The My Minnesota Outdoor Adventure Program Launches in Time for Fishing Opener Weekend

(KNSI) – One of the words that often comes up during Minnesota’s fishing opener weekend is tradition, and anglers have a chance to share their memories and traditions with others thanks to a new program from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Jasmine Brett Stringer is with the My Minnesota Outdoor Adventure Program. She says even if you can’t be in Otter Tail County for the opener, but you’re enjoying the outdoors or fishing elsewhere, you can still participate.

Stringer says the program is all about showcasing Minnesotans engaging in outdoor activities and encouraging people from diverse backgrounds to share their stories. She says people don’t always see themselves represented, so the DNR hopes to get people to share their pictures and memories to connect with other outdoor lovers. Stringer says commonality is the great connector.

“We spend so much time on social media. It’s a curated experience. I follow family members, friends, some aspirational, some inspirational. You get in your bubble. My preacher always says take God out of the box. So take your social media out of the box, embrace and invite new people. And then that’s when we know each other. We have conversations through connection.”

She’s so glad to help launch the program because people make assumptions about how people look and who maybe does or doesn’t like fishing, but “when you see somebody share their story on social media of fishing. They’ve been fishing for three or four generations [with] stories of going fishing with their Grandpa, or taking their son fishing for the first time, and their son tried to get the hook out, or last year when we were up on the pontoon and we had that terrible accident in the boat and the hook went through the finger and we had to find the emergency room. We all have those stories.”

Go to the My Minnesota Outdoor Adventure Program website and click to share your stories. You can also post to your social media accounts and share by using the hashtag #MyMNOutdoorAdventure.

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