SPORTS/OUTDOORS

It’s a cross between reality TV and something you might see on Animal Planet, a live, as-it-happens close-up on one of America’s most beloved species. And you don’t even have to pay for cable to watch it.

Minnesota state parks and the White Bear Lake library have teamed up to encourage more people to get outdoors. The library shelves are now stocked with 10 “Parks Rx” kits.

Getting the kids or yourself outside on a brisk winter day may seem counterintuitive. Cold air is to be avoided, right? It’s healthier to hibernate.

If you’ve ever enjoyed the rush of sledding down a steep, snowy hill only to wish the slope went on forever and you didn’t have to walk back up to do it again, you might want to look into snowmobiling, one of Minnesota’s most popular outdoor winter activities.

Now is the time to talk to kids about the dangers of thin ice. As temperatures continue to dip below freezing, ice is forming on many lakes, ponds and rivers. But conditions vary across the state.

We all know the way candlelight softens an indoor winter evening with a soft glow that warms and illuminates. That indoor glow moves outside in the winter months during candlelight walks held at state parks throughout Minnesota.

Consider the mountainous forests of Laos and then consider the forested hills of a Minnesota state park. You may wonder what those two locations have in common, other than the fact that each exists on planet earth.

Climate control accounts for almost half the energy use in a typical U.S. home and is also the largest energy expense for most people, but it doesn’t have to be. With a few simple solutions, you can be friendlier toward…