Minna Anthony Common was born in 1882 in Watertown, NY. From the beginning, she was different from her peers. Her mother died within a month of her birth and grief-ridden, her father left, never to return again. Raised by her grandmother in Watertown, she was denied the opportunity to use her full-tuition scholarship to St. Lawrence University and pursue her dreams. Despite all odds, she persevered to become a botanist, a nationally respected bird watcher, a New York Times author, a nature education advocate, and a literal blazer of trails. Today, the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center at Wellesley Island State Park serves as a reminder of her accomplishments.

Blazing A Trail: The Minna Anthony Common Story (Pocket Jennifer Publishing, August 2019) is a narrative non-fiction book that recognizes a north country woman whose vast contributions to nature education and botany have been virtually unexplored.