Hosted by Chuck Lura, a biology professor at Dakota College in Bottineau. Chuck has a broad knowledge of “Natural North Dakota” and loves sharing that knowledge with others. Since 2005, he has written a weekly column, “Naturalist at Large,” for the Lake Metigoshe Mirror. His columns also appear under “The Naturalist” in several other weekly newspapers across North Dakota. Natural North Dakota is supported by NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center and Dakota College at Bottineau, a ...
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Unexpected Surprises - The Podcast of the Western North Dakota Synod


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Unexpected Surprises - The Podcast of the Western North Dakota Synod
Bishop Craig Schweitzer - WND Synod - ELCA
Unexpected Surprises is a podcast of the Western North Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Through this podcast, we explore all that God is doing through people of faith on the prairies of North Dakota.
Weekly podcasts about farming.
Canada anemone and several other members of the buttercup family are or will be blooming soon. The buttercup family consists of over 2,000 species widely distributed around the globe. They may be characterized as mainly herbaceous plants with alternate leaves that may be compound or lobed. And although the number of petals and sepals may be quite v…
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Unexpected Surprises - The Podcast of the Western North Dakota Synod


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Pr. Jon Halvorson, Executive Director of Metigoshe Ministries
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나중에 재생
나중에 재생
리스트
좋아요
좋아요
21:22
In the maiden voyage of Unexpected Surprises, Bishop Craig is joined by Pr. Jon Halvorson, Executive Director of Metigoshe Ministries. Pr. Jon shares part of his story growing up in many places around our country, his discernment toward seminary and ordained ministry in the ELCA following a time in the Peace Corps serving in Nicaragua, and a few of…
It seems like every spring we wait in eager anticipation for the migrating birds to return. Whether it is seeing the first robin, geese overhead, warblers, or watching the first hummingbird and oriole at the feeder, it is a much-anticipated event. Now, with the help of the BirdCast website, we can gain a better understating of these birds’ migratio…
Have you ever heard of No Mow May? Some cities around the nation are beginning to change ordinances to allow homeowners to refrain from mowing their lawns during the month of May. The objective is to provide better habitat and flowers, including dandelions, for the bees and other pollinators during the early growing season.…
Go outdoors around sunrise this time of year, and you are likely to hear birds seemingly singing from everywhere. It is as if they were all trying to tell us something, which they are. It is mostly the males telling us that they are staking their claim to a territory and that they are looking for a mate.…
Are the aspen leafing out near you? Do some seem to be busting out from winter while others, well, not so much? I am occasionally asked this time of year why there is so much variation in when the aspen leaf out, and also why this difference seems to occur in patches. Some have speculated the differences are due to variations in soil types, soils m…
The signs of spring continue to grow, and one of the signs of spring that is often overlooked is when the warblers start to show up. If they have not started to show up in your area already, they will be soon.저자 Chuck Lura
It is time to be on the lookout for falling stars, or should I say meteors for the next few weeks. That is because the Lyrid Meteor Shower, annually runs from April 16-25. The peak viewing period will come on the evening of April 22 and early morning of April 23 with perhaps 20 or so meteors per hour. The moon is going to interfere with some of the…
While traveling down the roads this time of year, the road ditch looks rather dull with the snow gone and the brown grass. But occasionally one may see what looks to be long, sinuous, and perhaps branching clippings of grass or something, roughly two inches or so wide, and several feet long. They can be quite abundant and conspicuous in spots. What…
“The chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech.” That much quoted passage from Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac has been on my mind lately. Nothing symbolizes spring on the North Dakota prairie more than the flowering of the pasque flower or wild crocus. And if the pasque flowers are not already blooming near you, …
The spring equinox is behind us. Spring is officially here, and that means the activity on our prairies, woodlands, marshes, and lakes will be ramping up soon if it hasn’t already. And the next month or so is one of the best times of the year to get out and enjoy nature.저자 Chuck Lura
Not so many years ago the sighting of a bald eagle was an uncommon to rare occurrence in North Dakota. Now, of course, these magnificent birds are much more frequently observed, even during the winter months. You may have missed it, but eagles have been the news recently, and all is not well with them.…
As most North Dakotan’s know, the Red River and its tributaries flow into Hudson Bay while the Missouri River and its tributaries flow into the Gulf of Mexico. It might surprise you but there are several major drainage basins in the state. The maps I have seen vary somewhat, but often place the Missouri Coteau within the Missouri River drainage and…
Most of us are familiar with the hooting of great horned owls. But we hear them a lot more than we see them. It is amazing that they can stay so well hidden. But if you have an interest in seeing them, now might be a good time to begin looking for them in earnest. That is because they have started to nest, and the young should start hatching in abo…
Here we are in the last days of February. A walk in the woods or across the prairie might give us the impression that there is not much activity this time of year. It may not be conspicuous the casual observer, but many of the mammals have been quite active for some time already. And there is not much leisure time in their future.…
We have had our fair share of cold weather this winter, with temperatures well into the twenty to thirty below zero range. Although many among us are more than ready for warmer temperatures, we also seem to fall back on that old saying that the cold temperatures “keep the riffraff away.” Those cold temperatures might also be helping keep the emeral…
If you enjoy nature, consider getting involved with a citizen science project. You will learn more about nature and at the same time help scientists collect important information. Citizen scientists are helping monitor the water quality of lakes, rivers, and streams, monarch butterfly migrations, snowpack in the mountains, and reptile and amphibian…
If you have been noticing some flocks of what looks to be sparrows getting up in front of your vehicle while driving through the country this winter, you might want to take a closer look next time. Many among us dismiss these flocks of small sparrow-sized birds as, well, sparrows. But rather than being brown, these flocks of small birds may be quit…
I noticed a tunnel through the snow recently that the casual observer would likely attribute to the activity of a mouse. It might surprise you, but there are around twenty small mammals that the casual observer may simply dismiss as “a mouse.” Most, or perhaps all, are active throughout the winter months.…
We have had a few days this winter when the sundogs have been quite prominent in the morning and evening sky. Although not rainbows, the basic principles are similar. The scientific name for sundogs is parihelia (singular parahelion). They often appear during cold winter days when ice crystals are abundant in the atmosphere and the sun is low in th…
Most North Dakotans know that the Red River forms the border between North Dakota and Minnesota. But other aspects, such as knowledge of the source of the river, and where it goes after flowing into Manitoba are perhaps less well known.저자 Chuck Lura
Matt and Andrew dive into the preparation before spring planting season.