Looking Back at the 2026 Joint SAF–TWS–AFS Meeting: A Chair’s Reflections from Duluth
What a week, Minnesota! As I look back on our 2026 Joint Conference of the Minnesota Chapters of SAF, TWS, and AFS at the DECC in Duluth, I can confidently say: we brought the forest, the fish, AND the wildlife—and somehow managed to keep the Lift Bridge standing through all our excitement!
Starting with the Garden social on Tuesday evening—the energy felt like one big reunion. Students, first‑timers, seasoned professionals, and those of us who’ve been to “just a few” meetings mingled over snacks, tall tales, and the occasional debate about whose field season went most off the rails this year. I even joined the Bean Bag Toss this year, abruptly losing but it’s for the students!
And then Wednesday morning hit. Coffees in hand, we filled the Lake Superior Ballroom for inspirational plenaries from Ed Arnett and DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen. Ed reminded us why interdisciplinary collaboration isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the life raft we’re all floating on together. And Sarah? She gave us the kind of grounded, Minnesota‑real talk of someone who is steeped in collaborative conservation daily.
Then came the contributed sessions—a glorious seven‑room marathon of science, stories, and surprises. Whether you wandered into talks on invasive carp deterrents, wolf movement on pipeline corridors, loggers identifying sensitive soils, lamprey suction dynamics (yes, for real), or how “zombie deer” show up in U.S. newspaper portrayals—every room had something new. Scientists sprinted from French River 1 to Gooseberry 2 as if the fate of Minnesota’s natural resources hinged on making it to the next talk on time (and maybe it did).
Our tribal-led sessions once again grounded us in Indigenous knowledge, stewardship, and cultural revitalization—from blueberries and burning to co‑management, whitefish, and forest futures. These perspectives weren’t just sessions, they were reminders of who manages these landscapes with us, beside us, and before us.
By the time the poster session buzzed with brilliant students, proud mentors, and curious passersby learning about everything from microplastics to weasel surveys to amphibian pathogen surveillance (thank you to the abstract reviewers who kept all these topics in line and organized!)
And then… the banquet. Trivia. Awards. Raffle. The food was great, the laughter loud, the competition fierce. Not to brag, but my team got fourth place! I realize there is so much I don’t know about wildlife and fisheries and sometimes I think I know the answer but am willing to let the experts take the lead. The room was a light with laughter and fun and I’m glad we could bring together the forestry trivia with other organization’s quiz bowls into one big conservation quiz!
On Thursday, sessions kicked off again with fresh coffee and the kind of scientific stamina you only get from being surrounded by peers equally obsessed with moose mineral licks, bird-friendly maple programs, Clean Water Act gaps, or forward‑facing sonar for fish sampling.
As SAF Chair, I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who made this happen: planners, presenters, volunteers, judges, students, and those of you who simply showed up ready to learn, share, and connect. Collaboration isn’t something we talk about, it’s something we live. This conference proved that again and again.
So, thank you, Minnesota. Thank you for being the community that shows up, digs in, lifts each other up, and walks the talk of conservation and stewardship.
– Ashlee Lehner
Chair, Minnesota Society of American Foresters
Starting with the Garden social on Tuesday evening—the energy felt like one big reunion. Students, first‑timers, seasoned professionals, and those of us who’ve been to “just a few” meetings mingled over snacks, tall tales, and the occasional debate about whose field season went most off the rails this year. I even joined the Bean Bag Toss this year, abruptly losing but it’s for the students!
And then Wednesday morning hit. Coffees in hand, we filled the Lake Superior Ballroom for inspirational plenaries from Ed Arnett and DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen. Ed reminded us why interdisciplinary collaboration isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the life raft we’re all floating on together. And Sarah? She gave us the kind of grounded, Minnesota‑real talk of someone who is steeped in collaborative conservation daily.
Then came the contributed sessions—a glorious seven‑room marathon of science, stories, and surprises. Whether you wandered into talks on invasive carp deterrents, wolf movement on pipeline corridors, loggers identifying sensitive soils, lamprey suction dynamics (yes, for real), or how “zombie deer” show up in U.S. newspaper portrayals—every room had something new. Scientists sprinted from French River 1 to Gooseberry 2 as if the fate of Minnesota’s natural resources hinged on making it to the next talk on time (and maybe it did).
Our tribal-led sessions once again grounded us in Indigenous knowledge, stewardship, and cultural revitalization—from blueberries and burning to co‑management, whitefish, and forest futures. These perspectives weren’t just sessions, they were reminders of who manages these landscapes with us, beside us, and before us.
By the time the poster session buzzed with brilliant students, proud mentors, and curious passersby learning about everything from microplastics to weasel surveys to amphibian pathogen surveillance (thank you to the abstract reviewers who kept all these topics in line and organized!)
And then… the banquet. Trivia. Awards. Raffle. The food was great, the laughter loud, the competition fierce. Not to brag, but my team got fourth place! I realize there is so much I don’t know about wildlife and fisheries and sometimes I think I know the answer but am willing to let the experts take the lead. The room was a light with laughter and fun and I’m glad we could bring together the forestry trivia with other organization’s quiz bowls into one big conservation quiz!
On Thursday, sessions kicked off again with fresh coffee and the kind of scientific stamina you only get from being surrounded by peers equally obsessed with moose mineral licks, bird-friendly maple programs, Clean Water Act gaps, or forward‑facing sonar for fish sampling.
As SAF Chair, I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who made this happen: planners, presenters, volunteers, judges, students, and those of you who simply showed up ready to learn, share, and connect. Collaboration isn’t something we talk about, it’s something we live. This conference proved that again and again.
So, thank you, Minnesota. Thank you for being the community that shows up, digs in, lifts each other up, and walks the talk of conservation and stewardship.
– Ashlee Lehner
Chair, Minnesota Society of American Foresters
Minnesota Forester Summer 2024 Vol 43 no. 3
