Minnesota DNR 2008 Roundtable
The Minnesota DNR hosts an annual Roundtable Meeting to convene individuals and organizations interested in Minnesota's fisheries, wildlife and ecological resources. The overall purpose of this two-day meeting is to learn about and discuss important resource issues with each other and the DNR. Important outcomes for the Roundtable Meetings include individual and collective learning, strengthened relationships, insights about important resource issues and identification of effective strategies and actions to address important resource issues. These shared outcomes contribute to Minnesota's record of exceptional conservation management based on intelligent and thoughtful stakeholder participation.
The first Roundtable was held in 1991 for fisheries stakeholders. Due to the benefits of meeting on an annual basis with many fisheries interests, the Roundtable was expanded to include wildlife and ecological resource stakeholders. In recent years, the Roundtable has featured guest speakers addressing issues common to all three interests while providing opportunities in concurrent sessions to address more specific issues and topics. The agendas for each Roundtable are designed to examine emerging interests and issues towards better long-term management of fisheries, wildlife, and ecological resources.
Why Bioenergy?
Why focus on bioenergy? Bioenergy has the potential to change what we see (in terms of plants, animals and relationships) on Minnesota's landscape. Bioenergy will stimulate the growing of different agricultural and forest crops in different places on the landscape. It is an important issue to explore with DNR Fisheries, Wildlife and Ecological Resources stakeholders, who are citizens particularly attuned to changes in native plants, animals and ecosystems and who are concerned about sustainable wild populations.
Agenda
Roundtable Presentations
Overview Of Bioenergy In Minnesota (Shalini Gupta • Izaak Walton League & NextGen Board) 
Agriculture-Based Bioenergy (Jim Kleinschmit • Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy)
Opportunities For Forest-Based Bioenergy (Jim Bowyer • Bowyer & Associates)
Statewide Conservation Plan's Approach To Bioenergy (David Mulla • University of Minnesota)
Woody Biomass Guidelines - State-Of-The-Art Thinking (David Zumeta • Minnesota Forest Resources Council)
Bioenergy & The University Of Minnesota (Robert Elde • University of Minnesota)
Walk-In Access (Bill Penning • Minnesota DNR)
RIM Clean Energy Project (Greg Larson • Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources)
State-Sponsored Prairie Bioenergy Projects Mark Lindquist • Minnesota DNR
Minnesota's State of Conservation Mark Holsten • Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Media Coverage
DNR Roundtable fueled by fuel talk (Mankato Free Press) 
'Walk-in' hunting program would be costly, DNR says (Minneapolis StarTribune)
Talk's cheap without real action (Minneapolis StarTribune)
DNR to meet with hunting, fishing and conservation groups (Minnesota Public Radio)
Alternative energy plans a boost to wildlife habitat (Minnesota Public Radio)
Expert says biofuels can harm landscape (Rochester Post-Bulletin)
Area man calls for study on effect of ethanol plants (Rochester Post-Bulletin)
Energy expert says there are ways to replace fossil fuels (Rochester Post-Bulletin)
DNR's role in bioenergy is little known (Rochester Post-Bulletin)
They come from near and far to discuss the outdoors' future (St. Cloud Times)
Additional roundtable information will be added to this page as it becomes available
