minnesota is overlooked.

our state is home to a variety of beloved mammal species – wolves, coyotes, martens, otters, you name it. yet the northwoods doesn’t see the same level of visibility as other beloved locales. it doesn’t help that quite a few of the creatures that define our wilderness and cultural heritage are among the most misunderstood mammals that walk this planet, with very little positive rep in pop culture and animal-related media. and even then, those positive figures are difficult to access.

we seek to make engagement with the outdoors as hip as it was during the previous couple generations. in the 2010s, with the rise of portable tech like smartphones and tablets, various organizations reported a crisis, a disconnect between people, especially younger folks, and the wild, and they tried combating it. the last bout of this fight occurred in that time period, and since then, mainstream efforts to make the wild cool have sequestered within the country’s major cities if not given up altogether.

so what are these places that get more press? what are these regions that artists and filmmakers take more inspiration from when drafting wilderness stories? the appalachians, the rockies, the pacific northwest, and the sierra nevada have historically dominated this field. they’re all beautiful in their own right, but upper midwest residents take notes from these spots. they see a plethora of other wildlands that are more extreme, more instinctually breathtaking, and feel like there is no place within their home that can live up to that beauty and glory. they don’t feel incentivized to care about their home.

we’re not trying to steal the spotlight — we only hope to not only share the stage, but provide greater access to the stage.

at the same time, humans’ relationship with their outdoor neighbors has never been more bipolar. habitat loss is still just as prevalent, posing an even larger threat due to advancements in silicon valley. but the younger generations are developing fascinations with wildlife on a scale never seen before, creating animal characters to reflect different qualities of themselves and others.

we believe it’s time minnesota and the northwoods had a wildlife icon to call its own, one that’s accessible to all, one that empowers people from all walks to life to be more conscious of their actions, to form new bonds with each other and the natural world; put simply, to get out there and do it 4 wildlife.