The last big meeting before the 2026 Riverfest Celebration, will be held on Thursday May 7th at 5pm. If you are interested in helping, participating, volunteering or just want to come to the meeting to see whats what, you are invited to attend. Also, if you are an organization in charge of an event you are asked to please attend to give a final report. If you can’t attend the meeting please send an updated/final plan to riverfest56101@gmail.com Again, the meeting will be held next week at Ag Builders on the 7th at 5pm.
———————————————————
The Windom Community Education Spring and Summer Program Guide is now available, giving residents a full look at what’s happening in the community this season. The 2026 catalog features activities for youth, adults, and families ranging from recreation to learning opportunities throughout the summer. Check out the digital version available now by going to https://www.windom.k12.mn.us/page/community-ed Registration is already open for Community Education and City Park and Recreation programs, so organizers encourage residents to sign up early. Officials say it’s all about bringing the community together and making the most of the summer months.
———————————————————
Sorry but today is going to contain a lot of what I think is just so cool and awesome and I just feel the need to share and update everyone! Three young eagles featured on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources EagleCam are hitting a key stage of development. The eaglets, first seen on the live cam March 30, are now about five weeks old roughly halfway to fledging. At this stage, they’re growing quickly, with darker juvenile feathers replacing their early gray down and giving them a more mature look. Activity in the nest is picking up as well. The eaglets are flapping their wings more often and with greater, sometimes even lifting slightly off the nest as they build strength for flight. They’re also moving more confidently, stretching, preening, and interacting with one another. Feeding time has become more competitive, with the young birds increasingly able to tear food on their own an important step toward independence. In the coming weeks, they’re expected to begin “branching,” or venturing onto nearby limbs to practice short flights. According to the DNR, with three eaglets in the nest, survival can be more challenging, and while all may fledge, it’s not guaranteed. Wildlife officials say that’s a natural part of life in the wild. The DNR says it will continue monitoring the nest and encourages the public to follow the eaglets’ progress live online throughout the season. ANNDDD!!! For the first time in more than a century, researchers have confirmed cougar reproduction in Minnesota, captured on camera in the state’s far north. Video recorded by the Voyageurs Wolf Project shows a female cougar with three large kittens feeding on a deer south of Voyageurs National Park. The footage, later shared with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, marks the first documented evidence of wild cougar reproduction in Minnesota in over 100 years. Researchers say trail cameras have picked up lone cougars several times in recent years but never a family group like this. Project lead Thomas Gable called the discovery “surreal,” noting the team captured nearly four hours of footage showing the mother grooming her young and the kittens interacting at the kill site. Based on the video, DNR biologist John Erb estimates the kittens are between seven and nine months old, meaning they were likely born last fall. The only other confirmed cougar kittens in Minnesota were captive escapees back in 2001. Cougars were once native to Minnesota but disappeared more than a century ago. While individual animals often young males traveling from western states are occasionally spotted, this new evidence suggests the possibility of a breeding population beginning to take hold. Wildlife officials say it’s too early to know what happens next. The kittens face natural threats, but their presence could signal the early stages of a slow return for the species. The DNR reminds residents that cougars typically avoid people and are rarely seen, even in states where populations are established.
——————————————————
Happy May Day!!! This is such a fun day! May Day is a public holiday celebrated on May 1st in many different cultures around the world. It is a day of unity, togetherness, and rebirth; a day for everyone to come together and celebrate life as we know it! Delivering May Day Baskets full of Popcorn and M & M’s is an excellent way to celebrate!!!