Download a photo of Bret Amundson scuba diving.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — Scuba diving into northern Minnesota’s mine pit lakes, growing and eating insects, and backyard pocket prairie kits are coming up on Prairie Sportsman. “Diving Deep and Eating Insects” will air on Pioneer PBS Sunday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. For air dates and times on other Minnesota PBS stations, visit prairiesportsman.org.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, international travel is being replaced by local road trips, and scuba diving in Minnesota’s abandoned mine pit lakes is increasingly popular. Todd Matthies, owner of Minnesota School of Diving in Brainerd and St. Cloud, leads weekly summer dives in the Cuyuna and Mesabi Ranges to explore relics like mine shafts, railroad rails and automobiles. At some pits, people plant items like skeleton bar keepers, sailors and even the Friday the 13th movie icon Jason Voorhees. Like Matthies, underwater photographer Curtis Lahr favors exploring natural relics and aquatic life over planted objects. Lahr dives year-round in northern Minnesota and the Great Lakes, which are popular for shipwreck tours.
Then, “Insect Cuisine” explores raising crickets and mealworms and using them in a variety of foods. Chad and Claire Simon started raising crickets in their basement and now manage a 3,500-square-foot facility in St. Louis Park that holds 5 million crickets. The 3 Cricketeers owners roast crickets to make snacks and powder, which Chef Gustavo Romero adds to tortillas at Nixta Tortilleria in Minneapolis. Kiah Brasch, a middle school science teacher, forages for grasshoppers and raises mealworms to educate her students on the environmental and health benefits of insect cuisine that is enjoyed by 80 percent of the world’s cultures.
The final segment, “My Pocket Prairie,” features a kit designed by Minnesota Native Landscapes. The prairie kit includes everything a homeowner needs to install a 5-by-5-foot backyard garden, including edging, stakes, a weed mat stenciled with plant locations and 27 native plants.
About Prairie Sportsman
Prairie Sportsman celebrates our love of the outdoors to hunt, fish and recreate, provided by our vast resources of lakes, rivers, trails and grasslands, and to promote environmental stewardship.
Prairie Sportsman’s team includes Cindy Dorn, producer/writer; Bret Amundson, host/editor; and Dylan Curfman, editor/videographer. The 2021 season is made possible by funding from SafeBasements of Minnesota, Live Wide Open, Western Minnesota Prairie Waters and members of Pioneer PBS.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966, Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit www.pioneer.org.
