By Tom Conroy
DNR Info. Officer

 It’s 5 a.m. and cold, dark and quiet outside a western Minnesota motel. Cold and dark it will remain for a while longer. Not so the quiet.

In the warm glow of light from our motel room, my brother and I sip steaming coffee and load gear into the vehicle as Charlie the lab saunters off to sprinkle the snowy ground. As more lights come on in rooms up and down the lodge, other sleepy-eyed souls and eager canines begin stepping out into the cold November air.

Soon, hunters are barking commands to dogs, dogs are barking at each other. Truck doors open and slam shut, equipment rattles about. The commotion, the banter and laughter, doesn’t last long.  Engines turn over and vehicles begin rolling out of the parking lot.

Another day of hunting is about to begin in the prairie pothole region of Minnesota. Ducks, geese, deer and pheasants are on the minds of most who travel here to gladly spend time and money on outdoor pursuits. The visitors are good news indeed for the local merchants. Rural Minnesota needs every jolt of economic energy it can find.

Agriculture remains rural Minnesota’s lifeblood, yet it has changed dramatically over recent decades. Many small-town economies struggle now. And as rural populations age and more young people are lured away by the promises of big city lights, the result is fewer people in church pews and classrooms and more empty storefronts on Main Street.

Small-town Minnesota is searching for inventive ways to reinvigorate itself. One way to do that is to take a page from the old barn-raising days, when folks came from miles around to lend a hand. Some were skilled carpenters. Others hauled timbers, cooked food, or pounded nails. Everyone pitched in, creating a social contract for the common good.

One such present-day example is taking place along the Minnesota River Valley corridor in Renville, Redwood, Yellow Medicine, Brown and Nicollet counties. There, a diverse group of individuals, organizations, and agencies have joined hands to transform this region of the river valley corridor into a regional destination site. Dubbed the Tatanka Bluffs Corridor project, the goal is to restore, conserve, and protect both the natural resources and history of the Minnesota River Valley.

Last year, that vision moved closer to reality when the Legislative-Citizens Commission for Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) appropriated $1 million through the Environmental Trust Fund to help finance a major project within the Tatanka Bluffs Corridor called The Minnesota River Valley Green Corridor Land Protection project. The goal is to work with willing sellers, from Upper Sioux Agency State Park to Fort Ridgely State Park, to acquire high-quality natural resource or conservation lands not currently under a permanent protection program. The Southwest Initiative Foundation is the fiscal agent for the project.

While the Green Corridor project focuses primarily on acquisition, the Tatanka Bluffs effort is considerably broader, with five focus areas: outdoor recreation; renewable tourism initiatives; community celebrations, gaming and special events; education opportunities; and economic development (especially ‘green’ energy).

Citizens living in all four corners of this corridor, from Sacred Heart, Walnut Grove, Morgan, and Redwood Falls to Belview, Buffalo Lake and others are invited to participate in town hall meetings to share their ideas and vision for the region. Farmers markets, quilting shops, history of Indians in the area, bed and breakfasts, gift shops, vineyards, parks, cultural attractions, renewable energy sites, museums, cafes with locally grown products, and arts and craft shops are among the attractions either planned or already in place.

Outdoor recreation is intended to be a core component of this effort, ranging from camping, wildlife watching, hiking, and biking, to fishing and hunting. The idea is to leverage funds to provide more and better wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities.

Hunting in Minnesota is big business, and with fishing factored in, the impact mushrooms. Annual spending by Minnesota’s 1.28 million hunters and anglers is estimated at $3.5 billion, or $9.5 million a day. We rank fifth nationally. Just imagine the potential of creating a place where hunting is but one of the many attractions.

For more information on the Tatanka Bluffs project, visit www.tatankabluffs.com.

Editor’s note: Tom Conroy is an information officer at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

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