Our Coordinator
Ivan Bartha
Ivan graduated from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelors in Outdoor Recreation. He received his Masters of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Regional Outdoor Recreation
Becoming an Outdoors woman
Outdoor Endeavors is a huge advocate of inclusive programs and has made serving underrepresented groups a priority. One program that we believe in is the Becoming An Outdoors Woman Program run through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Women make up a significant market segment of the outdoor industry yet female specific programs tend to be far and few between. There are excellent scholarships available to females that are college students or the head of a single family household. Click on the below imag link for more information on the Minnesota BOW Program!
Winter Activities & Information
Winter is a great time to be outdoors in Minnesota! Snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, ice fishing and winter camping are all available locally or within a short drive of St. Cloud. Below are some resources that can help get you outside this winter and keep you safe!
Ice Safety - If you travel on frozen lakes in the winter, please make sure you are aware of current ice conditions and are properly prepared should you fall through. Each year, dozens of cars, ATV's and snowmobiles fall through the ice resulting in property loss, personal injuries and numerous fatalities. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has some great resources for educating yourself on common ice hazards and safety practices.
Winter activities at Riverside Park - Just across the river from Halenbeck Hall is Riverside Park. This city park offers great year round recreation activities including nordic skiing in the winter, frisbee golf, access to the Mississippi River, sledding hill and a warming shelter in the winter. It is only a short walk from campus and offers a lot of options for recreation.
Riverside Park Map & Resources
WInter activities at Quarry Park - Located on the West side of the city, Quarry Park offers a wide variety of activities including 4.3 miles of lighted nordic ski trails. The park offers lots of options for year round recreation.
Quarry Park Map & ResourcesCanoeing & Kayaking Information
The Boat US Foundation has a great video on properly fitting children with life jackets. Click HERE for the video!
Current water levels can be found on the DNR & USGS websites.
Minnesota DNR - River gauges for established canoe routes
United States Geologial Survey - River gauge for the Mississippi River at St. Cloud
Wear a life jacket! Your PFD (personal floatation device) is your first line of defense against drowning. Proper PFD selection and fit is critical. Remember that a life jacket does you no good if you don’t wear it. More information about PFD selection is in a file from the American Canoe Association.
http://www.acanet.org/PDF/lifejacketsmatter.pdf
Kids need to wear life jackets too! Proper PFD fit and selection is even more important with children since they vary so much in size. Stearns, Inc. has developed a great program for parents that teach you how to properly fit your child for a PFD. The program is called Rise To The Top and is an excellent resource.
http://www.risetothetop.org/
Most of the year, the water in Minnesota is just plain cold. Be prepared for the cold and understand the basic signs & symptoms of hypothermia. Proper preparation is key in preventing hypothermia. The American Canoe Association offers some great resources in understanding and preparing for cold water conditions.
http://www.acanet.org/safety/coldwater.lasso
The Safety Code from American Whitewater is a great resource for planning a river trip and considering the risk management involved. While much of it is designed for avid whitewater paddlers it transfers to recreational boaters equally well.
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/safety:start
