John Weiss

John Weiss

John Weiss was a full-time reporter for the Rochester Post-Bulletin for 41 years and wrote the Back Roads column for more than 10 years. His passions include hunting, fishing, birding, nature photography, hiking and just kicking around.

Author's Archive

Kelli Pierce, Activities Director at Thrifty Threads in Preston, helps Mikki hang donated clothing on the sale rack. (Photo by John Weiss)

Thrifty Threads Serves Those with Special Needs and the Community

John Weiss goes thrifting in Preston at store with special needs workers.

Sandhill Cranes along the Root River near Whalan. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

Winter Thaw

Renee Bergstrom and John Weiss capture the changing season.

Natalie Vogel-Gabor, 5, of Winona, gets help from Dave Potts of Chaska, who volunteered to help teach youths to ice fish; this gathering in January was in recognition of the 100-year anniversary of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. (Photos by John Weiss unless otherwise stated)

Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge Turns 100

John Weiss attends a youth ice fishing event, the inaugural event celebrating the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge 100th anniversary.

Canfield Creek, a small trout stream in Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, joins the South Branch Root River. Are neonicotinoids killing invertebrates, the canary in the coalmine for stream health? (Photos by John Weiss)

Healthy Stream, Healthy Trout

John Weiss monitors stream health along the Root and other nearby rivers.

Reggie McLeod stands on an overlook along the Mississippi River in Winona. His Big River Magazine covers 400 miles of river from the Twin Cities to the Quad Cities. (All photos by John Weiss)

For Love of the Big River

John Weiss visits with Big River Magazine editor/publisher Reggie McLeod who was inducted into the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium Hall of Fame.

Jeremy Pederson looks for baked goods to buy at the 2023 Christ Lutheran Church Craft Fair & Bake Sale in Preston. (Photos by John Weiss)

Holiday Craft Fairs and Bake Sales Build Community

John Weiss experiences a sense of community during a visit to the Christ Lutheran Church holiday craft fair and bake sale in Preston.

Grand Champion honey at the Fillmore County Fair. (All photos by Renee Bergstrom)

Swan Lake — Thousands of Tundra Swans Migrate Each Autumn

John Weiss takes readers on a journey to visit the Tundra Swans near Brownsville.

Lee Whipkey of Rushford releases a wooden arrow when practicing at an archery range in Houston. (Photos by John Weiss)

Wood-bow Hunting Challenges a Hunter’s Skills

John Weiss visits with a Rushford-area wood-bow hunter about preparations for deer season.

Reid Wintersteen, accompanied by his nine-month old son Clayton, helps with river cleanup on the Root River near Lanesboro. His wife Laura picks up trash nearby. (Photo by John Weiss)

Root River Cleanup Has Become an Annual Tradition

John Weiss joins river enthusiasts as they cleanup the Root River.

From Mound Prairie, you can see a landscape of fields and bluffs many miles away. (Photos by John Weiss)

Mound Prairie is a Refuge for Rare Native Plants

John Weiss visits a Scientific and Natural Area “goat prairie” in Houston County.

There is a traffic jam of people enjoying the water at the confluence of the north and south branches of the Root River east of Lanesboro. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

Seasonal Photos

John Weiss and Renee Bergstrom capture summer fun along the Root River and trail.

People with special needs, state conservation officers and others, line the fishing pier at the pond in Sylvan Park in Lanesboro in June. (Photo by John Weiss)

Special Needs + Fishing = Fun

John Weiss met up with special needs people at an annual DNR fishing event in Lanesboro.

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