A new story in the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer Magazine:

In the summer of 2012, Devin Brown flew to Minneapolis to help remodel the Apple Store in the Southdale Mall. Brown was a “visual specialist” from the Grand Central store in Manhattan—a coveted position, occupied by just a handful of people across the country. 

Below her as she flew in was a ribbon of water that wound through the city and would soon wind through her life: the Mississippi River.

When Brown landed, her great-aunt Gwen Leeds, who had moved to Minnesota in the 1980s, picked her up. A few days later, Brown drove to work in Edina. On the way she stopped at Lake Harriet, rented a kayak, paddled around, then headed to Southdale. 

“What I loved about Minnesota was how you could leave work, hop on a lake, then get home in time for dinner,” Brown says. “On the East Coast, you’re in traffic for forever to get outdoors.”

Brown’s aunt also took her to Nicollet Island, where they stood under the Hennepin Avenue bridge watching the Aquatennial fireworks. As impressive as the sky was that night, it was the river that made a deeper impression.

“I remember how calming, but also exciting and powerful, the energy that came off the river was,” she says. “It was compelling. I was intrigued. I wanted to learn more about it.”

Read the rest here.