Beginning Sunday, television stations will be setting aside time to air public service announcements celebrating the state's natural history and environmental heroes one minute at a time.

A series of 60-second spots produced for the state's 150th birthday by the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History television production unit will feature footage of such legendary outdoor places as Lake Superior and scenic icons such as the white pine and the American bald eagle.

Called the "Minnesota Minute," the 13-part series will begin airing Sunday, 150 years to the date that Minnesota became a state. The spots scheduled to air in prime time on commercial and public television stations will run through Aug. 30.

TIM HARLOW