top We love the Great Outdoors. We fish, we ski, we hike, we hunt, we canoe, and we enjoy nature. The loons and the lady-slippers, the white pines and red maples, the northern pike and white-tailed deer give us a sense of place. Yet the lands that we love may vanish. Minnesota is one of the fastest growing states in the country. Our population will increase by almost one million people (that’s 25 percent) in the next two decades. We have lost 2.2 million acres of forest in the last 20 years. Loon populations have declined, wetlands have been lost, the water quality of the lakes has decreased. Poorly planned developments have led to costly stormwater flooding. An estimated 80 percent of the state’s septic systems are failing which results in groundwater contamination. What is the future we want to leave our children’s children? Minnesotans were given the opportunity to answer that question in a Voices for the Land essay contest. In phase one of our Voices program, more than 750 Minnesotans of all ages throughout the state took the opportunity to write about a favorite spot they would want to pass on to the next generation. Twenty winning essays were published by nationally renowned nonprofit publisher Milkweed Editions. Media throughout the state published these essays and aired them on the radio. Brian Peterson, photojournalist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune has taken Voices to another level, letting us see these beloved places through the lens of his camera. Brian traveled throughout Minnesota meeting with the essay winners and photographing them in the places they described so affectionately in their essays. This feature was found in the Variety section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune for over a year. You can still view the photographs and read the essays on the Star Tribune's Voices website. 1000 Friends of Minnesota has teamed up with the Star Tribune and the Minnesota Historical Society Press to produce a Voices for the Land photo essay journal that beautifully presents the photos with the winning essays. A Voices for the Land documentary has been produced with Duluth-Superior Area Educational Television Corporation (WDSE-TV). The documentary uses Voices essays to weave a series of vignettes featuring a diverse group of Minnesotans and the land about which they are passionate. The documentary aired in Duluth in November 2000, and will hopefully be broadcast by other public television stations around the state. The documentary can also be purchased through 1000 Friends of Minnesota for $15. Voices for the Land is about identifying the cultural and personal links we have to the landscape of Minnesota. The Voices program was incorporated into 1000 Friends of Minnesota in the Spring of 2000. Since that time, Voices has become a cornerstone of 1000 Friends' work, helping us make important connections with hundreds of Minnesotans who want to protect our treasured landscape.
Published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press $29.95 (plus tax) To order, please call 651-312-1000. Voices for the City: Minnesotans Writing about the Cities and Towns They Love. Our newest chapbook published in December, 2003 features 28 essays from the winners of the Voices for the City contest. The writers came from all over Minnesota to tell their personal experiences within the population centers of Minnesota. We believe that keeping our cities and towns vibrant is truly essential. The essays in this book celebrate the diverse and unique reasons why this is true for everyone who lives and works in Minnesota's rich urban places & spaces. Published by Milkweed Editions. $8.95 Read Voices for the City essays online. Voices for the Land II Minnesotans writing about the places they love and the people who taught them to care. This chapbook published in October of 2001 features essays about special places in Minnesota and the stewards who have made a difference. The volume contains 25 winning essays from amateur and professional writers throughout the state. Published by Milkweed Editions. $8.00
Voices for the Land - Minnesotans writing about the places they love. A Collection of essays written by Minnesotans about the places they love. The volume is the product of an essay contest we sponsored in 1999 which attracted over 750 essays. Those collected in this volume represent the winners from various regions of the state. $5.00
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Some four million of us live here on 87,000 square miles of forests and farms, cities and towns, parklands and lakes.
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