Hosted by Chuck Lura, a biology professor at Dakota College in Bottineau. Chuck has a broad knowledge of “Natural North Dakota” and loves sharing that knowledge with others. Since 2005, he has written a weekly column, “Naturalist at Large,” for the Lake Metigoshe Mirror. His columns also appear under “The Naturalist” in several other weekly newspapers across North Dakota. Natural North Dakota is supported by NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center and Dakota College at Bottineau, a ...
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Weekly podcasts about farming.
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North Dakota After Dark discusses hockey (both inside and outside of North Dakota) with a focus on a parent's perspective of things. All our hosts have kids playing hockey at various levels and will do their best to emulate the late-night hockey conversations that are ubiquitous at hockey tournaments.
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Unexpected Surprises - A Podcast of the Western North Dakota Synod
Bishop Craig Schweitzer - WND Synod - ELCA
Unexpected Surprises is a podcast of the Western North Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Through this podcast, we explore all that God is doing through people of faith on the prairies of North Dakota.
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Are you wishing the days were longer? If so, your wish will be answered. For people that live in the northern hemisphere, the shortest day of the year — the winter solstice — falls on Saturday, December 21, this year. The days will then begin to lengthen until the summer solstice in June.Por Chuck Lura
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There are not very many plant families that have milky sap. Milkweeds certainly come to mind, as well as some members of the aster family such as the dandelion and western salsify. The spurge family also produces milky sap and includes a few species native to North Dakota and some other noteworthy species.…
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Have you been seeing more deer and road kills as you travel about over the last month or so? Most people probably attribute the visibility and accidents to the rut or deer’s breeding season. But there are several other factors that are also involved with the increase in deer visibility and accidents this time of year.…
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The Geminids Meteor Shower is coming up soon, as is the Ursids Meteor Shower. Although we are coming up on a full moon on December 15, which will interfere with visibility of some of the weaker meteors, these meteor showers are still worth checking out.Por Chuck Lura
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“Gobble, Gobble!” Thanksgiving is coming up next Thursday. The turkey, of course, will be center stage as Americans dive into this annual gustatory feast.Por Chuck Lura
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I was perusing through Theodore Roosevelt’s book “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail” (1888) recently, and ran across his description of burning coal veins. He wrote that the burning coal veins were one of the more interesting features of the badlands.Por Chuck Lura
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CBS Sunday Morning aired a story a couple weeks ago on people searching out larch trees in the western mountains during the fall to observe their golden colored needles. Although there are no larch native to North Dakota, an introduced species is grown as an ornamental in the state.Por Chuck Lura
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I recently noticed some rose bushes loaded with rose hips. Most people think of rose flowers as adding beauty to the summer months. But the rose hips add interesting color to the fall and winter landscape. Seeing all those rose hips made me think that it is time to brew up a batch of rose hip tea.Por Chuck Lura
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I recently saw an advertisement for spider web decorations for Halloween. Although real spider webs are common and easily observed, we largely ignore them unless one is located in a prominent position in or near our homes, in which case they are often promptly removed.Por Chuck Lura
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When it comes to the sounds of plants, wind through the conifers and the quaking of aspen leaves are often mentioned. But I suspect that for many North Dakotans, the rustling of cottonwood leaves are even more iconic and may evoke some vivid memories.Por Chuck Lura
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No doubt many North Dakotans hear a loud, gurgling call emanating from overhead during spring or fall, and look skyward in search of the source. After a bit of searching, you finally identify the source as a flock of large birds, way up there! If the flock is lower, long legs might be visible sticking out behind them. Ahh, the call of sandhill cran…
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Many newspapers and other media will run stories about the leaves turning color on the trees before falling. Many of these news items will explain how chlorophyll breaks down, and the other colors (pigments) that were there all along become visible. They may compare the color change to “removing the chlorophyll mask” from the leaves.…
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If you are up for a little stargazing, now might be a good time to do so. There is a new moon coming up on October 2, so with the relatively warm temperatures and clear skies, conditions could be quite good. Plus, the Orionids meteor shower is about to begin.Por Chuck Lura
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It’s that time of year! The fall equinox occurs this year on Sunday, September 22. At precisely 7:43am CT, the sun will be directly over the equator.Por Chuck Lura
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For many, be they native North Dakotans, transplants, or those just passing through, it often takes some time to warm to the wide-open spaces of the North Dakota landscape. Although there is a lot of cropland, I suspect that for many people, the wide-open expanses of prairie are a large part of what calls people to love and appreciation of the land…
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Sharp-tailed grouse season opens up on September 14. To quote Morris Johnson and Joseph Knue from their Feathers from the Prairie (1989), “no other upland bird has been in the state so long or in such numbers.”Por Chuck Lura
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September is upon us! As you have probably noticed, the days are getting shorter and cooler. The birds have started migrating, and the fall foliage will soon start to come out.Por Chuck Lura
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Are you seeing yellow? As you look out on the North Dakota landscape this time of year, it seems that there are yellow flowers everywhere. It is the color of the season!Por Chuck Lura
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Much of central and eastern North Dakota is pothole country. As you look out at all those sloughs, it appears that the vast majority of them are dominated by cattails. Those sloughs have been changing more than most people realize.Por Chuck Lura
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The WND Synod at the ELCA National Youth Gathering
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In this episode, Bishop Craig is joined by several adult leaders from across the synod who led groups of youth, young adults, and adult leaders to the recent National Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They share the joys and challenges of leading a group to a gathering like this that brings together thousands of people …
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When traveling across North Dakota and looking out at the rangeland, some people see just a bunch of grass. However, it is much more than that! An important step in understanding the ecology of our rangelands is to have a working knowledge of what range ecologists call ecological sites and their associated ecological site descriptions.…
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Bishop was invited to be part of a group to travel to the Holy Land in June 2024. He offers this reflection as he continues to process all he experienced during the pilgrimage visit to our companion church, the Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Bishop Craig also wrote a blog about this reflection. You can find that here - https://bishopc…
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Summer FOMO with Jamie Sperle
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Local golf coach and all-around cool guy, Jamie Sperle, joins the show to talk about coaching philosophy and the fear of missing out with regards to summer hockey training.Por Pulltab Sports
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Corey, Kelly, and Kyle welcome former UND women's hockey team member and current high school coach Margot Miller to discuss youth hockey in Michigan, playing at Shattuck Saint.Mary’s, college hockey, and the state of girl's hockey in North Dakota.Por Pulltab Sports
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Episode 10
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Kyle, Kelly, and Corey met with Marc Hoe to discuss youth hockey in Dickenson, ND, and Marc's current experiences as a youth coach in Winnipeg, Manitoba.Por Pulltab Sports
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Episode 9
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Corey, Kyle, and Kelly host local restauranteur, entrepreneur, cool guy, and dance dad, Jonathan Holth, to talk about his experience as a dance dad and his early days playing hockey in Minot.Por Pulltab Sports
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Episode 8
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Kyle, Corey, and Kelly talk to Andrea Reynolds about having a son graduate from youth hockey and head to juniors. Plus, the episode has all the moms you could want!Por Pulltab Sports
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Episode 7
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Corey, Kelly, and Kyle discuss a lot of nonsense (awful beers, swag, etc.) and then go through decisions parents will make for fear of missing out. They close the show with more nonsense.Por Pulltab Sports
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Episode 6
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Corey, Kelly, and Kyle welcome Erik Fabian to the show and discuss the evolution of North Dakota hockey as well as his thoughts on coaching.Por Pulltab Sports
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Kyle, Kelly, and Cory try their luck at some hockey trivia, talk about Mom Island, and discuss the weekend evolution of hockey mom outfits.Por Pulltab Sports
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Episode 4
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Kyle, Kelly, and Corey talk to Coach Matt Moreland about the state of high school hockey in North Dakota, the perception of those players, and the pros and cons of leaving home early for hockey.Por Pulltab Sports
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Episode 3
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Kyle, Kelly, and Corey discuss the NHL draft; the perception of North Dakota hockey players, coaches, and parents; road trip hotel date and chirps.Por Pulltab Sports
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In this episode of North Dakota After Dark, hosts Kyle, Kelly, and Corey talk to Francois Lemay from Northern Elite Goaltending about goalies, goalie parents and North Korea.Por Pulltab Sports
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In this episode of North Dakota After Dark, hosts Kyle Kosior, Kelly Moreland, and Corey Irion talk NHL playoffs, ugly hockey players, and the proper evening etiquette for a youth hockey weekend.Por Pulltab Sports
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Pr. Russ' story begins in Tennessee and wanders around Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas before bringing him to the prairies of North Dakota. In this episode, Pr. Russ shares a bit of his story and his gratitude for his unexpected encounters with the people and places of the Western North Dakota Synod. Trinity Lutheran Church, Turtle Lake, ND…
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Bishop Craig is joined by Deacon Beth Anderson on this episode. They explore Deacon Beth's vocational journey before her time serving on the Western North Dakota Synod staff and the next places God is calling her in service to the church beyond the synod staff. Enjoy! Centered Growth Coaching & Spiritual Direction…
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2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly Voting Members
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The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly was held on August 8-12, 2022 in Columbus, OH. There were 13 voting members from our synod participating. We have a chance to hear from several of them in this episode of Unexpected Surprises. The WND Synod Voting members were Vickie Benzmiller from Augustana Lutheran in Underwood; Rosa Berg from Christ Lutheran in…
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Anne & Willie Langdji, Global Mission Regional Representatives in West Africa for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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Anne & Willie Langdji join Bishop Craig in this episode. Anne and Willie have served a variety of countries in West Africa for many years. They continue to be one of the central points of contact for the ministry we share with our global companion synod in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic. The Langdjis share with us t…
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Bishop Craig is joined by the Rev. Randy Emgarten on this episode of Unexpected Surprises. Pr. Randy serves as pastor of St. Olaf and Our Savior's Lutheran Churches in the central region of our synod. He shares his deep love for the people and holy place of the North Dakota prairie that God has called him to serve for more than two decades. Find ou…
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In this episode of Unexpected Surprises, Bishop Craig and Deacon Terri Endres discuss Portico and the many ways it serves the leaders of our church, her journey toward ordained ministry in the church from a vocation in medicine, her love of all things Green Bay Packers, and a few of the things she has heard recently that give hope for the future of…
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Pr. Dave Myers joins Bishop Craig for this episode of Unexpected Surprises. Pr. Dave is a retired Air Force serviceman and recently ordained into the ministry of word and sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He serves as Associate Pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Minot, ND. Unexpected Surprises is made possible through a mis…
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Bishop Craig is joined by the Rev. Dawn Busch on this episode of Unexpected Surprises. Pr. Dawn serves as pastor of Belfield Lutheran Church, Medora Lutheran Church, and Daglum Lutheran Church on the western edge of our synod. She shares her unique and unexpected journey to ordained ministry, her love of Biblical languages, and the spirit of the co…
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The Rev. Keith Pearson serves as Regional Representative for the ELCA Foundation. This episode is from the May WND Synod "Lunch & Learn Zoominar" where Pr. Keith shared a bit of his story with us as well as many insights available to our synod through the ELCA Foundation including endowments, gift policies, and planned giving ideas. You can find Pr…
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In the maiden voyage of Unexpected Surprises, Bishop Craig is joined by Pr. Jon Halvorson, Executive Director of Metigoshe Ministries. Pr. Jon shares part of his story growing up in many places around our country, his discernment toward seminary and ordained ministry in the ELCA following a time in the Peace Corps serving in Nicaragua, and a few of…
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Matt and Andrew dive into the preparation before spring planting season.
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