided student directors to the BLELC. Except for the first director, Kent Montgomery, and NRRI researcher Cindy Hale, they were all graduate students in the Center for Environmental Education. The list of student directors includes: Kent Montgomery ’94-’97, Debbie Petersen Waters ’98-’00, Jeremy Solin ’99, Dan Peterson ’00, Sara Hanson ’00, Mara Lundeen ’01, Sara Lerohl, ’02-’04, Megan Curtes ’04-’05, Adriane Morabito ’05-’06, John Geissler ’05-’07, Tiffany Smith ’06-’07, Erin Zoellick ’07-’09. Ben Bishop ’09-’11, Nathan Hagge ’12, Jake Topp ’13,  and Brittany Zime ’14. In 2005, UMD began hiring full-time directors. They include Cindy Hale ’05-’07, John Geissler ’07-’17, and Ryan Hueffmeier ’17-present. Petersen is proud of her role in the history of the BLELC. She knows why thousands of UMD students and residents continue to enjoy Boulder Lake every year. "The place is incredible," she says. About the UMD Center for Environmental Education (undergrad and graduate degrees) About the Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center ___ SEE MORE Stories from the Past: The Rare and Remarkable UMD's 125th Anniversary Celebration Alumni Memories   |   Share a Memory

  Choosing the Right Path In 2011, there was a special person in Cazz Martin’s life. He called her his “football mom.” Several days each week, Martin arrived at his football mom’s house on his bike. When entering her house, he left the worries of school behind and instead indulged in playing video games, eating pizza, and staying out of trouble.  Mrs. Strife was Martin’s football mom. She was his middle school teacher in Chicago's South Side. She had noticed his unacceptable behavior in class, but she didn't punish him. Instead, she told him she knew what it was like to grow up in a bad neighborhood. She promised she was going to help him. Martin would never forget that kindness. Later, the Martin family made the move from Chicago to Rochester, Minnesota. Their goal was to escape the inner city violence, to find a safe place to grow, and to succeed. This move eventually brought Martin to a Rochester high school and then a community college football team. Finally, he arrived at UMD, where in 2020–21, he is a Bulldog football running back. Community to University Even with Mrs. Strife's support in middle school, Martin didn't take his high school courses seriously enough. He loved football. His coaches called him a great player, and Martin thought that was all he needed to stay on the field.  Everything changed when his low G.P.A. in high school didn’t get him into a university. Martin took an alternate route, community college. He was still able to play for the Yellow Jackets at Rochester Community and Technical College. That’s when his football coach had a serious talk with him. “He told me if I didn’t have at least a 2.5 G.P.A., I could kiss football goodbye. I realized that junior college would give me a second chance.” Martin dedicated up to five hours each day in the college learning center with his tutors. At the same time, he posted his football highlights on Twitter. After seeing Martin’s moves on social media, UMD Head Coach Curt Weise and Assistant Coach Marcus McLin went to Rochester to witness Martin's talent for themselves. After Martin graduated with his A.A. degree with a 3.6 G.P.A under his belt, he received a scholarship to play football at UMD. His academic career and his athletic career took off. During Martin’s first university game in UMD's James S. Malosky Stadium, he noticed his family watching from the stands. “Coming from South Chicago, and growing up in Rochester, I never thought I’d play for a big university like UMD.” says Martin.  Martin’s first play took him dashing down the field, catching a toss, and leaping over an opponent. “In that first game I made a highlight play," he says. It was captured in a video. "I didn’t believe I could perform that well, but I did it.” Martin has a special mentor, Marcus Sherels, a graduate from the same high school as Martin and a player for the Minnesota Vikings. Sherels believes Martin can run so fast, he has the potential to be drafted for the NFL. That confidence gave Martin strength to train his hardest in the 2020–21 season, in spite of the restrictions of the pandemic. Towards A Successful Future Martin isn’t only succeeding in football, he has also been honored by the College of Education and Human Service Professions as a physical education student. In the summer of 2020, he received the Maulius and Mildred Brink Education Scholarship. “It felt good to be recognized for my academics, in addition to athletics,” says Martin.  He plans to use his degree to become a football coach or phy-ed teacher. "My grandmother always told me to get an education," Martin says. He will be one of the first in his family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Giving Back Martin volunteered at Laura MacArthur Elementary School in Duluth. “Bonding with the young athletes is something that I look forward to doing every year,” says Martin.  When Martin returns home to Rochester, he coaches flag football to third and fourth grade students. People in his community call him a “hometown hero” and repeatedly tell him he has a “God-given talent.”  Martin listens to his mentor Sherels and stays on a path that can get him into the NFL someday But he has an equally important goal. He wants help others and change lives. He wants to give back to the community. Martin says he goes about life with this motive, “Life is about giving to others and helping out those who don’t have the opportunity I have.” Because so many people have helped him, including his football mom, Mrs. Strife, he says, “I feel obligated to help change people's lives and steer them in the right direction.” - - - - About the UMD Physical Education Bachelor of Applied Science program UMD student Myka Dixon, who is double majoring in communication and international studies, wrote this article. Myka works with Cheryl Reitan in University Marketing and Public Relations.