The turbulent spring rains and harsh winter of 2014 were a distant memory for 2015 CMP volunteers out on their favorite lakes and streams this past summer. Mild temperatures and fewer extreme weather events made for an exceptionally pleasant 2015 monitoring season. Many lake volunteers reported their best Secchi readings ever in May, when waters were clear and algae free. Stream volunteers frequently reported low water levels throughout the summer.

Even though this past monitoring season may have been a bit easier than the last, that doesn't mean we appreciate our volunteers any less. The CMP staff would like to thank each and every CMP volunteer that dedicated their time and energy to collecting transparency readings this past monitoring season. We greatly appreciate and value all the amazing work you do.

We also greatly appreciate the 1,300 people who have submitted their 2015 data to us, either by mail or email. The submission deadline guaranteeing a 2015 citizen monitoring report has passed, but don’t worry, we still want your data! Any data we receive now will still be added to the state database and used in state water assessments, so it is still very useful. 

2015 Citizen Monitoring Reports will be available later this winter. Look for an announcement in your email inbox letting you know the data reports are ready.  Photo provided by CSMP volunteers Doug & Peg Olmanson Back to top

A big thanks to the 970 volunteers that completed the 2015 CMP survey! What a fantastic turnout! Your responses will help us improve the program and hopefully better meet your needs.  Here's a quick snapshot of what we've learned through this survey:

• 79% of volunteers identified their concern for water quality and desire to improve it as their top reason for participating in the program.
• 46% are interested in conducting additional water monitoring activities for the MPCA.
  
• 54% identified using paper datasheets as their top preference for annual data submissions.
• 83% report having adequate internet access for online data entry.
• 37% are interested in attending regional events, but a whopping 31.5% were neutral on the topic.
• 39% visited the website only a few times a year and far less visited it more often.
  
• 64% are retired
• 50% are 66 or older.

Other takeaways:

• The program newsletter, Transparency Times, remains the top way people learn about the CMP, while the individual site monitoring reports are most preferred for informing volunteers about the health of their lake or stream.
• Over half of CMP volunteers don't use social media and those that do predominately use Facebook.
• A significant group of volunteers is interested in submitting data online and more often.
• There is a desire for more information on how volunteer data is used.
  
• There is also a desire for more information on local water quality trends and how individual lakes and streams compare to others in the same watershed.
  

The results of this survey remind us that there is both unity and diversity in the backgrounds and aspirations of our volunteers. Maintaining program flexibility will be key to supporting all of our volunteers in a variety of ways. This will range from continuing to offer paper datasheets while at the same time pursuing an online data entry system; maintaining the core and simple action of water clarity testing while attempting to link volunteers up with additional monitoring opportunities; and connecting with volunteers on a more regional and personal scale while at the same time maintaining the independent nature of the monitoring program. Thanks for taking the time to help us remember this!

Additionally, your comments were particularly helpful in shedding light on what's most important to you as volunteers and what could help you feel more motivated, appreciated and effective. The requests for new boats, motors and even a mini submarine didn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. We would like to know, though, who invited us to stop by for coffee if we are in the area. We'd like to take you up on it!

Thanks again for your participation in the survey. We take your responses seriously and will continue to grow the program to be the best that it can be. Back to top

Many of us know who Will Steger is. Some of us have seen his arctic adventures in National Geographic, others have heard him speak on the effects of climate change, and still others living in Ely just run into him around town. We are proud he’s a native Minnesotan, continuing to live and work here, but we are particularly proud he’s a life-long citizen scientist continually going the distance to protect the environment.

The MPCA was lucky enough to get a few minutes of Will Steger's time this past October and we took the opportunity to squeeze in as many questions as we could! Click HERE to access the full interview. Back to top

Throughout his life Will Steger has been driven to observe, document, and share the natural world with the public. But as the years progressed, and the effects of climate change became more apparent, Steger’s passion took him far beyond simple public education – he began resting his sights on facilitating positive change. In between a multitude of speaking engagements and his continuing cold-weather expeditions, Steger has dedicated his time to building two stellar institutions, both based in Minnesota and aimed at tackling climate change.

First, his Wilderness Center.  In development for the past 27 years, the Wilderness Center has been a continuous passion and labor of love for Steger.  Designed to bring small groups of leaders and decision makers together to problem solve in an inspirational wilderness setting, the Center is an ode to the land on which it sits. Composed of local materials when possible and crafted by Steger, his friends and volunteers, it truly is a sight to see. The Center is nearing completion and the first pilot program will launch in 2016. For a great story on the Wilderness Center, check out City Page’s Will Steger’s Castle in the Clouds story from 2013.

Second, Climate Generation. Formerly known as the Will Steger Foundation, Climate Generation works to educate, empower and engage people in solutions to climate change. They achieve this through a wide variety of programs – a youth emerging leaders programs, a mentorship program, curriculum for grades 3-12, and public education through a project called Climate Minnesota – Local Stories, Community Solutions. One component of Climate Minnesota is an online climate story telling collection where people can detail, on public record, how climate change is affecting their lives or their community’s. When it comes to climate change, personal testimonials can be particularly impactful since the topic can ordinarily feel too large and imposing for many to want to engage on it. Bringing a personal perspective to climate change can also stimulate much-needed dialogue on a community level. One story in particular may be of interest to fellow citizen scientists.  During a public convening in Virginia, MN, John Latimer, Staff Phenologist with KAXE Radio in Grand Rapids, shared his story of how he became interested in phenology as a postal worker. He also describes the changes he’s witnessed due to climate change over his many years as an observer.

In a recent interview with the MPCA, Steger described his work as building “two legs of a legacy”, policy and education, to address climate change. He has certainly accomplished this with the Wilderness Center and Climate Generation. However, at 71 years old, Steger also has no plans to slow down. Cold weather adventures still call to him, and strong climate policy is still needed on both global and local scales. There’s so much to do, but luckily Will Steger has plans for it all. Back to top

Two Citizen Lake Monitoring Program volunteers were honored recently by their communities for their commitment to data collection and natural resource protection.

First, Roger Fox received a Lake Steward Award from the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District (RWMWD) for his 25 years of Secchi data collection on Snail Lake in Shoreview. The award recognizes an individual who "enthusiastically engages in lake neighborhood communication and watershed education in their community". Besides providing lake data, Roger has continuously kept shoreline residents and neighborhoods informed about lake and community activities through both email and video media.

Second, Richard Nelles received the MN Association for Volunteer Administration Excellence in Volunteerism Award AND the national President's Lifetime Achieve Award for Volunteer Service (requires at least 4,000 hours of volunteer service) for his role as both a CLMP and DNR volunteer. Richard has monitored Secchi transparency and ice-on/ice-off conditions on Washburn Lake in Cass County for 17 years as a CLMP volunteer and spent 44 years and over 35,000 hours (!) as a volunteer conducting wildlife and forestry research alongside DNR staff and students. Most notably, Richard was instrumental in helping the DNR conduct a 15-year whitetail deer survival study and an 8-year fisher management study.

Congratulations to both Roger & Richard for their dedication to volunteerism and the land and waters of Minnesota! Back to top

The DNR's Watershed Health Assessment Framework uses scores to compare the health of ecological systems across Minnesota. A health score is a comparative index that synthesizes statewide ecological data into a single range of values. Health scores are calculated for all watersheds in Minnesota creating index values from 0 -100, red to green. A score of 100 indicates the best condition or least amount of risk; a score of 0 indicates an unhealthy condition or the highest health risk.

The Watershed Health Report Cards deliver a summary of these health scores for each of the 81 Major Watersheds in the state. What does a health report card tell you?  Like an annual physical, your report card shows places that need more work and places where things are going well. 

 To view your health report card:

• Open the Watershed Health Report Card page
• Read the Watershed Health Report background information
• Select your watershed from the map
• Review your health report:
• Page 1:  Watershed Statistics
• Page 2:  Major Watershed scale health report
• Pages 3-7:  DNR Catchment scale health report,  includes maps of all health score available at the catchment scale for your major watershed.
• Plot charts are shown below the map of each catchment health score.  See how your catchments compare to health scores for other watershed scales and across the state.
  

We encourage you to explore your watershed through these great tools! Back to top

Fields to Streams: Managing Water in Rural Landscapes, is a new publication from Extension Water Resources, that details connections between land use, runoff, and water quality in rural landscapes. The two-part handbook highlights practices to improve and protect rural streams and shows how land management can affect the rate of runoff that shapes them.

The handbook was prepared for landowners, land managers, and the conservation professionals who work with them to help them talk about and address local watershed issues. Fields to Streams draws on research from Minnesota and Iowa, providing concise explanations and extensive graphics to highlight concepts and practices.

Part One, Water Shaping the Landscape, explains the role of Minnesota's geology, changing rainfall, and land management practices in altering the amount and timing of runoff reaching and shaping streams and rivers.

Part Two, Managing Sediment and Water, describes practices for managing crops, drainage systems, surface runoff, wetlands, impoundments, and stream corridors to reduce peak flows and lessen the amount of streambank, bluff, and ravine erosion. Part One and Part Two can be downloaded separately here.  

Back to top