Calendar of Events

Dinner on the Bluff
February 4, 2012
5:30 p.m.
Cost: $20 per person

"Our Fresh Water Resources"
Gene Merriam, former state Senator and DNR Commissioner

Freshwater plays a vital role to all living things. Learn from Gene Merriam, a member of the Guardianship Council of the Freshwater Society the status of the protection, enhancement and restoration of our freshwater resources at the February 4, 2012 Dinner on the Bluff at Eagle Bluff. Since 1968, the Freshwater Society has been a leading public nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving, restoring and protecting freshwater resources and their surrounding watersheds. The Guardianship Council is a blue ribbon advisory group convened in early 2007 by the Freshwater Society. This Council recommends actions by the Freshwater Society Board of Directors to promote freshwater sustainability.

Since 2007 Gene has served as president of the Freshwater Society, a nonprofit organization committed to educating and inspiring people to protect and conserve water resources.

Gene Merriam is a former state senator, former Coon Rapids city council member and former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

He served in the Marine Corps and is still active as a high school football referee. Gene is a Certified Public Accountant and served as chief financial officer of ECM publishers, Inc.

Throughout his governmental career, Gene has had a deep personal interest in Minnesota’s natural environment. He is a hunter, an angler and a birder.

In addition to his part time position with the Freshwater Society, Gene serves on the following boards, councils, and advisory groups:

Boards of Directors

• SFM Mutual Insurance Company
• ECM Publishers, Inc.
• Audubon Minnesota
• Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
• Conservation Minnesota
• Rise, Inc.
• History Theatre
• Natures Cove Townhome Assn.

Government Commissions, Councils, Advisory Groups

• Minnesota Forest Resources Council
• Clean Water Council
• Permanent School Fund Advisory Committee
• Anoka-Ramsey Community College Advisory Committee

Menu: strawberry-orange salad, roasted red pepper & tomato soup, trout, wild rice stuffing, roasted asparagus and cheesecake with assorted fruit topping.

All dinners begin with the presentation at 5:30 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner. Pre-registration is required 507-467-2437 - The cost is $20 per person for early birds, reservations made the week of the event will increase to $25 per person.

Adult Getaway Weekend
February 4-5, 2012
Cost: $100 per person

Join us for a weekend of nature, relaxation, and good company! Kids
aren't the only ones that get to have fun at Eagle Bluff. Adults over the
age of twenty-one are welcome to join the weekend.
View a tentative schedule of the weekend!
Click here for more information and the registration form.

Becoming an Outdoor Family Winter Weekend
February 11-12, 2012
Cost: $80 per person OR $300 for family of four and $75 for each additional family member.

Come and play in the winter wonderland surrounding Eagle Bluff! Activities include: snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice fishing, rock climbing, and high ropes course! This is a great way for a family to beat cabin-fever. Click here for more information and the registration form.

Dinner on the Bluff
March 3, 2012
5:30 p.m.
Cost: $20 per person

"Whooping Cranes - A Recovery Story"

Bryant Tarr, Curator of Birds at the International Crane Foundation (ICF), will give us a brief history of ICF and the work the foundation undertakes on behalf of cranes as well as a detailed account of ICF's efforts to help reintroduce the Whooping Crane (rarest of the world's 15 species of cranes) to the upper mid-west. Mr. Tarr will show us the intensive effort it takes to breed these majestic birds in captivity, raise them using "costume rearing" techniques to avoid contact with humans, and ultimately to acclimate them to life in the wild.

All dinners begin with the presentation at 5:30 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner. Pre-registration is required 507-467-2437 - The cost is $20 per person for early birds, reservations made the week of the event will increase to $25 per person.

Dinner on the Bluff
April 28, 2012
5:30 p.m.
Cost: $20 per person

"The Role that Prairies Play"
Bruno Borsari, Ph.D. Department of Biology, Winona State University

The demise of prairies due to an expansion of farming systems obliterated the ecological integrity and resiliency of prairies that for thousands of years had dominated most of the landscape in North America. However, in the last five decades a restoration movement has been growing strong in the upper Midwest region of the U.S. to reclaim the plant community and the biological heritage that was once a keystone feature of this bioregion. This presentation illustrates the efforts in bringing back the prairie on a small family farm in Winona County, Minnesota. Such an approach in land management enhanced valuable ecological services and it is predicated in this context as a sustainable form of landscape design and reconstruction.

All dinners begin with the presentation at 5:30 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner. Pre-registration is required 507-467-2437 - The cost is $20 per person for early birds, reservations made the week of the event will increase to $25 per person.

Dinner on the Bluff
May 19, 2012
5:30 p.m.
Cost: $20 per person

"The Story of Music, Stories from Home"
Lauren Pelon & Gary Holthaus

Come see this unique work that combines music, stories and poems to explore our sense of place, home and community. The program incorporates stories, music, and musical instruments deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of our region, ranging from Native Americans to Scandinavian, German, and more recent settlers from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Holthaus is the author of three books of poetry and several collections of essays, and has been awarded a fellowship in poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts. Pelon has been praised for her soprano voice and her performance on approximately 25 ancient and modern wind, string and free reed instruments. She is a 2010 recipient of a MSAB Artist Initiative Grant Award for her work as a composer.

All dinners begin with the presentation at 5:30 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner. Pre-registration is required 507-467-2437 - The cost is $20 per person for early birds, reservations made the week of the event will increase to $25 per person.

Looking ahead to next year?
Click here for a list of our 2012 Upcoming Events!