Sharing Our Stories From the Field:
Strengthening the Network of Minnesota’s Women Conservation Professionals
You are cordially invited to join one or both of these upcoming gatherings hosted by Renewing the Countryside and Minnesota Women in Conservation. Connecting and strengthening the network of professional women in conservation is the goal.
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Time & Location
Nov 13, 2025, 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Bigwood Event Center, 921 Western Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537, USA
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About the event​​​
Join Minnesota Women in Conservation and Renewing the Countryside for a relaxed, creative, restorative, and interactive day of networking and learning with fellow women conservation professionals. Breakfast and lunch are included at the lovely Bigwood Event Center. Cost is just $25. Please reach out to burke@rtcinfo.org for information on scholarships before registering.
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Agenda for the Gathering
8:30 – 9:00 AM | Arrival & Networking Breakfast
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Light breakfast and coffee
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Informal networking with conversation prompts at each table or VISIT Exhibitors
9:00 – 9:15 | Welcome, Framing & Flow
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Welcome Remarks
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Land Acknowledgement Ceremony
9:15 – 9:25 | “Women Leading Change in Conservation"
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Why Women Matter in Conservation - Report from MNWIC State Coordinator Burke Murphy
9:25 – 10:15 | Facilitated by Bernadine Joselyn: "Our Journeys in Conservation"
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Verna Kragnes, Prairie Institute - Farming and Mentoring
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Ellen Friedrich, SWCD - Agricultural Conservation and Water
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Katie Fernholz, Dovetail Partners: Forestry and Women Leading Change
10:15 – 10:25 | Break
10:25 – 11:25 | Learning Circle - Mapping our Connections Activity Facilitated by Bernadine Joselyn
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM | Lunch
12:15 - 1:00 | Reflection & Collective Poem Making Facilitated by Bernadine Joselyn
1:00 pm | Closing & Celebration
Sponsorship and Display Table Opportunities are available! Please email Burke Murphy for more information: burke@rtcinfo.org
Time & Location
Nov 20, 2025, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
St. James Hotel, 406 Main Street, Red Wing, MN 55066, USA
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About the event​​​
Join Minnesota Women in Conservation and Renewing the Countryside for a relaxed, creative, restorative, and interactive day of networking and learning with fellow women conservation professionals. Breakfast and lunch are included at the gracious, historic St. James Hotel. Cost is just $25. Please reach out to burke@rtcinfo.org for information on scholarships before registering.
Agenda for the Gathering
8:30 – 9:00 AM | Arrival & Networking Breakfast
-
Light breakfast and coffee
-
Informal networking with conversation prompts at each table
9:00 – 9:15 | Welcome, Framing & Flow
-
Welcome Remarks
-
Land Acknowledgement / Ceremony
9:15 – 9:20 | “Women Leading Change in Conservation”
-
Why Women Matter in Conservation - Report from MNWIC State Coordinator Burke Murphy
9:20 – 10:15 Panel: | Facilitated by Bernadine Joselyn: "Our Journeys in Conservation"
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Teresa Opheim, Climate Land Leaders
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LeAnn Buck, Executive Director, MN Association of Soil & Water
10:15 – 10:25 | Break
10:25 – 11:15 | Learning Circle: "Mapping Our Connections" Activity facilitated by Bernadine Joselyn
11:15 - 12:30 | Lunch
12:30 - 1:30 | Reflection & Collective Poem Making facilitated by Bernadine Joselyn
1:45 - 2:00 | Closing & Celebration
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Sponsorship and Display Table Opportunities are available! Please email Burke Murphy for more information: burke@rtcinfo.org
About Bernadine Joselyn
Bernadine Joselyn, a maven of rural community resilience, will bring her Art of Hosting experience to facilitate a dynamic and interactive dialogue at the event. Bernadine hails from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, with twenty five years of leadership at the Blandin Foundation as the Director of Public Policy and Engagement. Bernadine has fifteen years of experience in the Art of Hosting a World Cafe, and has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to rural life and building resilient communities. She also manages 140 acres of family forest land in Lake Ponto Township, Cass County.
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About Minnesota Women in Conservation
Minnesota Women in Conservation (MNWiC) is a project of Renewing the Countryside in partnership with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). MNWiC's mission is to engage women in conservation conversations, connecting them with the tools and resources needed to develop their own goals. We facilitate Regional Networks to help all women of every experience level to learn and to implement practices in their own spaces, both urban both rural. We are here to nurture land and community. Join us!
About Renewing the Countryside
Renewing the Countryside is a non-profit based in Minneapolis, MN, that supports just, sustainable, and vibrant communities, both urban and rural, through a variety of agricultural and food system programs and partner initiatives.