Minnesota fall migration: Sandhill cranes make a comeback

On special sunrise tours Oct. 19-20, see sandhill cranes greet the day and take flight with a ancient cacophony.

Hear sandhill cranes' prehistoric sunrise chorus 

Sandhill cranes lift off at sunrise.

Text & Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

"As dawn lightens the landscape at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, a group of sandhill cranes lifts up as easily as dandelion seeds blown into the breeze. Every few minutes, a new flock rises, bit by bit, as the pinkish sun appears, ray by ray. The sandhill cranes’ morning serenade continues, gaining strength as they shake off sleep and more join in. It echoes across the water and fills the fall skies around us.

'What felt like the middle of nowhere in pre-dawn darkness now feels like center stage. Golden streaks of sunshine squiggle across the sky and illuminate cranes gracefully arcing across cotton-candy clouds. Their song hits a crescendo, like Mother Nature’s operatic climax for a heavenly Minnesota morning."

A coyote seeks food at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.

Sandhill cranes have made a huge comeback in Minnesota and elsewhere. Fall is one of the best times to witness it with groups gathering for migration and staging at places such as Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. The government shutdown has ended just in time for the public to still jump in and sign up for the special sunrise crane tours this weekend. They can take about 50 each day. If you like this video shot on Sept. 30, imagine three times as many sandhill cranes. They've been gathering all month to feast in fields and prepare for fall migration.

Read my full essay on sandhill cranes' comeback in the Star Tribune's Outdoors Weekend section.

Visiting Uruguayans, in Minnesota for Twin Cities Marathon, Discuss Health Collaboration with Partners

Drs. Pankaj and Kalpna Gupta, two volunteers with Minnesota-Uruguay Partners, hosted a dinner in their home earlier this month for two visitors from Uruguay who were here for the Twin Cities Marathon, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful courses in the country. 

Front Row: Kalpna Gupta, Dr. Tim Tripp, Dr. Oscar Quiñones, Sara Costa, Marcos Villanueva, Amanda Ottman
Standing:  Natalia's Husband, Dr. Natalia Dorf Biderman, Dr. Pankaj Gupta

Dr. Oscar Quiñones a cardiovascular surgeon at the Instituto Cardiología Infantil (Pediatric Cardiology Institute) in Montevideo, Uruguay, was in Minnesota for several days along with his wife, Sara Costa, a diabetic who had been invited to participate as an international runner in the Medtronic-sponsored Marathon on October 6.

The group gathered for dinner in the home of the Guptas the night before the marathon, and then met up after the big event at Woodfire Grill.

Sara and Oscar

Uruguay Musuem Leader Carlos Ortiz Visits Minnesota

Carlos Ortiz, the curator of the renowned Museo Blanes in Montevideo, Uruguay, was in Minnesota in August on a Partners of the Americas grant to participate in the Artful Writing program, an innovative initiative of the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota.

The unique program addresses an important gap in traditional artist training and helps prepare participants for successful careers. Carlos met with area museum professionals to learn about best practices.

Co- teachers Jamee Yung, museum educator for the Weisman Art Museum, and Stephanie Rollag, PhD student from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and a Teacher Consultant for the Minnesota Writing Project, worked with Carlos throughout his visit, among many other volunteers.

Lyndel King, the director and curator of the Weisman who had traveled to Montevideo earlier this year to carry out a highly successful museum branding workshop, hosted a wonderful reception in her home for Carlos on the eve of his return to Uruguay. Click here to read about Lyndel's visit to Uruguay.

Job posting for someone with Spanish skills, interest in trade and business

One of our Minnesota-Uruguay Partners members passed along the job opening below and asked us to post it. More details and an application are available here.

MOM Brands, based in Lakeville, Minnesota, is the third-largest producer of breakfast cereals in the United States, employing more than 1,400 people.

MOM BrandS,  CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS REP, INTERNATIONAL
ID:	4333
City:	Lakeville
State/Territory:	MN
# of openings:	1
DESCRIPTION
JOB FUNCTION The purpose of the position is to build customer loyalty and confidence by initiating direct customer communication, processing orders, resolving issues and advising customers of stock availability and delivery schedules.   In addition, this position will be required to process trade contracts.  This position will be responsible for working directly with our Latin American and US customers to assure the highest standards of customer service.  The position provides a single point of contact to the customer for order management by acting as a liaison between the customer and various internal MOM departments. JOB ACTIVITIES/DUTIES Accurately process customer orders according to MOM order guidelines and work with customers to affirm order size, pricing, freight allowance, item information, product availability, lead time, and other service requirements. Responsible for the integrity and accuracy of assigned accounts in JD Edwards as it relates to order management (i.e. updating shipping platforms). Timely entry of approved promotional contracts into the trade planning system. Understand and help implement departmental and supply chain business strategies related to improving customer satisfaction and reducing supply chain costs. Identify and actively participate to resolve issues that affect quality or service. Utilize Spanish to provide excellent customer service to our Latin American and Mexican accounts.  Potential travel to industry events or customer meetings in Latin American or Mexican countries to represent the supply chain area. JOB REQUIREMENTS Education: Four-year degree in a relevant field of study or relevant experience Experience: The ideal candidate will have a bachelors’ degree.  In addition, the candidate will have a desire to grow and develop in conjunction with the growth of our international business.  A candidate will at least have applicable business experience in a dynamic customer service environment. Skills: Must be fluent in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish.  Effective time management; ability to function as part of a team.  Strong written and oral communication skills.  Ability to tactfully handle a wide range of customer relations, warehousing, distribution, and broker concerns. Strong attention to detail and analytical.  Other:  3rd Party POS and Inventory systems such as Retail Link a plus.  NAFTA and other international shipping regulation background would be a plus.  Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

The passing of Bruce McManus

The StarTribune published the following obituary today about our dear friend and colleague Bruce McManus, who led the social justice projects at Minnesota-Uruguay Partners for the past eight years and passed away suddenly last Friday. His work and achievements have changed the lives of many people and will continue to do so for years to come. We miss him.

McManus, Bruce W. On Aug. 30, 2013, age 79, of Mendota Heights. Survived by his wife, Connie Roehrich; children William, Stephen, Robert, Marianne Koepfer and Esperanza; grandchildren Patrick, Katherine, Enrique, Carlos and Danu. Bruce was a 1956 graduate of Carleton College, US Coast Guard veteran, Warden of MN Correctional Facility, Stillwater, Deputy Commissioner, MN Department of Corrections. Memorial Service Saturday, Sept. 7th 11:00 a.m. at AUGUSTANA LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1400 So. Robert St., West St. Paul. Family will greet friends 1 hour before service. Memorials preferred to Carleton College (www.carleton.edu), Animal Humane Society (www.animalhumane society.org) or Partners of the Americas (www.minnesotauruguaypartners.org). Arrangements by Kandt & Tetrick Funeral Home, 651-455-5352. "Semper Paratus" 

A video describing the history of the Uruguay-Minnesota prison reform project

Partners of the Americas in Washington posted this interview recently with Erik Brand, the immediate past president of Minnesota-Uruguay Partners, talking about the history of a successful prison reform project that has resulted in an innovative community supervision program in Uruguay.

Lynn Baskfield Leads Equine Coaching Exercise for Minnesota-Uruguay Partners Board Members

Left-to-right: Gerard Lagos, Treasurer; Mandy Mattke, President-Elect; David C. Kremer, Chair, Fiscal Development; Lynn Baskfield, Host and Trainer; Equine Assistant; Rob Scarlett, President; Tom Olson, Chair, Business and Economic Development; Lynn's Human Assistant.

Minnesota-Uruguay Partners member Lynn Baskfield, a certified personal professional coach who operates Wisdom Horse Coaching, kindly invited board directors of our group to participate in an equine-assisted board team-building session on a warm summer afternoon in Delano, Minnesota, on Thursday, August 1.

In the fall of 2012, Lynn had hosted Uruguayan equine-assisted therapist and horse trainer Captain Gustavo Dos Santos during his visit to Minnesota. As a result, other board members involved in escorting Capt. Dos Santos became fascinated with all the different kinds of coaching and personal development activities that can be accomplished through the use of horses.

In just 2-1/2 hours, Lynn paired board members with a selection of horses and guided us through a series of individual and group exercises that produced very useful insights that the participating board members are using to figure out how to work together to maximize the group's potential for creating meaningful and impactful "people-to-people" experiences for Minnesotans, Uruguayans and others interested in exchanges of the kind fostered by Partners of the Americas.

Incidentally, the horses Lynn selected for these coaching exercises were all Gypsy Vanners, a unique breed of horse related to those that gypsies (Roma) used to pull their Gypsy vans (see example, below):

There are several videos posted that describe Wisdom Horse Coaching's approach at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbGuKCpYlHU and at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PenWmlnzmeE

For more information on the use of horses in coaching, training and therapy, visit the EAGALA web-site: http://www.eagala.org/.

This was an "mind-opening" experience for all of those who participated; and one that will continue to yield benefits as we plan for the future of Minnesota-Uruguay Partners.

-- Rob

Robert H. Scarlett, President
Board of Directors
Minnesota-Uruguay Partners of the Americas