[0:00] - Gin and I will keep a

lookout for tracks and scat.

[0:04] Today we're at

[0:05] the Minnesota Valley

National Wildlife Refuge,

[0:07] exploring the different ways

[0:08] that we can enjoy the outdoors,

[0:09] even in the winter in Minnesota.

[0:11] - Before you go out,

[0:12] just 'cause it's cold outside

[0:14] doesn't mean you have to be cold.

[0:15] The first layer we wanna wear

[0:17] is gonna be something

made of nylon or spandex.

[0:21] It is going to be absorbing our sweat

[0:24] and keeping us dry.

[0:26] And then the next layer

[0:28] is gonna be all about insulation.

[0:30] So something warm,

[0:31] like a nice hoodie or flannel.

[0:34] We prefer cotton or wool.

[0:38] And then if it gets really cold,

[0:39] you can feel free to add

on even more second layers.

[0:42] So more cotton.

[0:43] You can throw on just a

nice waterproof winter coat.

[0:47] And those are the basic layers

that we wear out in winter.

[0:50] You usually lose most of your body heat

[0:53] the quickest through your head.

[0:55] So always make sure that

you have a nice hat.

[0:58] And I forgot my gloves

[0:59] and scarves today, which

is not that big of an issue

[1:04] because the Bloomington Visitor Center

[1:06] has a borrowing closet

[1:07] where I can grab any

scarves, hats, gloves,

[1:10] or other accessories that

you might have missed.

[1:13] - One of my favorite things

about winter on the refuge

[1:15] is just the different ways

[1:17] that you can experience the wildlife.

[1:18] Just because it's cold outside

[1:19] doesn't mean that

activity has slowed down.

[1:22] For example, there might

not be any more leaves,

[1:24] but that makes it easier

for beginning birders

[1:26] to come out and see what kind

of birds that they can find.

[1:29] Now we have an easier time

seeing red cardinals, blue jays,

[1:33] and other animals that pop

against the white of the snow.

[1:37] - So on the refuge there

are gonna be a lot of trees

[1:39] that have bugs inside that

woodpeckers really love to eat.

[1:42] And a way to tell whether or not

[1:44] the woodpecker was successful

was to look at the holes

[1:47] in the tree just up there.

[1:48] So you're gonna see the really itty bitty,

[1:50] tiny, itty bitty holes

are where its talons

[1:52] were put in the tree to keep it stable.

[1:55] And then the bigger the hole,

the more successful it was,

[1:57] the more bugs it was able to catch.

[1:59] If you see something down

here like these tiny ones

[2:03] that don't go all the way through,

[2:05] and this one down here,

that means that it tried,

[2:07] but it didn't find any

bugs, so it moved on.

[2:10] - I also really enjoy

hiking during the winter.

[2:12] During the summer there's a

lot of noise from the frogs,

[2:16] the crickets, the bugs,

the insects, and the birds.

[2:18] During the winter, it's a

lot more calm and tranquil.

[2:21] We're also able to explore

more of the refuge.

[2:24] We always encourage people

to take out some snow shoes

[2:27] or cross country skis.

[2:29] It gives you a really cool opportunity

[2:30] to explore some spots off the trail.

[2:33] One thing that we can see

a lot of in the winter

[2:35] is animal tracks, and

they are all around us.

[2:39] So we're able to see

deer, rabbit, coyote, fox,

[2:42] and kind of track their movements

[2:44] of where they've been.

[2:46] And it's always really fun to see that,

[2:48] especially after a fresh snowfall.

[2:51] (mellow music)