Orrock Township

Our second week of volunteering as Wildlife Interpreters at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge did not disappoint.

On our way to the Schoolhouse to pick up our gear, we saw several adults and kids along the roadside, picking up trash. We stopped and asked where they were from, and were told there were groups participating from the Girl Scouts, Brownies, and the YMCA. Thanks to all for helping to keep our community clean and looking good!

Our three hour shift gave us over 30 visitors, and some wonderful pictures. We ran into some other photographers taking advantage of the refuge wildlife, sunset,  and full moon we had that night. It’s always nice to meet other people enjoying what the refuge has to offer.

I absolutely LOVE crabapple trees in bloom. Another sure sign of Spring.

Gorgeous, aren’t they?

Now that the wildlife drive is open at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Dave and I have started our weekly stint as Roving Wildlife Interpreters.

Every Tuesday evening, you will find us volunteering at the drive, offering information and guidance to visitors taking advantage of this gorgeous seven-mile scenic drive.

Nature-lovers, and bird-watchers in particular will enjoy this free driving tour of the refuge, winding its way through the oak savanna they are attempting to preserve in the refuge.

While taking a picture of a grebe, a friendly muskrat came into frame,  giving us a two-for-one picture opportunity. Pretty cool, huh?

We love the refuge, as I’m sure you will too. Check out the Wildlife Drive just north of the intersection of County Road 4 and County Road 15 in Orrock Township.

I had to attend a meeting tonight in St. Cloud. I had my camera with, just in case I saw anything good.

We passed by this field not too far before getting to Highway 95. There were several more cranes in the field, but I liked this picture of the small group getting ready to fly. Looks like our feathered friends are getting ready to migrate for the winter.

Here is a picture that I took about 7:00 am, straight out of the camera with no retouching:

We attended our first neighborhood block party yesterday.  We met many new friends and had a great time. I wish our children were home and able to go–they would have loved it!

Knowing the people in the neighborhood is an important part of emergency preparedness. National Night Out Against Crime is coming up soon, a perfect opportunity to get to know your neighbors!

I went outside this evening after the rainstorm came through and saw a very awesome sight. There was not one, but two sets of double rainbows visible. One set was in front of our house and the other was to the side. The brightest rainbow showed all of its colors clearly. Usually I only see a part of the colors and rarely do I see the violet. Very cool!

The brightest of the four rainbows

One of the double rainbow sets.

The other was lighter and harder to see.

We were out driving and took this picture of Orrock’s Town Hall:

My son, Jared, asked to take my Nikon out to try his hand at sunset pictures. He didn’t do to badly for a beginner–this has not been altered except for being cropped for size!

This is from Sheriff Joel Brott’s April Newsletter:

May 11 – Blue Hill Township
May 18 – Becker Township
May 19 – Clear Lake Twsp
May 27 – Orrock Township
June 1 – Baldwin Township (tentative)
June 3 – Santiago Township (tentative)
June 8 – Palmer Township
June 10- Big Lake Township
June 15- Haven Township
June 22- Livonia Township

**All meetings will start one hour prior to the Township meeting.**