Care For Place Fellowship
I’m a more than a little late to announce this since it’s already come and gone, but I was a 2023 Care for Place fellow with Upstream MN. Upstream “nurtures Minnesotans’ love for our shared places and cultivates greater trust, connection and stewardship” and is all about bridging the political divide to rally behind what unites us: a deep love for our wonderful state.
The fellowship was a relatively easy and fun lift: write four short blog posts detailing how I care for the various places in Minnesota that I love. In the spirit of sharing about a cool organization while also providing some low-hanging content fruit, here are my four blog posts! (I did not come up with the titles for these so excuse the conspicuous lack of puns!)
(Where I introduce myself and tell my outdoorswoman origin story.)
A fateful spring break trip my freshman year of college introduced me to a group of students that would forever change my relationship to the outdoors, to Minnesota, and to myself. The trip was put on by a student-led organization at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University called The Peer Resource Program (PRP). They were tabling inside the dining hall on a winter evening, advertising a week of backpacking through Big Bend National Park in southern Texas. Despite being a Colorado native…
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2. Enjoying Fall in Minnesota with Kate Tovsen
(Where I [maybe somewhat awkwardly??] proclaim my love for my future neighbors in Ely.)
Every fall, my future neighbors get together for a day of brush clearing along our shared road. I say my “future neighbors” because I don’t live there yet. While I work from our home base just outside of the Twin Cities in Linwood Township, my husband has been primarily rehabbing a 1976 mobile home a stone’s throw from Moose Lake in Ely. Despite this somewhat unmoored living situation, I feel more connected to this future home than to any home I’ve had so far. The reason is twofold: the people, and the land. I’ll talk about the land first…
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3. Enjoying the Elements of Minnesota with Kate Tovsen
(Where I pragmatically embrace Minnesota winters. [And layers.])
Only three things in Minnesota life are certain: death, taxes, and a long, cold winter. I moved to Minnesota for college with nothing more for outerwear than a black and plum reversible fleece Target zip-up. It didn’t even have a hood — I have no idea what my Midwestern parents were thinking! (I did eventually return with a proper coat after Thanksgiving break, but still… college kids are built differently.) I learned quickly through the unspoken lessons of my peers that if you don’t learn to embrace the winter…
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4. What caring for place looks like for Kate Tovsen
(Where I shout out my city slicker parents for taking me on “hikes” and, unbeknownst to them, teaching me “leave no trace” ethics.)
While my parents weren’t necessarily outdoorsy, they still imbued in me a feeling of stewardship and care for place. One of the things we regularly did as a family was taking what my mom would unironically call “trash hikes” along a small canal near our house. (When one hears the word “hike” on its own, it may evoke aspirational feelings. Admittedly, a “trash hike” doesn’t sound nearly as epic, but hear me out!)
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Anywho, Upstream is now accepting applications for the next cohort! If you are BIPOC or live in greater MN, apply to tell your story. (You can also submit your story at any point via their website, but I don’t believe these writers are compensated.)