Archive for Bob Dunlap


Bob Dunlap has been interested in wildlife and nature his entire life. He received a bird book from his father at age 5, and subsequently birds became his passion. However, Bob's interests go beyond birds; plants, butterflies, geology, and astronomy are all within his scope of expertise. As the naturalist, Bob shares his enthusiasm for environmental issues and hopes that this will ignite a passion for nature in others. Bob manages the Biology greenhouse working with faculty and students to maintain the plant collection and support classwork. Bob is a 2008 graduate of Gustavus with majors in Environmental Studies and English. He received the Robert Moline - Cherish the Earth Award in 2008.

 

Arb Sightings 8/5/11

A hot, humid start to the beginning of the week has transitioned into slightly cooler but drier days. Whereas dew points had been in the 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit range, they are now in the more comfortable 60’s range, meaning our bodies don’t sweat as easily when the outdoor temperature is in the 80’s. After a […]

Arb Sightings 7/27/11

High temperatures in the 80’s with lower humidity levels have amounted to a week of rather comfortable weather for those of us in southern Minnesota. A couple early mornings of rain (today and last Saturday) amounted to a cumulative total of just under an inch of rain here in St. Peter, but otherwise there has […]

Arb Sightings 7/20/11

Anyone who has stepped outside in the past three days in southern Minnesota knows how intensely uncomfortable the heat indexes (heat + humidity, what it actually feels like to us) have been, although some might not realize that they are historically uncomfortable as well; yesterday, many of us in the southern half of the state […]

Arb Sightings 7/13/11

A stormy and rainy start to the week (dropping near one inch of rain in St. Peter) has given way to a midweek cool down, as today high temperatures are comfortably in the 70’s accompanied by relatively low humidity levels here in southern Minnesota. But all this is about to change as a warm front […]

Arb Sightings 7/8/11

June turned out to be quite the unsettled month. A few days of sunshine were often followed by a streak of stormy/rainy weather, with severe thunderstorms appearing throughout the entire state on several occasions. Heavy rainfall occurred around the middle of June in southern Minnesota, with around ten inches (most of which reached the Minnesota […]

Arb Sightings 5/27/11

A bit more unsettled than last week, this week has given us days of rain, sun, clouds, wind, thunderstorms, and even cold temperatures! This afternoon it is raining steadily here in St. Peter, but today’s precipitation should let up later this afternoon/evening before more returns sometime tomorrow afternoon. There is a chance of storms both […]

Arb Sightings 5/20/11

Our 5-day string of beautiful (and comfortable) mid-May weather has come to an abrupt end as steady showers blanketed southern Minnesota this morning. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for thunderstorms that will likely bring more rain to the area (remember, we never got back down below river flood stage), and we might see spotty showers through next […]

Arb Sightings 5/13/11

In recent years, seasonal transitions have seemed more abrupt than most are used to in southern Minnesota. This past week has been no exception, with temperatures rebounding from the 30’s early last week to the mid-90’s on Tuesday! This sudden swing in temperature has caused many of our trees and shrubs to nearly explode with […]

Arb Sightings 5/6/11

Most Minnesotans would agree that spring has finally sprung (albeit about one month later than we would have liked). A windy, cool, and somewhat wet beginning of the week transitioned into warmer days in the 60’s with lots of sun, allowing us to enjoy the great outdoors in t-shirts once more. This weekend looks nothing […]

Arb Sightings 4/29/11

Today we’ve been blessed here in southern Minnesota with a sunny, warm, and dry Arbor Day. The rest of the week, however, has been characterized by cool temperatures and persistent rain after the last beautiful day on Easter Sunday. Some showers are expected tomorrow morning which should clear up by early afternoon, giving way to […]