A forensic photographer’s second act in Minnesota’s wilderness
Janet Nelson, as a former forensic photographer, brings a precise eye for detail to her volunteer work with the Minnesota Master Naturalist Program and Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area. She engages kids with nature through the lens of a camera.
The club’s gardens, managed by Deb Dilley (a Master Gardener and former Extension nutrition educator), serve as ideal teaching spaces. Many children and teens were afraid of bees before they spent time learning how to photograph them, working to capture colors, texture and motion. Each year, one photo is auctioned off at the club’s fundraising gala to showcase kids’ creativity.
Nelson said: “If you want to truly see the world through the eyes of a child, hand them a camera. They take such interesting pictures. Every once in a while, there’s something that really makes you stop and think.”
Highlights
- RSDP impact: With support from a CERTs Seed Grant, a lighting project at Headwaters Music and Arts in Bemidji lowered the energy burden while improving the quality of lighting and environment for students, staff, volunteers and visitors.
- The 4-H Red Lake Beltrami County Zhiimaagan Explorers pledged their ‘hands to larger service’ creating an appreciation garden during Conservation Officer Appreciation Week. The Officers and the Elderly Program helped the 4-H’ers make a green space for pollinators that beautifies Conservation Law Enforcement’s sign.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: Michael and Jessica Lundin (2026)
- Master Gardener volunteers in Beltrami County partnered with the Beltrami Soil and Water Conservation District to create new pollinator plantings on the Beltrami County fairgrounds.
- SuperShelf: Bemidji Community Food Shelf
- Aquatic Invasive Species Detector volunteers spot-checked seven lakes during Starry Trek events in the last couple of years, identifying starry stonewort in Gull Lake and Three Island Lake.
- Residents across Beltrami County used the Climate Adaptation Partnership’s climate mapping and data tool, MN CliMAT, to access local climate projections for their communities.
Beltrami County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Beltrami County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.