Today: Ryan Barth, outdoors education supervisor at Three Rivers Park District's Baker Near-Wilderness Settlement in Maple Plain. The settlement is the site for a range of outdoors educational opportunities, with camps and programming on areas from firearm safety to pond study to paddling instruction, and more.

Reading

I am rereading the novel "Hatchet." I love the survival story, and it connects with the programming I do at Baker Park Reserve. I am most proud of the conservation education summer camps (firearms safety camps). We run weeklong summer camps that teach young people firearms safety along with traditional summer camp activities (swimming, campfires, canoeing, rock climbing and more). These camps have been very popular. We have certified almost 2,000 kids in firearms safety in the past 12 years.

Following

I love "The Wandering Naturalist" podcast produced by the parks district. I also follow the Modern Carnivore website, which focuses on hunting, fishing and foraging for sustainable food. Also, Modern Carnivore is actively getting new adults into hunting and fishing.

I am on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' R3 (recruitment, retention and reactivation) committee, working to increase hunting and fishing in Minnesota. I am passionate about helping kids and adults get into hunting and fishing (my main interests).

Watching

I am watching "MeatEater," an outdoors hunting show on Netflix. Also, I love the deer-hunting show "Chasing November." I like "MeatEater" because it gets into the use of the game and focuses on the toughness and adventure of the hunt. Too many shows show the shooting of game — I want more. I want to see the adventure and drama of the story.

Listening

To "The Wandering Naturalist," hosted by naturalist Brandon Baker and biologist Angela Grill. I was just a guest to talk about deer hunting, mentoring and R3 efforts.

Doing

I am preparing for the 10th annual youth-mentored deer hunt in the parks district. We have 10 children and 10 mentors hunting Lake Rebecca Park. We also have eight adult on-set hunters. This hunt is a highlight of my year. We choose kids that don't have a place or person to hunt with. It allows the kids to have a great first hunting experience.

Also, my 14-year-old son is in competitive shooting (air rifle and .22 caliber). He will head to Colorado Springs (home of the Olympic Training Center) to shoot in the Winter Airgun Championships. The event also is the first round of the Olympic trials and happens the first week of December. He and his team (Minnesota Centershots) have been shooting very well and traveling around the country to compete. I am the president of Minnesota Centershots.

Our family (three kids and a wonderful wife, Lauri) lives the outdoors. We hunt, fish, kayak, hike and camp. When I am at work I teach about hunting, fishing and the outdoors. When I am at home, I go hunting, fishing or into the outdoors.