"Turtle Island Skywatchers
Minnesota Research and Data Visualization”

Project Summary - Minnesota Research and Data Visualization project works to protect Minnesota water, wildlife, and natural resources while empowering Indigenous youth as leaders and all citizens as researchers.

Turtles are of great importance to many Indigenous traditions. Recent investigations have documented that turtles & many understudied species previously believed to be mute, communicate with diverse sounds. Paired visual and acoustic recordings are essential data collection methods to document this behavior.

Two Field Sites:

Field Site 1 - Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

Field Site 2 - Mound Springs Park, part of the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge

"Native Skywatchers - Turtle Island Skywatchers - Research grant "

Feb 2025 to Jun 2026

This is a three-fold science research-based project at the intersection of research and community.
(1) Collect images and acoustic data from turtles and their habitats, analyze the data, and explore research questions.
(2) Data visualization of Minnesota place-based animals especially related to Indigenous constellations, climate crisis, and environmental stewardship.
(3) Engage residents of Minnesota in a citizen science research-based call to action. Raw data collected by our team will be streamlined into an easy-to-participate online initiative.

Field Site 1 - Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

Field Site 2 - Mound Springs Park, part of the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Field Site 1 - Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

Field Site 2 - Mound Springs Park, part of the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Field Site 1 - Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

Field Site 2 - Mound Springs Park, part of the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge