August 2015
Applications are being
accepted for the first Minnesota River Congress action board. It will govern the
group being organized to coordinate and promote work to improve natural and
economic resources in the 15,000-square-mile river basin covering much of
southwestern Minnesota.
About 70 people attending the
fourth Congress meeting July 23 approved the organization structure,
application form, and purpose
statements, and affirmed the process under way for not-for-profit, tax-exempt
status. About ten organizations set up display tables for the ‘networking fair’
preceding the Congress meeting.
State officials attending
the Congress in New Ulm expressed support: Reps. Paul Torkelson and Clark
Johnson, DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr, and DNR southern region manager Dennis
Frederickson. “The Minnesota River basin needs a voice in the legislative
process,” says Rep. Johnson. “This Congress is a major step in that process.”
The action board would be
composed of one representative from each of the basin’s 13 watersheds, 14
people from sectors including business, agriculture, recreation, and local
government, and six state agency staff. The one-page application form asks for
watershed residence and sector, and a brief statement of interest and qualifications.
The first ‘official’ reference to the Minnesota River Congress appears in proposed legislation for the creation of a new Minnesota River Commission. A bill (SF 2204) was introduced this year in the Senate, which mentions the Congress in a citizen advisory role. The Congress voted to table endorsement of the bill until the next Congress meeting tentatively scheduled for Nov. 12.
Congress promoters believe
there is a need for a basin-wide organization following the dissolution of the
former Minnesota River Board. Action board application forms are available by
contacting Scott Sparlin, sesparlin@gmail.com. More information about the Minnesota River Congress is available at: www.watershedalliance.blogspot.com/. Photo: Rep. Clark Johnson addresses the July 23 Congress; Rep. Paul Torkelson is seated at right.
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Members of the Legislative Water Commission visited the St. Cloud area Aug. 18 to see the improvements that led to an Agricultural Water Quality Certification for the Dean Klaverkamp dairy farm south of St. Augusta. Previously, manure and sediment from the 200-cow farm affected nearby Johnson Creek.
Working with the Stearns SWCD, the Klaverkamps installed a manure stacking slab, slurry store, concrete settling basin, and vegetated treatment area. A stream crossing and fencing keep cows from entering the stream, which is bordered by a vegetated buffer. "There really was no downside to it (certification)," says Dean, "because we already were doing most of the work."
The Legislative Water Commission was created by the 2014 legislature (Chap. 312, Sec. 3) to "review water policy reports and recommendations of the Environmental Quality Board, the Board of Water and Soil Resources, the Pollution Control Agency, the Department of Natural Resources, the Metropolitan Council, and other water-related reports as may be required by law or the legislature." Current members are: Sen. Bev Scalze, Co-Chair; Rep. Paul Torkelson, Co-Chair; Sen. Roger Chamberlain; Rep. David Bly; Sen. Gary Dahms; Rep. Matt Dean; Sen. Carrie Ruud; Rep. Peter Fischer; Sen. Matt Schmit; Rep. Rod Hamilton; Sen. Charles Wiger; and Rep. Clark Johnson. Other stops on the Aug. 18 tour included the St. Cloud wastewater treatment plant, Golden Plump, and a Discovery Farm near Sauk Centre.
Photo (L-R): Mark Lefebvre, Stearns SWCD; Marcie Weinandt, MDA; Dean Klaverkamp; Dennis Fuchs, Stearns SWCD.
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This fall Paddle
Forward will be paddling the entire length of the Minnesota River between
Sept.1 and Oct.12. Friends of the Minnesota Valley is partnering with
Wild River Academy/Paddle Forward to get as many people as possible on the
Minnesota River to share the Paddle Forward experience for a day. You can
bring your own canoe or kayak or register for a seat in one of our watercraft. Register online. Seating is limited. For more information please contact Ted L. Suss
at tedlsuss@gmail.com. See the Paddle Forward website for the Minnesota River schedule. Anyone can follow the Paddle Forward adventure on Facebook, and they offer a special curriculum resource for teachers. Donations are welcome to help support Paddle Forward programs. Photo: Paddle Forward website.
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Water/Ways, a new exhibition and community engagement tool from the Smithsonian’s Museum
on Main Street (MoMS) initiative in partnership
with the Minnesota Humanities Center, will be touring Minnesota
communities in 2016-2017.
The initiative is designed to reconnect Minnesotans to our water and the need to become more
actively involved in its protection by using, in addition to science, the tools
of story, history, faith, ethics, and the arts. Minnesota is one of only five states
chosen by the Smithsonian to pilot this new traveling exhibit. Six
greater Minnesota communities will explore the meaning of water – by telling
their local water stories and collectively envisioning their water future.
The first exhibit will be June 25-Aug. 5, 2016 at Prairie Woods Environmental
Learning Center in Kandiyohi County. Partners so far inlcude: MPCA, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kandiyohi County (AIS &
SWCD), Shakopee Creek Headwaters Project, Chippewa River Watershed Project, Middle Fork
Crow River Watershed District, City of Spicer, City of New London, New London-Spicer Schools, DNR, New London Area Arts Alliance, Crow River Organization of Water, and Kandiyohi County Historical
Society.
The remaining sites are: Aug. 13-Sept. 25, 2016: St. Peter (Nicollet County) Nicollet County Historical Society. Oct. 1-Nov. 13, 2016: Red Wing (Goodhue County) Goodhue County Historical Society. Nov. 19, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017: Sandstone/Pine City (Pine County) Audubon Center of the North Woods. Jan. 7-Feb. 19, 2017: Lanesboro (Fillmore County) Lanesboro Arts. Feb. 25-Apr. 9, 2017: Detroit Lakes (Becker County) Becker County Historical Society.
Host
communities will also create media projects to facilitate community-wide
conversations and develop high-profile programs, events, and stewardship
projects about water and its value to the community and the state. The support
and dedication of Water/Ways key
partners—Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Historical
Society—will frame and continue the discussion and community involvement around
water long after Water/Ways has
visited Minnesota. For
more information and exhibit host sites, tour dates, and community activities
visit mnhum.org/waterways. Photo: Minnesota Humanities Center website.
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Cathee
Pullman is the new Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) State Conservationist in Minnesota. Former State Conservationist
Don Baloun retired in January. Most recently, she served as the Acting State Conservationist for Maine NRCS. As the Minnesota State Conservationist, Pullman looks forward to establishing relationships with SWCDs, conservation partners, private landowners and organizations as well as facilitating technical support to field office staffs and providing technical and financial assistance to landowners and operators in Minnesota.
Pullman began her career
with the United States Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation
Service in 1987. Previously she has worked in Oklahoma, Colorado, Iowa, Georgia,
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, the National Headquarters Office. Pullman has served at all levels of the agency and in multiple
capacities including Soil Conservationist, District Conservationist, Resource
Conservation and Development Coordinator, Assistant State Conservationist for
Field Operations, Area Conservationist, State Administrative Officer,
Management Analyst and State Resource Conservationist. Pullman is a native of Illinois.
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Farming and conservation representatives
from 20 states, Washington D.C., and one Canadian province visited five farms
in southeast Minnesota Aug. 12 as part of a tour organized by the Conservation
Technology Information Center. The tour highlighted successful projects and
partnerships in conservation agriculture.
During the expo and lunch stop
at the Dave Legvold farm outside Northfield, MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine
spoke on how his agency can be an effective partner with farmers.
The extensive water quality
data being collected by the MPCA – thanks to Legacy Amendment money – means the
agency can work with farmers and landowners to detect and diagnose problems.
“Like a patient going to
the Mayo Clinic for testing and treatment, we hope that our water quality
assessments will help develop a diagnosis for our waters that don’t meet
standards,” Stine said.
Generally, Minnesota needs to
reduce levels of nutrients, sediment and bacteria in a majority of akes and
streams. The MPCA wants to work with landowners and regulated parties to make
choices and plan the state’s future with water quality in mind, he said.
“We know what it takes to have
productive soil and water quality,” the commissioner said. “It’s no mystery. It
takes soil stability. It takes nutrient reduction. It takes water retention. It
takes all of us working together.”
Photo above: Farmer
Dave Legvold, at left, receives congratulations from MPCA Commissioner John
Linc Stine on being the newest recipient of the Minnesota Ag Water Quality
Certification, a voluntary program for adopting practices that help water
quality. See more of how Legvold farms in this MPCA story and program: On-farm research: Results that
count for profits, water quality.
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If you're going
to the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 27-Sept. 7, you won’t want to miss these
exhibits at Eco Experience:
1.
Bagnado: A
25-foot-tall tornado made of plastics, demonstrating the vast amount of this
material thrown away by Minnesotans every day.
2.
Eco camper: A micro
camper made in Minnesota that leaves a small carbon footprint.
3.
YOXO toys: Kids can
earn these toys made by a St. Paul company from sustainable and recyclable
materials.
4.
Flush yourself: Climb
into the larger-than-life sink and slide down the drain to learn what happens
when flushing water down a sink or toilet.
5.
AgriCULTURE: Discover immigrant food through daily cooking
demos, displays, games and food samples.
6.
AirBeam: A
mobile $250 monitor for air quality.
7.
Climate Scale:
Jump on the “people’s scale” to show the power of collective change. On this
scale fairgoers can interact with one another and show how people and neighbors
working together can make change.
8.
Eco-friendly home
improvements: Learn how to improve your home step-by-step while saving
on energy costs.
9.
Citizen scientist:
Fair guests can practice being a Citizen Scientist by learning different frog
and owl calls, using a Secchi tube to measure water clarity and evaluate the
health of a stream, and learning the unique characteristics of Monarch butterflies.
Reuse: This area will feature youth- and
adult-friendly, hands-on projects plus daily demonstrations of DIY reuse
projects and repair techniques.
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