Ella Kringlund: Conservationist for Sherburne County

 

Conservationist, 4-H advocate, and educator of children and adults; all terms that describe Ella Kringlund in Elk River.  An early promoter of Sherburne County and their natural resources, Ella Kringlund enthusiastically worked to boost conservation.  In the midst of Women’s History Month, it seems appropriate to make record of her life and her mission in Sherburne County.

Ella Kringlund is long remembered for her work restoring the land that is today Sand Dunes State Forest.  Her memoirs record her efforts to plant a variety of pine trees in the area.  When her project began in the mid-1940s (and continuing until 1965) each season she organized a tree planting as a 4-H project.  In time, Ella Kringlund and her volunteers planted an estimate seven million trees.  Her efforts proved so successful, a Christmas tree thinning project also developed.

By conservation standards in 2000, the trees she planted may not fit the accepted norms.  Yet, her planting provided opportunity for soil regeneration; changing from the sand dunes of the 1930s to a better environment today. 

In addition to her conservation work, she headed up the 4-H in Sherburne County, actively worked with county extension offices, and worked as part of the county fair board.  Rather than simply identifying her as an early conservationist, Ella Kringlund is better known as an educator, providing new ideas for improving the local environment of Sherburne County.  Certainly worthy of note during Women’s History Month.