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NEWSLETTER / SUMMER 2019
 Your Input Wanted for Watershed Management Plan
Make Your Voice Heard! Tell Us Your Priorities for Water, Green Spaces
The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization will soon begin the process of updating its comprehensive Watershed Management Plan. This document, which is updated every 10 years, guides all of our work at the MWMO and also informs local water management planning for communities within our watershed.
We want your input! Please take our survey to help us understand your concerns, priorities and goals for the health of the watershed. Tell us about what resources you value in your community, what kinds of green spaces you'd like to see, and how we can help improve water quality and habitat in your community. You can also sign up to receive email updates on future opportunities for public input and updates on the planning process.
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Summer Project Roundup
Planning Continues for Columbia Golf Course, Northeast Stormwater Projects
The MWMO and its partners are moving forward with fieldwork to aid in the design and decision-making process at the Columbia Golf Course and Columbia Park in Northeast Minneapolis. Surveyors from SRF Consulting (pictured) collected elevation data earlier this summer to help inform the next phase of planning and design for stormwater improvements at the course. Engineers also recently did soil borings and will soon excavate test pits to learn more about the characteristics of soil and other material present on site.
In June, MWMO Board Chair and Minneapolis City Council Member Kevin Reich held a community forum on the Northeast Stormwater Management Initiative (of which the Columbia Golf Course project is part). Reich invited attendees to learn and ask questions about planned stormwater improvements in and around the golf course. Staff from the MWMO, City of Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board discussed design concepts and anticipated benefits. Slides and graphics from the meeting are available on the MWMO website.
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Nicollet Island Restoration Wraps Up
In June, Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) wrapped up a two-year restoration project on Nicollet Island in Minneapolis. Supported by a pair of MWMO Stewardship Fund Grants, FMR led a group of community partners to remove invasive species, stabilize eroding riverbank and restore native habitat on the island.
During the course of the project, contractors and volunteers installed thousands of native plants and trees, along with erosion bars and other erosion control best management practices (BMPs). These improvements will provide a variety of benefits, including healthier and more diverse habitat, improved recreation opportunities, and better stormwater retention and infiltration.
Learn more about the project on our project page and on FMR's website. And check out our Flickr album featuring photos from the project.
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JXTA 'Skate-Able Art Plaza' Mixes Raingardens and Skateboarding Infrastructure
On June 15, Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA) celebrated the grand opening of its new "Skate-Able Art Plaza" in North Minneapolis. The MWMO provided an Action Grant to fund construction of raingardens at the one-of-a-kind skate park, allowing nearly all of the site's stormwater runoff to be captured and treated.
In addition to providing stormwater treatment, the raingardens will serve as an educational tool. JXTA youth apprentices will help create site-specific programming that addresses the environmental impact of stormwater management.
Don't miss our fascinating before-and-after aerial photos of the site, along with our fun Flickr photo album from the action-packed grand opening. Then, read about Juxtaposition Arts' future plans for the skate park and their new headquarters on their blog.
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'Smart Blue Roof' System Takes Shape in Northeast Minneapolis
Construction of a first-of-its-kind "smart blue roof" system is underway at JAX Apartments in Northeast Minneapolis. The new multi-family housing development will host a combination blue/green roof system that marries multiple stormwater treatment methods with smart sensor technology.
Water that falls on the building’s roof will flow in several ways: one portion of the roof will drain into an underground cistern; another portion will serve as a “blue roof” that holds stormwater on the rooftop. This captured stormwater can either be allowed to evaporate over time or drained into one of two locations: an underground reuse tank, or a green roof planted with native plants.
Smart controls that incorporate real-time weather data will intelligently manage the flow of water from one part of the system to the others, ensuring that the re-use tank is always full and the green roof is always watered. It is believed to be the first system of its kind in Minneapolis. The building is expected to open later this year. Check out our project album on Flickr and stay tuned for updates.
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Great Northern Greenway Overlook Unveiled; MWMO to Fund Enhanced Restoration
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Minneapolis Parks Foundation recently unveiled the design for the Great Northern Greenway Overlook — a new park destination along the Mississippi River. The project consists of a large beacon and cantilevered viewing platform designed to help connect North Minneapolis to the river. Eventually, MPRB plans to develop the riverfront trail extending upward from Ole Olson Park; the overlook will eventually sit at a crossroad of important trail connections.
The MWMO will contribute funding for enhanced restoration at the site. This includes minor grading, soil amendments, and the installation of native plants to capture site runoff while adding pollinator habitat. MWMO funds will also be used to further stabilize the slope using bio-engineering techniques, which will take place within the 100-year floodplain. Learn more on the MPRB website.
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Raingardens Completed at Islamic Cultural Community Center
The Islamic Cultural Community Center, also known as Masjid Al-Huda, got a green makeover in June. Metro Blooms supervised the installation of a series of raingardens, permeable pavers, trench drains and other features that will capture and treat 95 percent of the Northeast Minneapolis site's stormwater runoff, both from the parking lot as well as the building's rooftop.
The MWMO provided a Stewardship Fund Grant to support the project, which is part of the Northeast Business Corridor Stormwater BMP initiative in partnership with Metro Blooms and supported by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources and Hennepin County. You can see more photos of the project on Flickr.
Check out these other sustainable parking lot makeovers:
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Updates and Events
'Good Neighbor News' Email Newsletter Launched; 'Good Neighbor Guide' Wins Northern Lights Award
You spoke, and we listened! Based on feedback from our subscribers, the MWMO has launched a new monthly email newsletter focused on actions we can all take in our communities to protect water quality and habitat.
The "Good Neighbor News" features seasonal yard care tips and reminders, community cleanup events, workshops, and related news. We also profile good neighbors who are exemplary environmental stewards in their communities. Sign up here to receive the Good Neighbor News in your inbox each month, and share your own good neighbor stories with us at contacts@mwmo.org or on social media with the hashtag #MWMOgoodneighbor.
In May, the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators presented a Northern Lights Award to the MWMO for the Good Neighbor Guide. The MWMO worked with designers at Landbridge Ecological to create the graphic-filled guidebook, which teaches urban residents about stormwater runoff. It won the top award in the "multipage publication" category.
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New Exhibit: Pollinator Pathways
In collaboration with the University of St. Thomas Sustainable Communities Partnership (SCP), the MWMO is pleased to present a new exhibit, Pollinator Pathways, at our Stormwater Park and Learning Center. Pollinator Pathways is an interactive exhibit that creates space for us to stop and observe pollinators closely, to learn about their relationships to flowers, and to ponder their value to society. It features drawings, photographs, and activities that seek to inspire wonder, joy, and appreciation for the diversity and value of pollinators in the Twin Cities and beyond.
This exhibit features collaborative work from University of St. Thomas course collaborations with and SCP Artist-in-Residence Sarah Nelson. It will also include original illustrations from Nelson and photography by Doreen Schroeder, co-founder of the Pollinator Path. Come see it on display now through September 30, and don't miss our community event on Saturday, August 10.
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MWMO to Host Theater of Public Policy Performance on Aug. 17
On Saturday, Oct. 5, the MWMO will be pleased to host a performance of the Theater of Public Policy focusing on history and water quality in the Mississippi River before and after the Clean Water Act.
The Theater of Public Policy advances the understanding of complex ideas and issues by unpacking them through smart conversation and improvisational comedy. This evening is guaranteed to be lively and entertaining. Our expert guests, Katrina Kessler, MPCA Assistant Commissioner for Water Policy and Agriculture, and David Wiggins, retired National Park Service Ranger for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, will share information and stories.
This event, part of a series of performances focused on Mississippi River history, is put on in partnership with the Mill City Museum, Mississippi Park Connection, the National Park Service and the St Anthony Falls Heritage Board. The event is free, but registration is required. Get tickets here.
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Welcome Back, Mississippi River Green Team!
Meet the 2019 Mississippi River Green Team! (See a larger photo.) These Minneapolis teens will spend the summer working to prevent water pollution, removing invasive species, building raingardens, planting trees and prairie plants, and assisting in citizen science projects.⠀
The Mississippi River Green Team is a two-year employment and conservation program for Minneapolis youth between the ages of 14 and 16. The MWMO and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board created the Green Team as an opportunity for youth to have a mentored job experience, learn about environmental careers and acquire new skills. The Green Team is a special environmental unit of the MPRB’s Teen Teamworks program.⠀
Youth have the chance to participate in the Mississippi River Green Team for two years, and after those two years, they are a part of a supportive network that works with them to help secure jobs to expand their skills and get them ready for the future. Learn more.
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New Brochures, Translations Available
The MWMO recently created a new brochure, "Protecting Water Quality Together," focused on things that everyone —including renters and those who live in multi-family housing — can do to help improve water quality and habitat in their community. The MWMO has also published Spanish and Somali translations.
Additionally, the MWMO has created several more translated brochures:
More translated brochures are in the works, including Hmong-language versions. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns at contacts@mwmo.org.
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