The following pages include detail on the incredible nature adventures that are yours for the bidding at the Green Tie Affair. Auction packages include…
One week yacht adventure in the Caribbean. Relish this extraordinary, stay for six on a beautiful 90-foot yacht in the Exuma Cays near Nassau, Bahamas.
Five luxurious nights in Kauai, HI, one of the world’s most lush and lovely islands.
A trip to the “best view in Arizona,” during a four-night stay at The Nature Conservancy’s Hart Prairie Lodge.
A private cooking class with renowned chef Judi Barsness from the luxury of a private cabin on Lake Superior’s North Shore.
Fly-fishing on the scenic St. Croix River with an expert guide from Grantsburg Associates.
Dinner with Amazing Minds: Jon Foley, Director of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment; Paul Schurke, arctic explorer and educator; and Jim Brandenburg, award-winning nature photographer and the Green Tie Affair featured speaker. Addressing the question of how we improve the human-nature relationship.
An evening of fine music and fine malted beverages during a night to highlight one of our greatest local freshwater resources, the Mississippi River.
A beautiful handcrafted bench, made from a century old oak.
Your own private camp in the Bighorn Mountains at Tensleep Preserve.
A VIP guided bison experience: Custer State Park bison round-up, a private ranch tour and a good ol’ prairie-style barbeque.
GREEN TIE AFFAIR AUCTION ITEMS
Novelist James Michener referred to the Caribbean Sea as “one of the world’s most alluring bodies of water, a rare gem among the oceans, defined by the islands that form a chain of lovely jewels…”
If that speaks to you, here is the adventure of your lifetime!
Embrace that Caribbean allure during a one week stay aboard the M/Y Solstice I, a stunning 90-foot, fully crewed yacht based in Nassau, Bahamas.
You set the Agenda: Explore the Exuma Land & Sea Park (protected with help from
The Nature Conservancy): snorkel, hike, kayak, bird watch Pet the Nurse Sharks, and visit Crescent beach at Compass Cay Snorkel Thunderball Cave at Staniel Cay
Eleanor Phillips, Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Northern Caribbean Program will join you for one day to share stories and answer questions about conservation efforts in the Bahamas. Born on "Nature Island" (Dominica), Eleanor is a true product of the region. Her focus is sustainability, improving the livelihoods of residents and ensuring an eco-friendly experience for the millions of visitors that use the Caribbean as their vacation mecca.
At the end of each day, retire to one of three guest suites aboard the Solstice I, each with its own bath.
The most spectacular winter escape ever! The most beautiful water in the world.
Dates: January or February 2014 (to be arranged by buyer)
Special thanks to Kelly Hogan and the owners of the Solstice I.
Imagine, your very own 90’ yacht for six, with a crew of four, for seven days! Package includes:
Seven days aboard the Solstice I for up to six
Three state rooms with en suites Captain, First Mate, Stew, and Chef
to cater to your desires Cruising amazing water parks Touring the Exuma Cays land and
sea park Presentation by Caribbean Program
Director Center console tender Snorkeling gear and water toys
For more information: www.exumapark.org www.nature.org/caribbean
CRUISE THE EXUMAS IN YOUR OWN PRIVATE YACHT ~ CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE ~
Package includes:
Five nights at the luxurious Waipouli Beach Resort
A 45 minute helicopter ride for two over Conservancy projects
Sunsets over the Pacific Ka makani Òlu Òlu-perfect
refreshing wind A beautiful penthouse suite with
two private bedrooms
For more information: www.Canetani.org www.nature.org/hawaii
Escape to on one of the most botanically stunning islands in the world.
Unwind during a five-night Hawaiian vacation at the Waipouli Beach Resort, a luxury resort property on the island of Kauai.
During your stay, learn more about conservation projects on the island during a private, 45 minute helicopter tour for two with Conservancy staff.
The island is known for its canyons, impressive cliffs and rainforests and it also has Hawaii’s most picturesque beaches. Take a stroll along one of those dreamy beaches or put your feet up pool side. Strum a ukulele, take hula lessons, stop and smell the flowers.
Nearby markets offer fresh leis, exotic fruits, fine dining and hole-in-the-wall restaurants…and maybe that grass skirt!
For those who love day trips or more adventurous pursuits, enjoy the many trails of the island. Hike Nounou, the sleeping giant mountain. Visit the Fern Grotto, a natural lava-rock grotto lush with hanging ferns and tropical foliage.
Feeling more adventurous? Take your vacation to new heights on an exhilarating zipline tour or hang ten during a surfing lesson!
Ahhh...Aloha!
Winning bidder will select vacation dates; Christmas, New Years, Spring Break excluded.
Special thanks to Canetani Properties and Airborne Aviation.
ALOHA! BEAUTIFUL HAWAII GETAWAY AT THE
WAIPOULI BEACH RESORT, KAUAI
SOUTH DAKOTA BADLANDS & BISON ROUND-UP ADVENTURE
Kick up some dust and get in touch with your inner cowpoke as you experience one of the most popular adventures in the South Dakota Badlands. Each fall, cowboys and cowgirls drive a herd of over 1,000 bison at the annual Custer State Park Bison Round-up. – And you’ll get to experience this as a hosted VIP. Keep your cameras at the ready for elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorns and mountain lions. At the end of the day, take your boots off at the Alex Johnson Hotel, a membe and r of Historic Hotels of America
luxury boutique located in ta property he heart of downtown Rapid City. The next day, enjoy a private tour of 777 Ranch, where you’ll see one – or maybe both – of their two bison herds. Followed by a true treat of the prairie, a good ol’ BBQ. Up for more adventures? Stay longer and visit the Crazy Horse Memorial. Hike to Harney Peak, the highest point in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Or pack your running shoes and get moving in the Crazy Horse Marathon or Half Marathon on October 6th!
Head ‘em up, move ‘em out! And don’t forget your bandana!
Special thanks to our Custer State Park guides and hosts
and 777 Ranch
This western weekend includes: Two night stay for six (three
rooms) at the Alex Johnson Hotel in Rapid City, SD, a member of the Historic Hotels of America. (Third night is reserved at the hotel, but not covered in this package.)
VIP guided tour for the Custer State Park Bison Round-Up
Sunset tour of the 777 Ranch bison herd
True prairie style BBQ at the 777 Ranch
THE BEST VIEW OF ARIZONA HART PRARIE LODGE
Experience “the best view of Arizona” from Hart Prairie Lodge. Surround yourself with incredible vistas from your 8,500 feet perch on the western slope of the sacred San Francisco Peaks. Hart Prairie Lodge is on the National Register of Historic Places and from 1892 to 1901 served as the first stop on the tri-weekly stage run from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. At the Conservancy’s Hart Prairie Preserve you’ll be surrounded by thousands of acres of cool forest and meadows. Uncommon wildflowers, old-growth ponderosa pine, a rare grove of Bebb willow, elk, prairie dogs and more than 40 species of birds will be your nature-companions. Listen to the wind in the aspens, climb Fern Mountain or sing along with the birds. It’s all there in the clear mountain air. If you’re up to it, extend your vacation with a walk among the cliff dwellings and pueblos at Walnut Canyon National Monument. Or explore the Arboretum at Flagstaff in the Coconino National Forest. The Arboretum is a research and environmental education center and home to 2,500 species of plants, historic buildings and a nature trail through the Ponderosa pine forest. Special thanks to the Arizona Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
This package includes: Five days/four nights at Hart
Prairie Lodge for four. The Lodge is open mid-June to mid-October.
Meals while at the Lodge Private guided tour or nature
hike of Hart Prairie Preserve Dates: Select four days between August 29 and September 2 or Sept 12 – 15. For more information: www.nature.org/hartprairie
ST. CROIX ADVENTURE: FLY-FISHING WITH THE EXPERTS
Enjoy some of the best that summer has to offer during an expert-guided fly-fishing float on the scenic St. Croix River. A professional guide will help you hook smallmouth bass while drifting in a Mackenzie style boat on one of the most natural and pristine sections of the river, near Grantsburg, Wisconsin. The St. Croix is a designated wild and scenic river. It’s well known for great smallmouth bass fishing and some muskie action wouldn’t be surprising! Your trip will be led by Chuck Moos, former Board Chair of the Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota Chapter of The Nature Conservancy; along with an expert guide from Grantsburg Associates, an historic and private fly-fishing club located on the banks of the St. Croix. Enjoy a mid-day break for a shore lunch…and maybe a siesta? Bring your binoculars for great birding. Fly-Fishing on the St. Croix is an excellent opportunity for some quality time for two! This will be catch and release fishing.
Special thanks to Chuck Moos and Grantsburg Associates.
This package includes: A fabulous one-day fly-fishing
day trip for two Expert guide and Conservancy
host Transportation to/from
Minneapolis and Grantsburg Dates: select a day between
June 20-30 or September 9-13 Boats Fishing tackle Shore lunch Fish stories for the future
Fly-fishing experience and a fishing
license are required.
Fish fact: Bigger isn’t always better. Although they grow to only half the
size of a largemouth bass, smallmouth bass are widely considered a much
stronger fish, pound for pound.
FRESHWATER HOPS A NIGHT OF MUSIC TO HONOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Evening includes: Admission to a great venue full of great
live music $2 for 16 ounce beers Music by Absolute Grύv Celebrating and showing appreciation
for the Mississippi River – and contributing to its protection
Hopping and grooving
Enjoy an evening of fine music and fine malted beverages to highlight one of our areas most important freshwater resources, the Mississippi River.
Summit Brewing Company and local band Absolute Grύv are pairing up to honor the mighty Miss’.
Join us at the Summit Brewing Company Ratskeller and sip on pints of the brewery’s best beers. Founder and Brew master, Mark Stutrud, said this about the company, “From the beginning, Summit beer has been brewed with a healthy measure of respect for old world brewing traditions.” See for yourself by trying their Great Northern Porter…think roasted malts, coffee notes, slightly sweet, chocolaty finish, or a Summit Sa'ga IPA, named after the Norse goddess Sa'ga.
Brewing beer takes lots of good, clean water; not only for the brewing process, but to grow the wheat and barley fields that provide the base for this globally popular beverage. During the evening you will learn more about how The Nature Conservancy is working along the Mississippi River to provide clean water, whether it’s for brewing beer or for the 18 million people that rely on it for drinking water. As a highlight, enjoy the popular vibe of Absolute Grύv, a Minneapolis based band composed of guitars, bass, drums and Hammond b3 organ. Kick back to the group’s jam band style, with roots in jazz, blues and soul that makes for some unique compositions. They have gained a loyal following, near and far.
Date: May 29, 2013 Time: 6 PM to 9 PM Tickets will be sold at the Green Tie Affair
Will the evening be hopping and grooving? Yes! Wear comfortable shoes!
Special thanks to Summit Brewing Co
and Absolute Grύv.
The heart of Tensleep Preserve, on the southern edge of the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, is a twelve-mile stretch of Canyon Creek, slicing deeply through the southwestern flanks of the Bighorn Mountains. Ancient pictographs and Native American gathering sites reveal a long history between people and the land. Discover the magic of the Bighorn Mountain foothills while visiting Tensleep. Explore the local geology, look for western flowers, watch for wildlife, visit ancient pictograph sites and soak in expansive views of spectacular canyon country. The preserve's tent camp provides an opportunity to enjoy the unique and remote landscapes of majestic ponderosa pine woodlands, lush cottonwood forests nestled in the bottom of deep canyons, open meadows with expansive views and spectacular canyon overlooks. Check out the preserve’s learning center for classes. Consider extending your trip to take in other attractions such as The Washakie Museum and Cultural Center or discover the frontier spirit in Sheridan, Wyoming as you take a walking tour of Main Street, home to over 30 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. This would be a great time for a friends or family reunion!
Special thanks to the Wyoming Chapter of
The Nature Conservancy.
Package includes: Three or four nights for a up to 12 people at the Conservancy’s Tensleep Preserve Rustic Tent Camp
Dates: select your stay between May and October of 2014
Complete cooking facilities are available. Cook up a pot of beans!
Spectacular scenery, wind in the pines, wildlife, wildflowers, a step back in time
Fun fact: Ten Sleep, Wyoming got its
name from Native Americans who traveled the area. It is ten sleeps, or nights, from
their two main winter camps, one near Casper, Wyoming, and the other near Bridger, Montana. Native American pictographs near Ten Sleep
include two hand prints showing ten fingers and a tipi.
THE WESTERN RANGE WYOMING’S TENSLEEP PRESERVE TENT CAMP
CUSTOM BUILT BURR OAK BENCH
LETTER FROM THE CRAFTSMAN
I like things built from raw products, and the process of looking at an object to find something beautiful within it.
When I was approached to build a bench for the Green Tie Affair I eagerly accepted the challenge put before me; something rustic and rough but eloquent and smooth to the touch. I tried to picture what I wanted to build - a large solid oak bench with contrasting light and dark grains highlighted and natural cavities and marks telling the tale of hard life in an oak savanna on the prairie.
With a plan in place and the end result in mind I began the process of finding the beauty in the rough. All three slabs had deep gouges from the chainsaw as a result of the milling process. I wanted to keep some of this visible on all of the pieces to represent the rustic way in which the bench was formed.
At this point, I also decided to remove all of the bark to smooth the edges and integrate some refinement. This was done by hand with a draw knife. And I rounded the ends of the seat and the back as well as the arches at the ends of the rail. The most defining features of this bench are the ones that are not seen- two half-lap joints and four dovetail joints that hold everything together- No nails or screws!
The final pieces that bring everything together are the stains and finish that make this unique piece really stand out. The legs are stained with English Chestnut. The seat and back are stained Pickled Oak to bring out the lighter shades of wood but also to note the darker tones in and around the cavities. Plus three coats of clear gloss to create a smooth finish that really shines!
I hope you find as much pleasure in using this bench as I did in creating it. After all, I am a utilitarian and built it to be used.
Enjoy, Eric Hoff
HISTORY AND HIGHLIGHTS • The tree was approximately 100
years old. • 1900 Morgan Silver Dollar to
represent the “birth of the tree” • 2013 American Silver Eagle Dollar to
represent the “birth of the bench” • Fell during a wind storm in 2007 • Logs harvested in 2010 & milled
with a chainsaw • Air dried for two years • Planed & Sanded • Assembled with 1.25" dovetail
joints - no nails or screws
This unique piece has humble origins beginning on The Nature Conservancy's Pigeon Point Preserve on the Sheyenne River, located in the Sheyenne National Grasslands in Ransom county North Dakota.
LE LAC SUPERIEUR RENDEZ-VOUS & COOKING CLASS WITH CHEF JUDI BARSNESS
This package includes: A weekend at a private cabin for 8
on Lake Superior near Little Marais, MN during the summer of 2013 (October 31, 2013 deadline)
Gourmet meal for 8 prepared with your group by Chef Judi Barsness
Quick access to the state’s most scenic parks
Bon aire-fresh lake air For more information: www.chezjude.com/about/php www.nature.org/minnesota
Relax at a modern cabin on three miles of privately held and undeveloped shoreline along Lake Superior. Explore the cabin’s property on your own or visit nearby parks including Crosby Manitou State Park, Tettegouche State Park, Gooseberry Falls, or one of the many state park waysides and rivers along the shore. Bring a book, your camera and a journal to record your adventure. Rock hop along the shoreline and hunt for Minnesota’s official gemstone, the Lake Superior Agate. Star gaze and listen to the lake. Take in the fresh, bon aire. A special highlight of your trip will be a private cooking tutorial by renowned chef Judi Barsness. Learn the fine art of creating culinary delights using local ingredients by the master chef of Chez Jude Catering and Cooking School in Grand Marais, MN. Chef Barsness will provide all the necessary ingredients. Her formal training includes an internship at Alice Water’s Chez Panisse in Berkley, CA, and her menus are known for locally sourced ingredients.
A fabulous opportunity to learn from a culinary master, Judi
Barsness, while enjoying a North Shore getaway.
Winning bidder will select the dates.
Special thanks to Chef Judi Barsness and the Hlavka & Driscoll families.
Fun fact: The first French explorers approaching Lake Superior by way of the Ottawa River and Lake Huron referred to their discovery as le lac superieur. The expression means "Upper Lake," or the lake above Lake Huron. Kitchi-gummi, a Chippewa Indian translation, signifies Great-water or Great-lake.
Here’s the smart thing to do: Join some extraordinary thinkers (and doers!) for dinner and a discussion of “Our Place in Nature: How do we improve the human-nature connection?” Amazing Minds panel includes:
Paul Schurke, a present day explorer with a number of expeditions under his belt. In 1986 he co-led the first confirmed trek to the North Pole without resupply, and once more, he came back with all his digits attached! His “landmark in polar exploration” resulted in a National Geographic cover story, a TV special and a best-selling book, North to the Pole, written with Will Steger. Schurke co-founded Wilderness Inquiry and has made four additional trips to the North Pole, plus dogsled trips across Alaska and Siberia. He also founded Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge in Ely. MN. Jonathan Foley, Director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, where he is a professor and McKnight Presidential Chair in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. He also leads the institute’s Global Landscapes Initiative. Foley’s work focuses on the sustainability of our civilization and the global environment. This work has led him to be a regular advisor to large corporations, NGOs and governments around the world. Foley has won numerous awards and honors. Jim Brandenburg, one of the world’s most gifted nature photographers and filmmakers. Four of his images were selected for a collection honoring the 40 most important nature photographs of all time. Brandenburg has traveled the world for more than three decades as a photographer for National Geographic Magazine. He has been lauded not only for his magazine photos but for his critically acclaimed books, including bestseller “Chased by the Light.” Most recently, Jim has become a public advocate for the preservation of Minnesota’s prairies. Date: To be arranged for October or November evening. Coordinator will contact the buyer and panel in August. Special thanks to Anne and John Knapp, and our Amazing Minds panel, Jim Brandenburg, Jon Foley, and Paul Schurke.
AMAZING MINDS DINNER “Our Place in Nature: How do we improve the human-nature connection?”
This package includes:
Delicious dinner for eight Panel of Amazing Minds addressing a
current hot topic Stimulating and inspiring conversation
