The next installment of the Smithsonian Water/Ways exhibit runs through Nov. 13 at the Goodhue County Historical Society in Red Wing. The exhibits reveal the central nature of water in our lives by exploring how Americans use water, how water unites communities, how water affects every element of life, and how Americans care for our water and protect this valuable resource.

Local partners have also planned several events related to the show in Red Wing.

Explore this collection of stories about water to learn more about the community in and around Red Wing.

The Water/Ways exhibition is part of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program, which is a partnership of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and state humanities councils.

In Minnesota, the project is led by the Minnesota Humanities Center, in partnership with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources, Minnesota Historical Society, and the American Water Works Association in Minnesota.

At the Oct. 19 meeting, Jennifer Tonko of the Minnesota Humanities Center will talk about the Water/Ways project, how it has done so far in Spicer and St. Peter, and how things are going in Red Wing. The exhibit will travel to Lanesboro in January 2017.

Related news story: 'This is about the importance of water' in the Rochester Post-Bulletin

The Nature Conservancy develops landscape stewardship plans to take into account a broader or “all lands” perspective that includes both shared community objectives and individual management activities. To be successful, landscape stewardship must be:

• Strategic and collaborative
• Appeal to stakeholder motivations and needs
• Manage for results
• Encourage flexibility in all activities

Successful landscape stewardship builds agency, organizational, and community capacity through collaboration, increases landowner trust of agencies and organizations through streamlined management and communications, motivates landowners using messages and activities that resonate with their needs, and supports the application of science and knowledge through well-informed policies and practices. Taken together, these activities work to make service delivery to private landowners more effective and efficient.

At the Oct. 19 BALMM meeting, David  Schmidt of The Nature Conservancy will talk about plans that have been completed in southeast Minnesota and how they can be incorporated into other regional efforts.

The MPCA is asking for your data to help assess the condition of lakes and streams and build a national database of water quality.

The MPCA is specifically interested in the following priority watersheds because the agency will be determining whether these water bodies meet state water quality standards in early 2017:

• Cloquet River
• Lac Qui Parle River
• Minnesota River - Headwaters
• Mississippi River - Grand Rapids
• Mississippi River - La Crescent
• Mississippi River - Reno
• Roseau River
• Upper Iowa River
• Upper Wapsipinicon River
• Vermilion River
• Winnebago River

The MPCA is also looking for data on the Red River from the headwaters to the Canadian border.

If you have data from outside a priority watershed or one of these areas, the agency will also accept it.

 The MPCA will use your data to:

• Help plan for future monitoring efforts including what to monitor for and where to monitor.
• Identify pollutant “stressors” that are causing or contributing to problems or threats to fishing, swimming, and recreational uses.
• Evaluate the success of ongoing activities to protect and restore water quality.

Deadline: Submit project, lab, and field data now through Nov. 1.

Deadline: By Dec. 15 you will need to review the data entered by the MPCA.

Find out more on the MPCA's surface water data website.

Your role in collecting these data is important to Minnesota’s effort to identify impaired waters, as well as those waters in need of additional protection. Thank you for your help.

For more information on submitting data:

• Nancy Flandrick, 651-757-2361 (St. Paul, Duluth, Rochester, and Mankato regional offices)
• Jean Garvin, 651-757-2378 (Brainerd, Willmar, Marshall, and Detroit Lakes regional offices)

Altered hydrology - changes to how streams flow naturally - is a common stressor to fish and other aquatic life throughout the Cedar River watershed, according to a report recently posted by the MPCA. Closely related to the changes in nature's plumbing is lack of habitat in several parts of this watershed in southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa. Nitrate levels high enough to negatively affect oxygen in fish and other aquatic life were also a stressor in many streams and parts of the river.

The Cedar River runs about 300 miles, from its headwaters in Dodge County to Louisa County in southeast Iowa, where it joins the Iowa River and winds its way to the Mississippi River. About 42% of the watershed lies in Minnesota, where it encompasses 454,029 acres in Mower, Freeborn, Dodge, and Steele counties. This watershed covers prime agricultural land with many streams and drainage ditches flowing into the river.

The watershed is fairly flat with shallow lakes and rivers. Extensive drainage, to facilitate farming, has altered the hydrology of the watershed.

The Cedar River in Minnesota is gaining popularity for recreation with many water accesses, campgrounds, and fishing piers in the watershed. Twenty-five miles of the river is designated as a Minnesota water trail, from the village of Lansing (north of Austin at County Road 2) to the Minnesota-Iowa border.

The Cedar River Watershed District is working to reduce flooding and improve water quality of the rivers and its tributaries. It has launched several projects, including water retention ponds, conservation practices on farmland, wetland restoration, urban stormwater controls, ravine stabilization, and more.

 The next step in the watershed approach to gauging the health of the Cedar River is for the MPCA to work with local partners and residents to develop Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS).