Star Tribune

News/Feature Stories

Caution: Deer Crossing

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / Leave a comment

Caution: Deer crossing

  • Article by: KELLY JO MCDONNELL , Special to the Star Tribune
  • Updated: November 23, 2011 – 12:29 AM

At this active time of the year for deer, officials and data offer a heads-up for motorists.

hide

Photo: Brian Peterson, Star Tribune

There are an estimated 900,000 to 1 million deer in Minnesota.

That may be good news for deer hunters this season, but it’s not good news on the roads. “Autumn is the deadliest time of the year for deer/vehicle crashes,” says Nathan Bowie, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS).

During the three years through 2010, 7,751 deer-vehicle crashes were reported to the DPS. More than one-third occurred in October and November, resulting in 19 deaths, 15 among motorcyclists.

“That 7,751 number is probably on the low end,” said Bowie. “Imagine if Triple AAA or insurance companies came in with their numbers…. The 7,751 were just the ones reported to DPS.”

In Anoka County, there were 105 deer-vehicle crashes reported last year, causing 18 injuries and one fatality. Numbers for 2011 won’t be available until early next year.

Jeff Perry, park operations and natural resources manager for Anoka County, said it’s a busy area. “Based upon the quality and quantity of favorable deer habitat relative to other metro counties, Anoka County may be one of the most active for car/deer collisions,” he said.

Deer are generally most active during twilight and darkness, he said. “Drivers should be alert and prepared to quickly react to deer that are crossing roads,” he said. “Also, if a deer is spotted along a road edge or ditch, chances are pretty good that there is more than one deer and drivers should slow down and proceed with caution.

“I think in terms of the deer population index, over time, Anoka County numbers have been high,” said Perry. “I can only speak for our larger park units, where we actually do aerial surveys and analyses.”

There are 5,000 acres in the Lino Lakes, Columbus and Centerville areas that serve as a large refuge. The deer population there has been abundant over the year. “We’ve had controlled deer hunts in eastern Anoka County over the past 20 years,” said Perry.

The Anoka County Parks office says that as the metro area has continued to expand, parks have become enclosed with roadways and developments, isolating the deer populations. Natural predators have decreased; therefore the populations are swelling, and are beyond the carrying capacity of the land.

Result: More deer. And lots of deer crossing the roads.

Kelly Jo McDonnell is a Twin Cities freelance writer.

Drivers, beware: It’s deer season

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / Leave a comment

Drivers, beware: It’s deer season

  • Article by: KELLY JO MCDONNELL , Special to the Star Tribune
  • Updated: October 22, 2011 – 10:09 PM

It’s that time of year again for deadly confrontations between driver and deer, which seemingly can appear out of nowhere.

“Deer do unpredictable things — like stop in the middle of the road or cross and quickly recross,” said Lt. Eric Roeske of the Minnesota State Patrol.

The state Department of Public Safety reported 7,751 deer-vehicle crashes between 2008 and 2010, with one-third of those occurring in October and November. Nineteen people died in those accidents.

In 2010 in Washington County, there were 94 crashes causing 13 injuries and much property damage.

There are two primary reasons for increased deer movement in the fall:

•Farmers are harvesting the last of their crops, particularly corn, thus pushing deer from their hiding places.

•The animals are passionately patrolling the region in search of mates.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) estimates there are 1 million deer in the state, so the odds of some jumping in front of startled drivers are pretty good.

Roeske offers these suggestions: “Drive focused and defensively by looking for reflecting deer eyes and silhouettes, especially during low-light time and in forested and farm areas.”

That’s common sense to many in Washington County who deal with the animals on a day-to-day basis.

Bryan Lueth, north-metro wildlife manager at the DNR, fields all sorts of calls from residents who have deer eating their gardens or crossing their neighborhood streets at dusk.

“Most of the calls come from the suburban areas, places where hunting has been prohibited by local ordinances,” Lueth said. “Deer hunting is our primary tool to manage populations. In the absence of hunting, the populations can grow unchecked. They grow beyond people’s tolerance.”

Lueth keeps an eye on the counties of Washington, Anoka, Ramsey and most of Hennepin. He said the population in Washington County, based on estimates, hasn’t been as overwhelming as in years past.

Peter Mott, manager of Lake Elmo Park Reserve, said plenty of deer still are around.

“We’re ideally situated to have a problem with deer,” he said. “It’s an interface of suburban development and the rural landscape.”

Mott explained that for the past 20 years they have done an annual deer survey. “We get up in a helicopter during the late winter, when there’s still snow on the ground, and count the number of deer residing in and around the boundary of the park. If we get over a magic number, I then call Bryan Lueth, and we begin to talk about working with the DNR to put on a special shotgun hunt.”

That hasn’t been necessary in the park since 2008.

Lueth said Washington County is so subdivided that it’s not rare to see folks who own five to six acres with a horse and some pasture. It can be an issue for hunters when they can’t get on the property.

If a community wants to remove deer outside of the hunting season, officials develop a deer management plan, including special removal permits. But Lueth says in most cases, it costs a lot of money.

“If a hunter is willing to take a deer, it sounds like a win-win instead of paying a sharpshooter $300 per deer to take them out.”

It’s “Boo” time!

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / Leave a comment

It’s boo! time in Wyoming, Minn.

  • Article by: KELLY JO MCDONNELL , Special to the Star Tribune
  • Updated: October 18, 2011 – 2:27 PM

Jeremy Hastings, 26, has turned his family farm into a Halloween attraction.

 

hide

Jeremy Hastings of Wyoming, Minn., an entrepreneur of all things scary, runs the Dead End Hayride on PineHaven Farm.

 

Jeremy Hastings has made a business out of things that go “bump in the night.”

A sudden loud, unexplained noise … A flickering shadow in the corner …

Have such old-fashioned scares been overtaken by the slasher genre?

Hastings doesn’t think so. “I took inspiration from other veterans in the haunted-attraction industry,” said the 26-year-old entrepreneur. “You can do without the blood and the guts and the gore and be amazed at the creepiness and how impactful it can be.”

Hastings remembers well the moment he was inspired to open his own haunted place. When he was 20, he was reading an issue of Hauntworld magazine, an industry publication for haunted house owners and operators. “I read an article about a farm in North Carolina, and the similarities between that farm and our farm was incredible,” remembered Hastings. “I hopped on a plane to North Carolina.”

The farm turned out to be Spooky Woods in High Point, N.C., run by Tony and Donna Wohlgemuth. “Within 45 minutes of being there, I was out to lunch with Tony and he was telling me everything I needed to know about opening a haunted place. I saw a lot of myself in Tony. It was really inspiring to me,” Hastings said.

Upon returning to Minnesota, he was armed with a passion and a plan. He was already helping with his parent’s PineHaven farm, a popular north-metro destination for pumpkins, fall festivities and old-fashioned farm fun. At the time, there was an existing haunted hayride being run on PineHaven by a third party.

“I was a bit frustrated in the fact that I thought it could be done better than it was,” said Hastings.

First, a haunted cornfield

He decided to try his hand at his own haunted project. He built a haunted cornfield attraction on the farm, and it gained instant popularity. So last year, Hastings and his haunted crew launched their first Dead End Hayride attraction at the PineHaven Farm. It’s now in its second season and growing in popularity.

Hastings’ passion is obvious as he talks about the project, and it’s evident in his staff as well. At 26, Hastings is the oldest of his crew.

“My makeup artist is 25, general manager is 23, show manager 23, lady who does admissions is 22, graphic designer is 21, web person is 23. … We’re all just really young.” He added that none of his staff is allowed to drive the tractors, since his insurance agent reminded him that they aren’t over 25 yet, so they aren’t covered by the policy.

But that’s a minor detail, according to Hastings. Many of his crew are his lifelong friends.

“We’re all really excited about it,” he explained. “I try to find actors who love to scare people, not just who want the job and collect a paycheck. People who really get an adrenaline rush from scaring people. Most of us, being younger, don’t have families of our own, so we put a lot of time towards it. I’ve got such loyal friends.”

This uncanny ability to get his friends excited about his venture started at a young age, said his mother, Sue Hastings. She said she noticed a tinkering ability as well in Jeremy, her second of five children.

“He was 15 years old when he helped his dad, John, build our pumpkin canyon,” she said. “That was one of the first big things they did for the farm. We’re still using it today.”

Jeremy — who has a full-time job as a machinist along with helping his parents on the farm — also keeps the farm’s animated pieces in good repair, and he’s created some of the farm’s attractions. “He built the dragon, and he’s still the only one that can operate it,” Sue Hastings said.

It’s been exciting to see Jeremy’s plan come to life, she added. “It is so cool to see someone so committed and believing in their dream, and able to convince a lot of close, good friends to help him. It’s pretty special.”

But is it all show, or are there some real haunts on the farm?

“We do catch weird things happening sometimes,” said Jeremy — like some spooks that just don’t seem to want to call it a night when the crew goes home.

“I remember one night we had killed all the power to the cornfield, but there was one light that stayed on in the field for 30 seconds, then flickered out.

“Now that’s weird.”

Kelly Jo McDonnell is a Twin Cities freelance writer

Life is about Transitions

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / Leave a comment

Lino Lakes program helps inmates re-enter society

  • Article by: KELLY JO McDONNELL , Special to the Star Tribune
  • Updated: October 4, 2011 – 2:19 PM

The Transitions Program at Lino Lakes prison aims to get inmates ready for life outside and prevent a return to the inside.

Joe McCoy knows all about transitions and how difficult they can be.

McCoy is Transitions Program coordinator at the state prison in Lino Lakes, and making it easier for prisoners who have served their time to move back into society is what his program is all about.

“The reentry program started around 15 years ago,” McCoy said. “We now have it in all our facilities. We’re looking at getting these guys reintegrated into the community. It’s definitely a good thing.”

The program is part of the Department of Corrections’ efforts to cut down on a state recidivism rate of about 50 percent.

“The day they come into prison, we want them to start thinking about getting out,” McCoy said. “We want them to focus on making the best use of their time and the various program options.”

He explained that prisoners are able to get help with legal documents, learning processes they’ll need to know, and work on getting a photo ID or driver’s license.

When prisoners have one year left on their sentence, they are encouraged to attend a Transition Fair at the prison. The fairs are held at all the Corrections Department sites throughout the year.

At Lino Lakes, about 40 vendors from across the state took part at a recent fair. They included local business and support groups, such as the Minnesota Public Library, Alcoholics Anonymous, government agencies, public safety representatives, various housing vendors, and different faith-based programs.

“Events like the transition fairs are so important,” McCoy said. “It shows the guys that despite the rumors that they hear — that no one is going to help you — there’s lot of folks in the community that want you to succeed. The vendors come to spend the day with them, and that’s huge for the guys to see that.”

It was important for Herbert Hubbard. Hubbard was a union concrete worker; now he’s serving a sentence for a sex offense. He is due for release on Oct. 27 and attended the transition fair. “I was nervous at first, but after I talked to a couple of vendors, it made things easier. It’s definitely helpful,” he said.

He was trying to find information on the legal and economic challenges that ex-offenders face, and he hopes to get back into concrete work. “The program has been really helpful in my recovery also,” Hubbard said. “I’ve been doing treatment for the last two-and-a-half years. I’m in debt to them.”

McCoy said he has seen his share of success stories, as well as not-so-successful stories, over his 13 years with the Department of Corrections.

He recalled the time that he was at a local gas station and an ex-offender recognized him. He was working there and took pride in showing McCoy his driver’s license.

“It’s nice to see,” said McCoy.

“You like to see the guys out there being successful. But we also see the guys that come back. That’s why the program and the fairs are so important.

“Our goal is that [prisoners] become productive, taxpaying citizens. And stay out of here.”

Kelly Jo McDonnell is a Twin Cities freelance writer.

R is for Raingarden!

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / Leave a comment

Improving water in several ways

  • Article by: KELLY JO McDONNELL , Special to the Star Tribune
  • Updated: August 9, 2011 – 4:42 PM

Three new rain gardens at a Lino Lakes school, a collaborative effort of agencies and students, are filtering storm-water runoff and helping kids learn.

hide

Rice Lake Elementary students planted a rain garden on the school’s property in June.

Students at Rice Lake Elementary in Lino Lakes have added a fourth “R” to the fall curriculum:

Rain garden.

Before summer vacation started in June, teachers and students at the K-5 school joined with folks from the Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD) and the Anoka Conservation District and built three rain gardens on the school’s property.

The school sits right next to Rice Lake. “It’s a great location to do it,” said Principal Warren Buerkley. “It was exciting for us; we had three grade levels work the project into their curriculum. The teachers got on board with it right away.”

Part of the Watershed District’s mission is to prevent flooding and enhance water quality. The rain-garden plan arose out of an assessment done to identify cost-effective projects to treat storm-water runoff before it goes into Rice Lake, said Nate Zwonitzer, conservation specialist for the Anoka Conservation District.

The city of Lino Lakes approached the school to gauge interest in making the rain gardens. “We said we’d be happy to with work with them,” said Buerkley. “After that the RCWD went out and got grant funding and we all took it from there”.

“There was runoff from the parking lots and buildings at Rice Lake Elementary,” said Kyle Axtell, water resources specialist with the RCWD. “So the goal is to intercept that runoff as much as we can, and get that water infiltrated into the ground. … It has to go through the ground to reach the lake”.

The three garden locations were picked, a contractor was selected, and the gardens were built, said Zwonitzer. Something that posed a challenge for the rain gardens was … rain.

The extremely wet spring raised the possibility of the gardens holding water longer than they should, Zwonitzer said. So one garden was made shallower than originally designed.

As for the students, “they all had fun” said Buerkley.

“Some were planting, while some were working in a classroom, some in an outdoor setting, learning about watersheds and wetlands, and how water is purified. It was very hands on,” Buerkley said.

Axtell said he was impressed with Rice Lake students and teachers. “They had around 90 students,” he said. “It was really just a good day for everyone. The students were learning different things related to the rain gardens, and now the rain gardens will be able to be used in the science curriculum at the school moving forward.”

The school, its students and faculty will be responsible for the gardens’ maintenance for the next 10 years. Buerkley said that some Boy Scout troops are doing some basic weeding this summer and that, come fall, the students will take over again.

Zwonitzer said the project “was a great example of different government organizations working together to get something done.”

A tough piece of history

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / Leave a comment

Stillwater collector: ‘I want to make people aware’

  • Article by: KELLY JO McDONNELL , Special to the Star Tribune
  • Updated: July 23, 2011 – 9:54 PM

Tony Carr’s collection of black memorabilia may strike a nerve, but he says the pieces are good teaching tools.

hide

Some of the pieces that Tony Carr has collected over the past 20 years.

Photo: Cy Dodson, Star Tribune

Tony Carr collects history, but it’s a piece of history that’s tough to view.Items in Carr’s collection include “Pickaninny Peppermints,” piano sheet music entitled “Coon Coon Coon” and a large saluting KKK figure in full garb.Carr, a former professional basketball player and current Stillwater resident, began collecting black memorabilia about 20 years ago.

“People ask me, ‘Why do you do this?’ ” says Carr. “Because it is history. But there’s no finger-pointing, it’s not about that. It’s about everyone’s struggle, and what my family went through.”

He has chronicled those family struggles in a book, which will be published late this fall by Mill City Press.

He said his parents couldn’t even view some of the pieces in his collection. “I’d show them a piece, and it would bring back memories,” he said, “It was a part of their life. They lived through this.”

The collection is displayed in the downstairs family room of Carr’s home. There’s a lit case on the back wall, and several items displayed here and there around the room. Carr said most of his collection is stored in boxes.

“My first piece was an Aunt Jemima salt and pepper shaker. I bought it down in northern Illinois for like 50 cents,” Carr said.

After that, he started paying attention and noticing other items. “I’d see a piece, an ash tray, and wonder ‘Where did that come from?’ I did my research, and that got the juices flowing.”

Carr’s passion and enthusiasm for history and his collection are obvious.

“Collecting is something I’m very passionate about,” Carr said. “There’s never a dull moment, always new stuff popping up that you never knew existed.”

Passion is apparent in all aspects of Carr’s life. He grew up in Beloit, Wis., and was a star athlete.

“I grew up in the north, and I’m a product of integration,” he said. “I was put in an all-white school, but I knew I had to assimilate and survive. One of my survival skills was basketball … that brought me up the ladder.”

He was a two-time all-state player in Wisconsin, and was recruited by several Big Ten schools. He ended going to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he was a three-time All-American and still holds numerous school scoring records. He went on to become a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball trial team, and in 1982, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks.

He signed a one-year contract, but Carr said he became disillusioned with professional basketball. He left the Bucks and went to work for Merrick, Inc., where he spent 18 years working with the developmentally disabled. Currently, Carr is the Director of Community Programs for the American Red Cross, Twin Cities Area Chapter. He also served as the chairman of Stillwater’s Human Rights Commission until 2009.

His current favorite pastime is going on the road and speaking about his collection, especially in schools. It’s a chance for him to share the dehumanizing images in an effort to teach others about the struggles of his parents and grandparents.

“I don’t want to change people. I want to make people aware,” he said. “Be aware of what we say and how we say it. It makes me feel good.

“If my mom and dad knew I was showing this stuff in big arenas …” he laughed, shaking his head, “This keeps them alive to me, and this is no joke, I feel that they are right there.”

His collection brings out all sorts interested onlookers, including some one wouldn’t expect. Carr said that during a UW-Superior speaking engagement, members of the KKK showed up to authenticate his Klan statue.

“They [school officials] said, ‘Mr. Carr, would you like to not have these people come?’ … I said, ‘They’re a part of community. Let them come.’ They hung out afterwards, and maybe we all left a little bit more aware.”

Kelly Jo McDonnell is a freelance writer from Lino Lakes.

Racing is in her blood

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / Leave a comment

Racing is in her blood

  • Article by: KELLY JO McDONNELL , Special to the Star Tribune
  • Updated: July 5, 2011 – 2:06 PM

Following in her granddad’s and dad’s footsteps, Anna Kouba looks to make her mark on dirt tracks, including Elko next week.

Sprint car racer Anna Kouba , 19, of Lino Lakes, received some help from crew member Keith Hodnefield strapping into her car before the start of her heat at the dirt track in Princeton, Minn., on June 25.

Anna Kouba has been drawn to the family business since she was 8 years old.

In her family, the business is driving cars — race cars — at triple-digit speeds on a dirt track.

Kouba, 19, of Lino Lakes, is traveling a path blazed by her grandfather, Earl Kouba, in the 1940s and ’50s and continued by her father, Joe, and brother, Joseph, as well as her Uncle Jimmy.

“My whole family is basically in the racing gig,” said Kouba.

Earl Kouba is in the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame, and her dad, who raced for more than 30 years, founded the Upper Midwest Sprint Car Racing Series. “I race under that sanction,” she said.

This is Anna Kouba’s rookie season, and she wants to race into October. She’s been in about a dozen races and has some top 10 finishes to show for it. Her next scheduled racing is coming up at Elko July 15 and 16.

Sprint Car Racing isn’t cheap. Most of her winnings go back into maintaining her car. For race day, average transportation and fuel costs run about $350.

“The more I perform, I’ll be able to get more sponsorship,” she said. “The ultimate is getting a full-ride sponsorship, like the professionals, but ours comes from our own money mainly.”

Joe Kouba said his daughter definitely has the drive and commitment to excel in the sport.

“Anna is extremely competitive,” he said. “She’s gotta beat her brother first and see where she can take it.”

Anna will learn patience as time goes on, he said. “When she doesn’t do well, she gets mad at herself and the world… It’s a fine balance,” he said. “Life has a tendency to teach you that you can’t always run down the hill, you have to walk sometimes. If she’s patient, I believe in my heart I can get her beating and racing with the local guys.”

At this point, it’s almost all guys she’s facing. “I’ve only raced against one other woman,” Anna said.

There are advantages and disadvantages to being the only woman on the track. She especially likes it when young girls come up and talk to her. “It’s pretty fun to see the girls cheering for me because I’m a woman.”

On the other hand, she said that sometimes she’s not taken seriously enough. But she brushes it off. “I’ve grown up with men and this sport. Besides, my friends think it’s really cool.”

Her drive to succeed isn’t just in racing. She was a soccer standout at Centennial High School and went to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on a Division I scholarship.

This fall, though, Kouba will be transferring to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to be closer to home, racing and her mother, Kathy, who slipped on the ice last year and suffered a serious brain injury. Today, she is almost fully recovered.

Kouba’s plans for the future are right in line with her racing passion. Her main priority is to finish college, where she is majoring in marketing and communications. “If for some reason racing doesn’t pan out, I still want to be involved in racing in some aspect,” she said.

For now, her racing goals are to keep making progress and someday make it into the “World of Outlaws,” the professional league for sprint car racing. “Either that or going in NASCAR and getting a sponsorship,” she said excitedly. “I just want to be in racing.”

Make Fishing a Family Affair

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / 1 Comment

Special to the Star Tribune

Several small lakes in Washington County offer youngsters a chance to take part in the state’s fishing opener on the cheap and close to home.

Families who want to take part in the state’s fishing opener next weekend but don’t have the time or the money to head Up North can find several entertaining spots in Washington County. A picnic lunch might provide a nice distraction — and help build some memories — if the fishing gets a little slow. Here are five family fishing holes that aren’t far from your back yard.

Powers Lake

Location: Woodbury, Powers Lake Park, Fox Run Road and County Road 19

Size: 58 Acres Maximum depth: 41 feet

Park entrance fee: No

How to fish it: Catch pan fish by using a bobber and worm right off the fishing pier.

There is a formal canoe/access carry-in area and an impressive fishing pier.

What they say: “I’ve fished for panfish with my daughter right from the pier,” said Jim Levitt, DNR Fisheries and Wildlife’s Fishing in the Neighborhood Program director. “It’s the best fishing lake in Woodbury.” Fish species include bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, black crappie and bullhead. Power Lake also has a playground, a picnic shelter pavilion and a trail that goes around almost the entire perimeter.

RAVINE LAKE

Location: Cottage Grove, Ravine Regional Park, County Road 19 and Hwy. 16

Size: 19 Acres Maximum depth: 15 feet

Park entrance fee: Yes

How to fish it: Try a minnow or a leech for walleye; cast off into the deep water from the pier. (Water is deep off the Ravine pier) Does not have a designated boat or canoe launch area.

What they say: Many consider Ravine Lake to be a hidden gem that has nice walleye and largemouth bass. Even though it doesn’t offer as many species as Powers, anglers can find bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, walleye and bullhead. Families can fish from the pier, or from paved walking paths along the lake. It’s a county park, so it has trails and picnic pavilions.

SQUARE LAKE

Location: Square Lake is located 7 miles north of Stillwater in the city of May

Size: 203 acres Maximum depth: 68 feet

Park entrance fee: Yes

Boat Access: Yes

How to fish it: Around the pier, it’s open and doesn’t have a lot of vegetation. Try casting a spoon for the trout or pike.

What they say: The lake is known for it’s fishing, as well as its scuba diving. The lake is spring fed, and the water clarity is superb for divers. “It gets stocked with trout, rainbow trout, and also has northern pike,” said Levitt. “The pike can get pretty good sized in there.” Species also include largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, bullhead and perch. It also has a first-class swimming beach.

TANNERS LAKE

Location: Oakdale, east of Hwy. 120 and north of Interstate 94

Size: 70 acres Maximum depth: 46 feet

Park entrance fee: No

Boat access: Yes

How to fish it: When it warms up, there’s a lot of lily pads around the pier; try a surface lure for large mouth bass.

What they say: The pier can get busy during prime times, but there are also several other family activities available. It’s a good-sized city park that includes ball fields, and a top-notch beach. Anglers will find a wide array of species, including bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, northern pike, largemouth bass, walleye and bullhead. Channel catfish were stocked in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

LOST LAKE

Location: Mahtomedi, Wildwood Park, County Road 244 and Old Wildwood Road

Size: 9 acres Maximum depth: 26 feet

Park entrance fee: No Boat access: No

How to fish it: Try a worm under a bobber.

What they say: Has pretty good fishing from a pier or off the shore. According to Josh Stevenson, owner of Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle: “It’s a little gem. It’s tranquil, no jet skis or boats. Just fish. And it’s a nice park, an ideal situation for kids. It goes under the radar of most fishermen … Fishing pressure would be low, and that’s an added bonus. ” The DNR has stocked it with many crappies and bluegills in the past 10 years.

Kelly Jo McDonnell is a freelance writer from Lino Lakes.

 

Dr. Bruce the Bug Guy

/ Kelly Jo McDonnell / Leave a comment
Bugs are his business
  • Article by: KELLY JO McDONNELL , Special to the Star Tribune

Lino Lakes entomologist “Dr. Bruce the Bug Guy” takes his menage of bugs along with him to Twin Cities classrooms.

hide

Entomologist “Dr. Bruce” Giebink shone an ultraviolet light on one of his scorpions to show that they fluoresce a green color. This is a Black Emperor called Blackie.

Photo: David Brewster, Star Tribune

His name is Bruce Giebink. But, professionally, he’s “Dr. Bruce the Bug Guy.” ¶ “Well, the kids kept calling me the ‘bug man’ or the ‘bug guy,’ so I figured, why not?” Giebink said. ¶ The entomologist from Lino Lakes has built a successful business showing off his collection of bugs at schools. At a “Dr. Bruce the Bug Guy” show, kids can learn about hissing cockroaches while touching them, pet “Rosie” the rose-hair tarantula and get closeups of scorpions. They can even eat some bugs. Giebink says his edible bugs have been a huge hit the past few years.

“They’re special treats. I have meal worms — Mexican spice, BBQ and Cheddar cheese flavor!” he said.

Giebink has always had a love of bugs and everything outdoors.

“I was always a young naturalist,” he explained. “I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin that had woods, marsh and a pond. I thoroughly enjoyed being out in nature.”

It was that love that inspired Giebink to pursue pre-veterinarian studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1975. However, his interests changed halfway through, mainly because of biochemistry.

“The biochemistry did me in,” said Giebink. “I completed my undergrad degree in five years, and then did a lot of field research for my master’s. I completed my Ph.D. in 1987, which officially makes you an entomologist.”

Giebink ended up in the Twin Cities after accepting a research position with the University of Minnesota in 1990. However, it wasn’t until 1997 that Giebink got an idea of introducing his bugs to kids.

“I did a program for my son, who was in first grade at the time,” Giebink said. “They would bring in a parent and do a show for the class. My wife, Lisa, volunteered me to do it.

“It was so much fun, the kids had such a great time, and the teachers loved that it was hands-on and interactive. It got me off to a really good start.”

The next fall, Giebink started getting calls requesting the bug show from the Centennial School District. His hobby started turning into a full-time business. The Cub Scouts called. So did the Girl Scouts, nature centers and parents wanting him for their kids’ birthday parties.

Firm’s name: The Bug Zone

Giebink made it official in 2001, becoming “Dr. Bruce the Bug Guy,” and naming his company the Bug Zone. He targeted area libraries first. Coincidentally, the theme at the libraries that year was “What’s Buzzing at Your Local Library?” with a bug theme.

“That jump-started everything,” said Giebink. “I was getting wonderful exposure and was getting paid for the programs. It got me over the hump.”

Giebink keeps his bugs in a basement room specially heated and lit to keep them alive and flourishing. Among the room’s inhabitants are Madagascar hissing cockroaches, millipedes, centipedes, scorpions, tarantulas, cecropia moths and butterflies.

“June and July and August are by far my busiest months,” said Giebink. “September is a kind of transitional month, with summer programs winding down and school getting started. In the fall I get busy with Cub Scout and Girl Scout events, and right around Halloween I’m really busy with the creepy crawly theme.”

One of Giebink’s favorite bugs is the praying mantis. The kids’ favorite, however, might well be the tarantula.

“Kids really love Rosie the Tarantula,” he said. “It’s a very easy name to remember, and it’s a rather gentle name. She’s a rose-haired tarantula, Chilean, very beautiful. They have ideal characteristics for raising in captivity and for using in hands-on programs. Very docile, and not super nervous or skittish.”

Mainly, Giebink wants to get the message out that bugs sometimes get a bad rap.

“As a society, it’s kind of us against the bugs,” he said.

“If people learn to tolerate and co-exist, I think a lot of creatures in the natural world, insects included, would enjoy the outdoors a lot more.”

Kelly Jo McDonnell is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer.