Savage Fen Puzzle Kickstarter Open Now Through April 21
Posted: 03/26/26
If you love puzzles and learning about natural resources, you need to check out the Savage Fen Puzzle Kickstarter! Kade Gouge is a nature-lover and senior product designer at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design who recently launched a Kickstarter to fund his Puzzling Ecosystems Savage Fen Puzzle. At the heart of the project is one question: What if a puzzle could do more than entertain? What if it could help us understand the natural world through play?
The Problem:
Our ecosystems are collapsing quietly. Forests, prairies, and wetlands are fading behind warehouses and highways. Conservation is essential, but there’s another part of the story that needs telling: restoration. It’s about rebuilding relationships in nature, not just preserving what’s left.
The Savage Fen is a calcareous fen wetland located in Savage, MN, and is home to some of the rarest species in the state. However, it’s become endangered due to the introduction of invasive species and human activity.
In this puzzle, your mission is to restore the Savage Fen.
The Puzzle:
The Savage Fen Puzzle is not just a fun game, but a learning opportunity. Users will learn as they play, by identifying native and invasive species, eliminating the invasive species with a special puzzle piece, and rewilding the fen with native plant puzzle pieces. Adjusting the puzzle pieces with the correct actions will reveal what the fen looks like in its natural glory. This unique component makes the puzzle a wonderful education and outreach opportunity for gamers of all ages.
How to Get Involved:
To make the Savage Fen puzzle a reality, Kade's Kickstarter needs support to go from concept to first production run. Running through April 21, 2026 (11am), the project needs to raise $5,000 to become a reality. Just a few days in, the traction is there - but we need our partners to get involved and check out this great design project. Learn more about the puzzle and how to get involved at: Puzzling Ecosystems: The Savage Fen by Kade Gouge — Kickstarter. We can't wait to see these puzzles in real life!
