Reflections from LSP’s 2025 Summer Events Season

This past summer I had the honor to work at the Land Stewardship Project as their summer events organizer. Alongside LSP’s Membership and Communications Team, I supported the planning and execution of three incredible summer events, including:

Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Twin Cities Cookout & Potluck
Prairie Walk & Sea of Grass Book Talk

Although I could go into detail about all it took to plan each event, I would rather take some time to reflect on the experiences, lessons learned, and connections formed along the way.

Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People

**Melody Arteaga and Elizabeth Makarewicz, LSP’s membership support specialist, at the Boots & Roots event, which was held at DreamAcres near Wykoff, Minn.**

The Driftless Region is a beautiful place, and it was a blessing to get to know the lands of DreamAcres. I am so grateful to our hosts Eva Barr and Todd Juzwiak, and I would like to share a deep appreciation for the wonderful staff and member volunteers who made this event possible. Leadership was exemplified by people like Laura Schreiber, who arrived early to grill, and Sarah Wescott, who played a key role in getting supplies to and from the LSP Lewiston office.

The Saturday we held Boots and Roots was a hot day, and setup took over four hours. But the hard work of preparation was well worth it, because it was a joyful celebration of togetherness. All who attended, from Rochester to Lewiston to the Twin Cities, came together to honor the land and people over a delicious meal. My favorite part was walking Deer Creek, which circles Eva and Todd’s land.

While participation was great, many people we connected with prior to the event were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. We did learn one big lesson — avoid scheduling an event over Pride weekend!

2025 Twin Cities Cookout & Potluck

What can I say about the best potluck in the Twin Cities? Every LSP member knows the Twin Cities Cookout & Potluck is a signature event that has been bringing food and fun to families for over a decade. For me, this event was extra special because my family was in town from California, and they were able to see and learn from the amazing work happening here in Minnesota.

**Melody and Ryan Perez, shown with Melody’s parents, Violeta and Fernando Arteaga, during LSP’s Twin Cities Cookout & Potluck.**

I would like to extend special gratitude to our program speakers: Scott Elkins, LSP’s executive director, Nick Olson, an LSP Farm Beginnings organizer, Ryan Perez, COPAL’s organizing director, and Hannah Bernhardt, LSP board member and owner of Medicine Creek Farm. Speakers stressed the importance of solidarity and mutual support during this period of political attacks on the community and our values.

This year’s activities included the beloved pie raffle, square dancing, and for the first time ever, bachata. But I take special pride in the inaugural LSP online auction, which raised nearly $3,000. In the last 30 minutes, we received our most impactful bid, $850 for two tickets to the Farm Aid 40 music festival. What a thrill!

I would like to thank all the sponsors and donors who contributed to the online auction, including:

Prairie Walk & Sea of Grass Book Talk

The Prairie Walk and Talk event was a peaceful and centering experience that took place at Lac qui Parle State Park near Watson in western Minnesota. Participants were able to walk a section of true native prairie and compare it to a restored prairie. I am grateful for the expertise of Amy Rager, a naturalist with University of Minnesota Extension. During the prairie tour, Amy talked about the diversity of species on native grasslands. The walk was followed by an enriching discussion with Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty, authors of Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie. We ended our day with a delicious meal served by El Mana, a restaurant in Montevideo.

Across these three events, I witnessed the power of community spaces that bring the land and people together. And although my time at LSP comes to an end, I will cherish these past four months and continue to build with the many staff and members that I connected with along the way.

Melody Arteaga is currently the Minnesota Environmental Justice Coordinator for the Center for Earth Energy & Democracy. Details on LSP’s latest events are available via our online calendar.