Star Tribune Unbound: How Minnesota's Paper of Record Is Bringing Outdoor Journalism to Life

Speaker A: Foreign.

Speaker B: Welcome to Explore Minnesota. More I am Sarah Stroman, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Speaker C: And I'm Lauren Bennett McGinty, executive director of Explore Minnesota. Today we're venturing into a conversation about media storytelling and what it looks like when journalism decides to step literally.

Speaker B: We're talking with folks from the Minnesota Star Tribune about the evolution of their outdoor coverage and about a new ish event called Strib Unbound, an outdoor festival designed to bring the newspaper's outdoor storytelling to life in a physical space.

Speaker C: This episode gets into something I find genuinely interesting, the relationship between outdoor journalism and outdoor participation, which Sarah, we are very familiar with. So stories move people outside. The question is, can an event do the same thing? How do you build one that's welcoming to everyone from a seasoned Boundary Waters paddler to someone who's literally never sent up a tent before?

Speaker B: Yeah, it's a great mission the Strib has undertaken here. And there's also a really honest conversation about the difference between editorial independence and the business side of a media organization and how those two lanes interact when you're trying to build something new.

Speaker C: So if you care about how Minnesota's outdoor culture gets told and who gets invited into that story, this one's for you.

Speaker D: Come, um, explore Minnesota. It's a hootin. Don't you know about, uh, the marvelous Minnesotans who tour, creating and promoting different spaces and adventures to explore our great outdoors. And since you're here, you'll hear the reasons to enjoy all m of our season since the North Star State's 10,000 lakes and all space in between is the perfect place to venture with your friends and family. I think, uh, one of the. One of the kind of themes that'll kind of run throughout the conversation is the difference between sales and marketing and editorial. So do you want to just, uh. Maybe we could just dive into that? The difference. The difference there. What. What you all's different lanes are. And, um. And how. How would you explain them to just like the general public who's trying to. Trying to separate the two, marketing and sales from editorial.

Speaker E: Yeah, I mean, I think, uh. Well, thanks for having us on, Randolph. We really appreciate being able to talk about, um, unbound and what's happening at the start. Tribune. Uh, this is a good first question, I think, because, uh, this event really is sort of us coming together when usually we don't really work together. Um, because, uh, my name is Mark Baumgarten. I'm the, uh, outdoors editor here. And so I oversee all of the Editorial content essentially, which is our um, independent journalism. Um, and uh, you know, what falls within that is just uh, anything that is, you know, a story that is told uh, by our journalists here that is independent of the influence of any kind of other entity outside of the newsroom, whether it's sponsors or advertisers or anything like that. Uh, so that's kind of the lane that I exist in. And I think that Travis and Lauren here can talk about what they do and then we can talk about how we're coming together on this event.

Speaker F: I'm Travis Tufte. Uh, I venture across the state getting uh, people to tell me their stories, similar to Mark and his team. However, I'm not a journalist. I'm just a fan of journalism, which is why I titled myself Fanboy for this podcast. Um, uh, I work in the sales and business development side of things at the Minnesota Star Tribune with a special affinity for um, the outdoors, tourism and anything greater Minnesota, some call it Big Minnesota. Testing that one out, see how people react to it. Um, but yes, I'm, I work closely with Mark, uh, and his team kind of in uh, in developing Strip Unbound. Uh, and I'm probably one of the most chronic consumers of their work.

Speaker D: The chronic consumer. Tell me a little bit about um, the outdoor. The evolution of the outdoor section. So obviously the outdoors have been a part of Star Tribune's DNA forever because Minnesotans love the outdoors. It's just kind of a part of our DNA and um, it's always been a part of the. The start Tribune uh, in their coverage. But tell me a bit bit about what. Um, maybe just go into a little background of how it was covered before and why it's being covered this way now. Sure.

Speaker E: Um, so I want to point out first that I've been uh, in this position for about four months now. So I have inherited a ah, great amount of um, a legacy, uh, m. Recent and uh, a very long legacy of outdoor coverage at the Star Tribune. Um, I think that the, you know, the pivotal point for where we are right now to understand is about three years ago the Star Tribune, uh, launched, kind of relaunched, reorganized its um, the way that its stories were being presented and created an outdoors, uh section like a true outdoors vertical and brought in um, a lot of kind of disparate, uh, reporters in a lot of different sections were covering different aspects of the outdoors which I consider to be you know, any. Any place or any time that a Minnesotan like, like engages with the natural world is sort of like outdoors for us and so, um, so we brought in, you know, hunting and fishing from sports. Um, we brought in, uh, more of the outdoor recreation and activities, which was kind of being covered under lifestyle. And then we also brought in the coverage about, um, of. Of the dnr, of, um, you know, regulation of conservation, uh, in from the news side. And so now these three, um, and a little bit more. But these three kind of elements are brought into a single desk that's responsible for telling the stories of the natural world and how the, uh, how people interact with the natural world, um, in the state of Minnesota. Uh, so that's kind of like what it is now. Right? And there's always been this. Those elements have always been a part of. Of the Star Tribune. What's different now is that we're really bringing them together. Um, so we're continuing to do that level of storytelling, but there's a little bit better coordination, uh, within the newsroom, uh, where, you know, where we can kind of share sources, where we're meeting a lot more, where, you know, our outdoor rec people are talking to our hook and bullet people are talking to our conservation people. That actually results in, I think, more kind of informed and robust storytelling. Right. Uh, so that. So that's one big part of it. I think the other part of it is that we are really looking at, um, our, uh. Like, what is our unique role for people who are really, um, you know, engaged in outdoor activities in this state. And our unique role is that we can be the providers of news and information. Right? So we can provide like, what the latest, you know, the latest developments for local outdoors businesses are. Um, uh, latest developments in policy, um, uh, regulation, uh, around, you know, conservation and the, um, and the management of natural resources that affect the way that people engage with the outdoors. Um, so we have that really like, newsy thing that you can't get from, you know, all trails or, you know, or outside. Um, we are like, really able to provide everybody with that resource. And then also we are. And this. This really is. We're going to talk about, you know, strip unbound. And it is an important part of this is that we are a convener. So we want to bring people together. We want to, um, to like, be a, uh, hub for the community of people who are engaged in outdoor activities. And we want to help invite more people into the. That community. And so we do that on, in our sort of journalism side by, you know, the stories that we choose to tell, um, the people that we're talking to, making sure that we're. We're telling uh, a breadth of stories, um, that speak to all levels of the way that people engage with the outdoors. Um, and then also how we. And also by inviting the audience in to ask us questions to help guide our storytelling more. Um, and in the case of unbound, to actually invite them to uh, an actual event to, to, to do different activities, to hear different stories, um, and to really uh, be a, a ah, community in the most literal sense possible.

Speaker F: I, I like to say, Randolph, that uh, we pulled outdoors out of the basement of sports, which I don't believe, uh, the previous regime finds offensive. Doesn't work. But Bob, uh, has heard me say that a couple of times. So back to where. Up to where it rightfully belongs as a core content pillar.

Speaker D: How has outdoor coverage evolved through the years? Uh, has it kind of basically tracked what the participation trends have been? Because I know probably in the past, I mean outdoors was. 50 years ago, outdoors was hunting and fishing basically in Minnesota, um, most of the time. Has it evolved? Because nowadays there's so many different activities that people participate in the outdoors. Whether it's paddling, biking, ice climbing, um, you name it. It's not just hunting and fishing or it's. It's all, all the things is that. Has it evolved, has your coverage evolved to keep up with those participation patterns?

Speaker E: Yeah, I mean that's, that, that's what we're aiming for, you know, is to um, is to speak to the people who are entering the outdoors, uh, you know, in those kind of more low barrier activities. Uh, you know, and I think that you're seeing this even beyond. Yes, the Star Tribune. A lot of hunting and fishing in the past. Another aspect of outdoor storytelling in general, um, is that it was really focused on sort of extraordinary event. Like, like people doing extraordinary things. Right. Like adventurers, like doing things and some, some adventurers from Minnesota doing extraordinary things. And I think that overall in the outdoors media ecosystem certainly there is still a place for that storytelling. But at the same time, um, there's much more of a focus for telling stories for people who are entering the outdoors who engage with it on a, a less intense level.

Speaker D: Yeah, I know, I know. One editorial priority of Sartremune, um, is high school sports. A, um, lot of cases it's really, it's important for Minnesotans. Um, uh, and I see that nowadays some of the most popular high school sports are also outdoor recreation activities. Um, um, whether it's shooting, shooting, trap and skeet, or whether it's bass fishing tournaments or fishing tournaments or mountain biking competitions. Or cross country ski competition. Do you see any overlap between those two sections, High school sports and the outdoor rec. Um, uh, anything there you work on with the other team, uh, to make sure that those stories get out there?

Speaker E: Yeah, absolutely. Uh, uh, creates some, I mean it, it creates, it creates some difficulty in figuring out who's doing what. Right. Um, I mean, I'll just take Jesse Diggins as being, I think the, the sort of, the main, you know, story that is a confluence of sports and um, and outdoors, uh, and then, and then, you know, high school cross country skiing being within that as well. I mean we, we have in the outdoor recreation, uh, coverage area certainly an interest in talking about, you know, about Nordic skiing and uh, and getting people out there and telling those stories. I think that when the, the dividing line is when it becomes competitive and that's when it exists in sports. But those conversations are happening. Right. And when we're talking about uh, you know, a phenomena like Jesse Diggins, we're talking about somebody who is, who's in that competitive space, but who deeply influences the culture around the sport and the, and, and people getting out. Right. I mean there are so many kids who are out skiing because of Jesse Diggins. And so we, that's where we collaborate more on the coverage and where we see sort of that, you know, that overlap affect us. And I think that um, you know, as we go through the seasons, uh, we'll continue to have that tension between sort of competition and leisure, uh, uh, if you will. Um, mhm. Yeah. So it is, yeah, definitely a conversation that we're having internally.

Speaker D: Yeah. How has the, how have the readers responded to the new standalone outdoor section?

Speaker E: I mean, readers. I, I think that readers have, uh. Our best indication really, I think is um, is the participation in Unbound last year. I mean it was uh, much higher than I think that we were anticipating. And certainly Travis and Lauren can, or Travis can talk to this. Um, I don't know. Is Lauren, Is Lauren with us now?

Speaker D: Are you?

Speaker E: Um, I'm back, yes.

Speaker F: All right, cool.

Speaker E: So, um.

Speaker D: Well, I was gonna ask that. That. That's a good, kind of a good segue. I was gonna ask. There's a really interesting connection between journalism about the outdoors and we see it in the Star Tribune's outdoor section or we see it in Outside M magazine or you see it in climbing, backpacking, all the magazines out there. There's a, there's a connection between journalism and stories about the outdoors and getting people outside and, and promoting folks getting Outside and uh, encouraging them. So Does Star Tribune Unbound? Does that feel like a natural extension of the editorial mission of uh, Star Tribune's outdoor section by bringing the coverage to life in an actual physical space so that folks can participate in these stories themselves?

Speaker F: I was going to make some commentary actually on the consumption, uh, side of things that I spend a lot of time on the comment sections of Mark, uh, and his team's work. And I would say that that would be ah, an indicator of the town square taking shape, um, in that space. Um, Mark, I'm sure you are well aware of this, but, um, I've told Lauren this, that I use the uh, Strip Outdoors section on the Star Tribune news app, similar to a social media platform where you can actually uh, swipe left and right between stories so that you can get the full picture of everything within there. Um, and since I go in fits and starts of consuming Instagram, I find solace in uh, Mark's team's work and being able to consume, ah, top to bottom, you know, what the outdoor section has to offer. So on the consumer side of things, I mean, I think anecdotally as a, as a fan, um, of um, the content, I do feel like the comment sections are an indicator that people are feeling seen by the work of Mark and his team, um, specifically on the conservation and environmental side of things, obviously. Um, but also the stories of adventure. I mean people really do, I hear this all over the place. People really do feel they like to consume aspirational content. So like Mark said, um, there's a lot more approachability to some of the stories that are being told there now where it's, you know, everyday people getting outside which people want. But people also really do enjoy specifically from a local band being able to consume stories of adventure, um, of Minnesotans doing extraordinary things and they, whether they feel like they, that gets them to jump outside and maybe, you know, attend an event like Strip Unbound. I think people really do enjoy, um, following that storytelling. Um, so I've noticed that as a, as the P1 listener or P1 consumer of the Star Tribune outdoor section. And I'll stop talking now and let Lauren talk about Strip Unbound because that is really an embodiment of that.

Speaker A: Yeah. I'm Lauren Paul. I am on the brand and events marketing team here at the Minnesota Star Tribune. Um, so really what that means is, you know, I'm a part of the team producing the Strip Unbound event along with my colleague Matt, uh, Perkins. And you know, we're working with everything related to event logistics from working with the trailhead and our friends over at the Lopez, um, to bringing uh, all of the sponsors and the other organizations on site and making sure that the day runs smoothly for all of our attendees. Um, and then additionally working closely here with Mark, um, and our sports or oh my goodness, with Mark and her outdoors team, um, on all of the programming that you'll see brought to life as well. Yeah. And I'll just add, when it comes to Strip Unbound being an extension of both our news coverage and urging people to get outside, you know, really when we were thinking about how to approach the first year of the event, we were thinking about making it approachable to every single person we, whether they are somebody who, um, gets out in the community and they're, you know, biking, climbing, you know, they're a part of certain groups, they are camping in the boundary waters every year. Right. Or they're somebody who is, you know, curious about getting involved in outdoor activities and, and really hasn't, you know, dipped their toes into um, something. And that's really where we shape our programming around having a variety of those experiences for people to come out and try and. And that really lends itself as well to the location of our event and wanting to be, you know, in a central location where people can kind of come from any which way to check out what we have. But you know, we are offering things from, you know, learning to ride a bike right on site, to learning about how to start a fire safely, how to put a tent, uh, up, how to portage a canoe. That.

Speaker D: I'm glad that you added that caveat. How to start a fire safely.

Speaker A: Right. Very important.

Speaker E: And, and I'll, I'll just add from kind of, from sort of bringing, you know, editorial to life, bringing the Star Tribune report to life, that, you know, a lot of the things that Lauren is talking about are kind of like th. Those are, are being brought about by sort of activations with sponsors. So that's kind of a community partnership with other folks that are in the space and looking to connect more with an audience. Um, and then really the editorial part of it is the programming that we have, uh, on our stages. Uh, and so that is really focused around, um, storytelling, uh, and so really bringing some, you know, remarkable members, um, of the community onto the stage to talk about how they engage with the outdoors and the stories that they have to tell. And, and we're really excited about, um, about some of the programming that we have on those stages.

Speaker F: Yeah, it's meant to be a coming out party for Mark and his team of sorts too. You know, we want the, we want the uh, the Minnesota community, the Minnesota outdoors community to see the people who are telling their stories, you know, and having of course people reach out directly. But being able to see that, you know, your guys work come to life on a stage. Mark, I think is the, you know, the biggest benefit of um, of attending an event like that.

Speaker E: Um, so, yeah, but I mean, Travis, that you know, there is, there's definitely going to be Star Tribune journalists, uh, involved telling stories, um, doing their work, doing interviews. Um, but we also need to acknowledge, and we do acknowledge that the, the community that we're talking about is sort of like the community of people who uh, who tell stories about the outdoors is much larger than us. And so we're inviting some partners in from outside, uh, of um, of the Star Tribune to uh, to come and, and, and to tell stories and to do interviews. We're having the. The Dirtbag Diaries podcast is going to come and record, uh, an episode with us. Um, and uh, really looking forward to that. Uh, but yeah, I just wanted to point out that, you know, we, we view us like this is not a community that we think of as like that we are the only media entity that these people will ever interact with. Right. Like, we don't, uh, we're not fooling ourselves and thinking that we want to sort of. We want a big tent where we're inviting other media in to um, to really take part in this. Uh, and so it can be a more fulsome event for the people who show up and can experience, you know, um, uh, an episode of Dirtbag Diaries and an episode of, you know, our own podcast Curious Minnesota. Um, and, and do a whole bunch of other things. So yes, like we are putting the report on the stage here, into it in a certain respect, but also it's much larger than that. And I think we want to make sure that that is, uh, that that's uh, you know, known as.

Speaker D: Well, yeah. And storytelling is such a central part of outdoor recreation itself.

Speaker E: Uh, absolutely. Yeah. I mean it's like after you safely make that campfire, you sit around it and you tell stories to each other,

Speaker F: you know, uh, that's.

Speaker D: That's the best part of it. I mean that's what people, uh, that's what builds the community, I think, is the storytelling aspect of outdoor recreation.

Speaker E: Well, and you, I mean, Randolph, you guys do great storytelling here as well. I mean the last couple episodes this podcast, um, have been, have been great. I mean those are stories that I wish we were Telling. So, um, yeah, so, I mean Steeple Chase and uh, and the Quarry park were like, those are great episodes. So I mean, you're a part of this. I mean you're part of this as well. Right? And uh, and. And it's more fun when we have more people in the town.

Speaker D: Oh yeah, for sure. We've got, um. And everyone is good at something too. I mean, you've got the folks from Outdoor News that focus on hunting and fishing at a hyperlocal level in a lot of cases. And so inviting them into the town, Rob Dries Line and the team there, um, and all that. Um, I think Minnesota has a very unique narrative ecosystem when it comes to outdoor recreation. I feel like, um, I've lived in other places where it's not like that. It's. It's not like this. You don't have that. That. I mean it's built upon a history and a foundation of, of the folks that, that have done it before. Um, but it, it's just continuing to grow. And then you add, you had folks like Stephen Reginald who started Gear Junkie, um, and all that. Yeah, Sacred Olson course. Um, it's just, it's got a hu. It's got a really, um, long history of this type of, uh, work and stuff. So it's exciting to be a part of it. A little tiny part of it. Um, so take me back to the beginning, Lauren and ah, Travis. Where did the idea of starving Unbound come from?

Speaker A: Yeah, I mean really around the time that we were rebranding with the. To the Minnesota Star Tribune In August of 2024, you know, we were taking a look at how our events serve the community, related to all of our coverage. And with outdoors becoming, you know, a uh, pillar that was becoming more propped up. Along with that came a way for us to engage with the community and convene, um, people through the connections we have statewide and really to elevate again our journalism and show the community that they can, you know, come on out and interact. So that coupled with, you know, Lake State, um, excuse me, um, Midwest Mountaineering. With Mid Midwest Mountaineering, um, no longer having their event, um, we really did see a need between, um, engaging retailers, consumers, additional media organizations, um, again, just to bring people out to kind of celebrate the resources and the recreation activities we have here in the state because they are so vast. So that's where Unbound was born. Um, and Travis can speak a little bit more to what that looked like.

Speaker F: Yeah, it, um, I mean it was. I'm going to be perfectly Honest. I've told Lauren this plenty of times. When we first started uh forging the event 2024, fall of 2024, um, we uh, Matt Perkins and I, our colleague had um the pleasure of attending the Great Lakes Outdoor Summit up in Duluth. Um which we saw you hosting a panel there with plenty of our friends Randolph. And um. A lot of the stuff that we put together for Unbound was inspired. Obviously the um dearth left by Midwest Mountaineering, um was a key factor of us putting on Unbound. But we, we approached it in a different manner being a publisher as opposed to being a retailer. Um and we. I mean attending the Great Lakes Outdoor Summit was a. Was helpful. Um I guess recon. Uh, we've you'll you mentioned a lot of our friends who helped us kind of curate the. The event the first go round Randolph, um, Steven Reginald Hauntey, uh, Johnson Lloyd Vogel, um, a lot of our friends in the Minnesota State Outdoor Business alliance um gave us ideas for how we could approach something like this. And if I'm being honest, when I, I was involved heavily in the sponsorship recruitment for the event and I had no idea what the heck it was going to look like when we showed up in April last year and uh, that it surpassed my. My wildest dreams. Um, we did not you know, when we were approaching it from a sponsor perspective people would ask us if it was going to be a trade show or expo similar to Midwest um event or any other events across the state. Um and we knew we didn't want it to be you know, run of the mill trade show. We wanted to be an experiential event. And so um. A lot of the Mark mentioned this before too. A lot of the sponsor activations are really driven by our partners. Um, our sponsors and partners, community partners like the Lopez um Foundation, um who headquarters at the trailhead and they helped us drive a lot of the content that was in it. And it continues to evolve. Which I think is the. The coolest part about the event is that it's driven by the audience. It's driven by our sponsors and our partners, um and our readers. And it's driven by the Minnesota outdoors community which back to the storytelling concept. No event is you know, is run of the mill in that world. Um it people really do feel tied to um adventure and storytelling and um. So when we were know setting up settlers of Catan and the trailhead last year and we had uh Minnesota upstream out front, um absorbing stories from. From people all over, I mean I, I just kind of looked around and I was like wow, this is not at all what I had in my head but um, this is pretty incredible. And, and uh, the community showed up for it. Yeah.

Speaker D: I think uh, the two, two things that stood out to me that really surprised me about last year, um, about the first year was one that you had settlers of Catan as a vendor.

Speaker F: Oh the pinch room.

Speaker D: Yeah. Ah. And two, um, the lines for the shuttles were, were significant. It was like the state fair. So which is not a bad thing because for a first year I expected it would be kind of the parking lot wouldn't be as full. But when I got there we decided to walk because. Because there are so many people. Uh, which is awesome. Uh which is a good problem to have. Uh, it was, it was fantastic.

Speaker F: Um, we hope more people ride their bikes this year or whatever, whatever transportation.

Speaker D: Well if they park it the ah Dru.

Speaker F: Skiing at that point.

Speaker D: Yeah. It's not, it's not a bad walk too if you walk right behind the Humane Society to the trailhead. Um so um, but for what was uh, for you and Lauren who, who put this together, what was the biggest lesson learned from last year that you hope to um, take over to year two?

Speaker F: The. So I mean I think our we, we did do some post, post event survey data um which I think really steers. This will be a good uh tee up for Lauren to talk about all the cool stuff we have planned this year. But um, most attendees noted that they, they hadn't heard of some of the sponsors prior to attending the event which was great. Um, that's obviously where we're. We wanted to bring you know, new organizations to people um and new activations. And um, one thing that we've learned was to prioritize unique activations and experiences. And so we really, we this year have encouraged our sponsors to bring um, something to the table on the activation front. Like Laurie mentioned, you know, fire starting um and um, safely. Yep, that's important. Um and uh, you know we had Vistabule popped up uh having cooking demos with chef Yu Vang last year which uh, he is bringing more friends this year. Um, I'm sorry I won't step on your touchdown call Lauren. I'll let you get to this year. But um, but that was what that was what we heard was basically people wanted to see more live music, um they wanted to see more cooking demos. Emily Vikro doing camp uh cocktail demos last year. There's uh, going to be more of that this year. So panels and presentations were huge. Um, people really did like, to come. I had the pleasure of attending Cano Copia last weekend, and that's sort of like a mecca for dorks like me who want to go take in adventure content. Um, and we want to bring a little bit of that flair. And so for year two, um, we put a heavy focus on that and ratcheted that up big time. And we've got, um, some cool stuff planned. But, um, the note that attendees really did feel, uh, kindred spiritedness with our sponsors and partners was helpful, too. Uh, I come from a public media background, and so we describe the halo effect regularly. But, um, when you're convening that many outdoor enthusiasts together, everybody feels a kindred spiritedness amongst themselves, um, which bleeds through from sponsors to us, to fellow media partners, to everybody who attends the event, um, so on.

Speaker D: So walk me through, Lauren. This. This question's for you then. Um, so someone has, let's say it's the morning of May 9th. Someone has already caught their first walleye of the season because it is fishing opener. Um, and they. They show up, um, preferably without the wall walleye. Um, and walk us through what they can expect from the show on May 9th.

Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, they can expect a whole lot, I'll say that. And really, I think you set the scene for us, Randolph, with the. The lines. You know, we expect to have over 2500 people showing up, day of getting ready to get out and have some fun. Um, we are going to have multiple things happening at any given time, um, from the second someone steps off the bus, locks their bike up, walks on over, um, from live music to author storytelling appearances, more of those camp cooking demos and that live podcasting. I really think going back to, you know, that. That survey data that, um, Travis was talking about, you know, 97% of, um, our attendees,

Speaker F: uh. Oh, no way.

Speaker D: Okay, pick it up. Pick it up from there, Travis. Pick it up.

Speaker F: Let's just bought.

Speaker A: Am I back? Did I just completely.

Speaker F: I'm podcasting. Lauren, that's you.

Speaker E: You cut out right before you, uh, you were starting to talk about the kind of the storytelling.

Speaker A: Absolutely.

Speaker F: In the live.

Speaker A: So we, you know, attendees are going to be able to, you know, they're really, I think, going to have a hard time deciding where they're going to want to go. Um, because so much will be happening. But, you know, we will have that. That live podcasting element, which is, you know, the key storytelling component of the event this year. And it is one of the biggest changes from last year. You know, we had these discussions live but the first fact that we are bringing in these external podcasts and uplifting, um, one of our own, um, in a live setting, I think is really going to be a wowing factor this year. I think the world of live, live podcasting itself, um, is exciting and it's growing and it's something that attendees want to participate in, um, and they're going to have a lot of takeaways from it and then be able to share that after the fact when these podcasts are uploaded and recorded. So there's just going to be a ton to do, um, a lot to take away, good food to try. Even with these camp cooking demos, often, you know, the people there get to taste what our chefs, uh, cook up. Uh, Gustavo Romero is going to be with us, um, in addition to Nate P. Of Shore Lunch with Nate P. So we'll have, um, some dynamics there. That will be fun. Um, and again, like Mark mentioned, might

Speaker F: catch a walleye on his way in. So

Speaker A: what did you say?

Speaker D: I think.

Speaker F: No, sorry.

Speaker D: Travis chimed in and said that Nate P. Might catch a wall and provide us with that for a shore lunch. Um, so, I mean, it sounds fantastic. I remember last year. I mean, there was just so much stuff to do, but at the end of the day, you could grab a new to pills and sit down and listen to some bluegrass, um, uh, and play. Play a round of Settlers of Catan. Um, it was. It was pretty, pretty epic. And I'm expecting this year to be a double epic, um, because it sounds like, especially with, like, with all the new storytelling elements you've got going on. What are. What are a few of the topics of the day, in your opinion? Right now in the outdoor space, the

Speaker E: topics of the day, I mean, there's, uh, there are a few major topics right now. I mean, I think that certainly we have this, um, legislation at the federal level that may, uh, uh, pull back the mining ban in Superior national next to the Boundary Waters. That is something that people are. That our audience is highly interested in. And I think anybody who goes to the Boundary Waters, uh, is interested in, um, something that we're continuing to track. Uh, as of right now. Uh, that bill, um, appears to be stalled in the Senate, which, uh, we ran a story on just last week.

Speaker D: Actually, as of this recording, that piece of legislation has passed the Senate and is awaiting the president's signature.

Speaker E: Uh, but, uh, they have until the end of April, I believe, to vote on it. So, you know, once the event happens, we will know whether or not that bill is, um, is.

Speaker D: It.

Speaker E: Is going to actually go through. Um. Uh, you know, I. There's a lot of interest around, um, around the, uh. The quality of our water. Um, I think that, uh. And we are tackling that from a number of different, um. Uh, different angles. Um, but, uh, there are concerns around, um. Yeah, nitrates in our water and. And things like that. Um, I know that, uh, on the hunting and fishing side of things, I, uh, would be remiss if I didn't mention that, um, there's concerns around, uh, the duck population right now, um, and the duck hunt. So, um. So those are some. Some of the major issues that we've been touching on recently. Um, I'm trying to think. I'm sure there's a few others that I'm, uh, forgetting about, but, uh. Randolph, what do you think are the news I. Of the day? What should. What should we be writing about that we're not writing?

Speaker D: You guys are writing about everything that I was thinking of. I mean, like you said, the. The. There's obvious. There's always legislation in the federal. Federal level, whether it's related to mining or whether it's like, uh, the. The first anniversary of the Explore act that. That just passed. Um, or. And then you've got. There's always. In the hunting and physician space, you've always got folks that are keeping cle. Keen eye on what the, uh, walleye catch limit is. Um, or like I said, the duck population, pheasant population. Those kind of. Those kind of questions. Um, and the wolf issue never goes away. Never, um, tends to go away in a lot of cases. Um. But, yeah, I think, uh. Uh, the. The good thing about. The good thing about working in the outdoor rec space, though, is the stories aren't all negative. I think that's. I think that's what draws people to outdoor coverage is because it's your chance to get some good news once in a while. Um, which I think people crave because they get plenty of bad news. Um, and so it's a chance for you to tell those stories. Like you were talking about the adventure stories, the Jesse Diggins stories, or the Courtney Dwight Walter stories or the stories of the. I mean, we've got Minnesota. There's something in the water, because Minnesotans.

Speaker E: Yeah.

Speaker D: What is that? What was that?

Speaker F: Pond skimming at all?

Speaker D: Pond skimming.

Speaker F: Um, I was reading all about flying red to escape reality.

Speaker D: And what was that. What was that thing you were telling me about, Travis? The polo? Uh, was it fish?

Speaker F: Polar polo, yeah. Dead fish polo making its, uh, scuba unbound debut, possibly twin Cities debut. Yeah, uh, the fellows at Sanborn Canoe have been competing, uh, in the sport of dead fish polo for the last couple of years down down in the river on Winona. Um, they've worked with the, uh, Winona Parks and Rec Board to, um, put on regular weekly events. And, um, I had heard, I guess, rumor or lore of it in the outdoors community from various friends and, uh, clients who mentioned that we got to make it happen. And, uh, thank goodness, uh, Todd, Adam and Peter are willing to bring it up. And we've got a number of other partners. Um, our Paddle Paddle brand partners, Hornbeck Boats, Paddle north, um, Paddle Bridge, Wilderness Inquiry are all coming, uh, on hand to supply boats so people can actually come out and not actually fling dead fish at each other. It is typically a tennis ball in a mesh netting. Uh, Lauren, when I first brought this up, uh, as an idea, um, was dismayed at the idea of dead fish around. Thank.

Speaker A: I said absolutely not.

Speaker F: So, um, and, uh, I. I sometimes have a difficulty calling my excitement. So that's another kind of pinch me moment similar to, uh, to Catan last year that we will be.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker F: Flinging around not actual dead fish in the shores of Worth Lake.

Speaker E: I mean.

Speaker D: Yeah.

Speaker F: Should we get.

Speaker E: And Randolph. I. I think I. I think that you're absolutely right. You know, I mean, I'm. Look, I mean, I've. I've been an editor for, you know, 25 years in newsrooms. When somebody asked me what the big story is, I'm like always gonna focus on the point of tension. Right. Um, and so the stories I bring up are the ones that are tough. Um, what I love about covering, uh, the outdoors in regard to those issues is how involved people are. I mean, you talk about the, you know, the walleye bag limit, and I mean, people care deeply and also they feel. They feel, um. I think that people, you know, feel that, uh, that their voice matters. And. And I think it. It does. Um, and so like Travis was saying earlier about, uh, the conversation that happens in our comments, um, what I love about the. The conversations happening in our comments is that it is. It does feel more like a round table than it does a firing line. Um, it. These aren't people who are just, you know, just taking shots. There's discussions going on.

Speaker D: Right.

Speaker E: Um, these difficult issues. Uh, whether it. It is, you know, the. The bag limit on walleye or, um, mining near the boundary waters, um, pe. People are. Are involved. And. And to me, that is, um, a positive right to see that engagement. At the same time, you know, our. Our report features a whole lot of good stuff. You know, a whole lot of people, um, really, uh, like having amazing experiences that are changing their lives. You know, accessing the outdoors, um, you know, the state, developing, uh, new lands for exploration. Um, you know, there's, there's just a lot of positive in the outdoor space. So I don't want to make it sound like it's all conflict, but even within the conflict, I think that there's a lot of, um, of positivity because there, there are people who are so engaged and care so much.

Speaker D: Yeah. And I think, um, I think in outdoor recreation, even when there are, is conflict. Unlike other areas of conflict that we have in modern society, in outdoor recreation we all tend to agree on what the ground rules are. Uh, and it's usually based in science, particularly when it comes to issues of bag limits and that kind of stuff. Um, so I think that that's a, ah, that's an important factor there. But I just wanted to mention my favorite stories that I read in the Shark Tribune are the ones that are interested introducing people to new things that they might not have ever thought of before. So it's like, it's like, I think, uh, an article, uh, uh, maybe a year or so ago talking about forest bathing or land snorkeling or. I know there was an article maybe last year about some dude up in Duluth that put ice skates on a skateboard and rides around on, on a frozen lake. Um, which is, I mean, those kind of stories blow me away and really inspire me. Um, and I'm, I'm just eagerly awaiting the dead fish polo story that's going to come out once, once Travis commercializes it, um, with fake dead fish.

Speaker F: Um, but yeah, it really, it really is. I mean, it's like that's. That, um, that's the joy of the outdoors. I mean, I ran off. You've heard me say this plenty of times. I don't get to do outdoors full time. Um, I'm just a poser. But, um, whenever I do get to spend, you know, the bulk of my day day with outdoor folks, uh, my day is always better. Um, it's really a, ah. I mean, the outdoors are really a uniter. It's, it's not. Access to the outdoors is nonpartisan, you know, so it, you'll find people who may not agree on much else, but they'll agree that they should get out. They should have both have shared access to getting outside and the beauty of living in Minnesota. Um, it's that we have nature right outside Our front door. I think that's. Know, people overlook us as an outdoor community sometimes, um, because we don't have mountains, but we do have one mountain, um, technically. Uh, but I mean. I mean, I, you know, I'm sitting here in Hopkins right now, and I can step. Step foot like less than a mile that way at the confluence of four bike trails. I mean, we have. We have access to that everywhere we go. And I've noticed that Randolph, in your mini industry summits, um, the uniting factor between people from all these, you know, areas across greater Minnesota, or big Minnesota, testing that out still, um, is. Is access. Access to. Access to trails, access to recreation. I mean, that. That crowd up in Detroit Lakes was. Was fascinating because everybody, um, was united in. In, you know, building out trail alliances to make sure that people in whatever corner of the state that they, uh, they are, have access to a trail that spans their county or their region. Um, and the coolest thing that I think about recreation in Minnesota is that the desperation of. Of what people do in various areas. I mean, you have the driftless area where people, uh, go gravel riding and hiking. Um, people do completely different activities up in the forest in the Northwoods, um, and, you know, out in the prairies of Western. Most people, it's. It's totally different activities. And that's why. That's why I would imagine, Mark, that it's so fascinating to cover the outdoors is because name a state that has that, you know, varying distinction, um, in recreation across it. Every. Every area has their secret sauce of why people visit it, you know, and tourism folks who have spent plenty of time with view the outdoors and outdoor recreation as their secret sauce for why people should visit their area. Um, so it's hard not to get enthralled by that in. In the nature of all of our work, you know.

Speaker E: Yeah, I mean, it's all.

Speaker B: It's.

Speaker E: It's just that aspect of discovery, you know, and wonder. And I, um. You know, I started my career as a music journalist and, uh, and I loved discovering. I.

Speaker B: And.

Speaker E: And the thing that I loved more than anything about it was just discovering new music, new artists. And um. And I. I then was in news and politics for a little bit. Um. Um. But the. What I find in the outdoors is. Is that. Is a new version of that sense of discovery that I had in my 20s when I was writing about music, you know. And, um, and I love it. I mean, every time my reporters are filing a story with me, I can't wait to read it because I know that I'M going to read about something that I, That I maybe had never experienced or thought about. I mean, the stories that you're talking about, Randolph. I mean, it's. It's. It's actual. It's journalism that's fun to read, which is, you know, I mean, in this moment, um, the news can be difficult to read for a lot of people. Um, and I think that what we're hoping to do is, you know, while not, um. I mean, while still addressing the difficult issues, is to still entertain a sense of wonder and discovery within what we do.

Speaker D: I think, um. I think in this moment we're in too. It's a. It's a unique moment of discovery and rediscovery for the outdoors because we're seeing, uh. We're seeing a trend, particularly amongst young people, of a desire to live, um, a more analog life, um, to get off of their screens and go outdoors. And so everyone's. Everyone is. Is discovering a new actor activity. Even though we may. May know about it, but there's always someone out there that it'll be the first time they've ever heard about it or learned about it. And I think there's more people nowadays, especially young folks, that really are hungry to discover, uh, what's out there for them to participate in. So.

Speaker E: Yeah, um, and I think that one thing that we haven't talked about with Unbound really is that, um, you know, we want to appeal to the youngest, uh, you know, of the, um, of the. The. Of the crowd out there. I mean, we. We want families to come and feel that they. They have a part in this as well. Um, and it can be tough when you've got. I mean, Travis and I were just trading stories before we jumped on about, you know, our kids who are around 6, 7, and. And you know, we're trying to get them out and to get them exposed. It's difficult, you know, um, and so hopefully we can provide some guidance there as well, um, both in the. In the live event and in. In our report. Um, because that's really important as well, is to. Is to really start them young and. And get them curious and keep them discovering.

Speaker F: Yeah, we were out hiking over the weekend at Baylor park out in Carver or wherever the heck that was. I was shocked at, uh, how nice the weather was, but thankfully my children don't complain too much when I. They don't complain at all. Like Mark said, you got to start young. Um, and the beauty. The beauty of Unbound is the approachability of it where it's. We're trying to cater to enthusiasts, to, you know, novices, to anyone under the sun. Um, Lauren mentioned one of the most sought after activities after last year, I forgot to mention this earlier was the bird hike.

Speaker A: Yeah, the bird hike. Birding was seriously one of the most popular things that was offered at the event. And I think it was really cool, you know, talking about people showing up, not knowing something and leaving, being able to apply knowledge and excited about a new activity. We had, you know, people who worked internally at the Star Tribune who did that, who told us a couple weeks later they could not stop talking about how fun the bird walk was and that they were going to go birding. Um, even our event photographer, when he was done working, he went and he learned and he had a trip. He decided to, I um, think take a camping trip up north just a couple weeks later, lighter, um, and was super excited to apply multiple things that he learned from the event. So the amount of positive feedback we were getting, um, from individuals was amazing. And it was also cool. You know, we met people along the way there who were engaged in, you know, someone who was really into climbing, um, and biking. And you know, she talked to us for 20 or so minutes and you know, decided she wanted to tell everyone about the event during it, she was posting about it on her social media platform. She was talking about telling us she was going to get other people in her, um, respective organizations involved in showing up next year. So overall I think it was just really cool, um, and rewarding to see, you know, why we're convening people. You know, again it's to, to have that shared excitement and to learn together and then take that and you know, allow it to shape what we do in the outdoors.

Speaker D: Well, we are at time. I could keep going long time, but it's 11:30 and I know Travis that's busy day ahead of him. Um, so I really appreciate yalls time today to explain both the outdoor section and on Star Tribune Unbound. Um, really looking forward to May 9th. I'll be there after I've caught my bag limit.

Speaker F: Um, are you and Ray going out that morning, Randolph?

Speaker D: Probably it will go to the Mississippi. Even though you go on the Mississippi, it's not really opening day. It's open already around. Um, but, but yeah, it's good. It's really exciting. So thanks a lot you all. I appreciate it.

Speaker E: Thanks Randolph.

Speaker F: Yeah, I haven't listened to many of my personal heroes. Uh, I, ah, rattled. Hansi, Ray, Riz, whoever the heck else has been on this thing. It's uh, feels weird. Feels being a part of it. So thanks for having us.

Speaker B: What an amazing conversation, Lauren. I keep coming back to the phrase pulling outdoors out of the basement of sports. That is a real shift in how a major media organization is thinking about the natural world and Minnesotans relationship to it.

Speaker C: Right. And what really struck me is the intentionality around accessibility. Strib Unbound isn't just designed for those hardcore enthusiasts. It's designed for everyone. Learning to ride a bike, learning to start a fire, getting out on um, Worth Lake for the first time. Those low barrier entry points really matter for a growing community.

Speaker B: Yes. And the convener role is something I relate to with our own work. And I'm sure you do too. The Star Tribune is positioning itself not just as a place to read straight stories, but as a hub, as a place that brings the outdoor community together and invites new people in. And that's really a public service function, not just a media function.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker C: And I think one of the interesting things here is all about collaboration, inviting outside voices like the Dirt Bag Diaries to be a part of the event that really signals that this isn't about ownership of a community, it's about growing one and inviting more and more people to take part.

Speaker B: Yeah. And we are all about growing that community. So thank you so much to Mark, Travis and Lauren for a great conversation. And if you haven't checked out the Star Tribune's outdoor section lately, it's definitely worth a look. Keep an eye out for Strib Unbound as well.

Speaker C: Thanks for listening to Explore Minnesota more. We'll see, uh, you next time.