The State of the River - past, present, and future, headlines the eighth Minnesota River Congress May 18 at the Redwood Falls Community Center. Everyone who cares about an inclusive, citizen-led Minnesota River improvement effort is welcome to attend. The Congress starts with a 'networking fair' 4:30-6 p.m. with exhibits and short presentations from organizations. Following a 6 p.m. meal, opening remarks at 6:30 p.m. will address Gov. Dayton's "25 by 25" goal, a 25 percent improvement of the state's waters by 2025. At 6:45 the State of the River will feature:

• History of progress in the Minnesota River Basin, Kim Musser, Water Resources Center, MSU, Mankato;
• Casein the Basin: What we have learned and what you need to know about water quality, pollutant sources, and delivery dynamics within the basin, Pat Baskfield, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency;
• Doing Our Part: Farmer panel, Warren Formo, moderator;
• Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program;
• Collaborative for Sediment Source Reduction, Karen Gran, UMD;
• Greater Blue Earth River Basin Alliance actions, Clark Lingbeek, Cottonwood SWCD;
• CREP history and its future in the Minnesota River Basin, John Jaschke, Board of Water and Soil Resources.

Individual attendance: $20. Register online. No charge for young adults under 19 or with a college ID. Exhibit table fee: $30. Register online. Make checks payable to CCMR (Coalition for a Clean Minnesota River) PO Box 488, New Ulm, MN 56073. For more information contact Scott Sparlin, 507-276-2280, sesparlin@gmail.com.

Back to top

Land Stewardship Project’s 2017 Prairie BioBlitz is scheduled for Saturday, June 24, at Glacial Lakes State Park south of Starbuck in Pope County. A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record as many living species possible in a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists, and volunteers conduct this survey over a specific period of time.

In partnership with the Chippewa River Watershed Project (CRWP) and Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) it will showcase Minnesota public lands, featuring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Dept. of Natural Resources. Learn about and take species surveys on land managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as on native prairie in Glacial Lakes State Park and a private prairie area managed with a Fish and Wildlife Service easement. The event is appropriate for all ages, and organizations are welcome. RSVP and sign up for volunteer shifts at SignUp.com. You may also contact Robin Moore to sign up for shifts. Robin Moore, e-mail, 320-321-5244. Photo from LSP website.

Back to top

A new study from the DNR provides a wide-ranging and in-depth look at the Lower Minnesota River watershed. The Watershed Characterization Report focuses on conditions in rural counties of the High Island Creek, Rush River, Sand Creek, and Le Sueur Creek watersheds. Information on watershed characteristics, hydrology, connectivity, geomorphology, and restoration strategies will help inform stressor identification and produce Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies. 

Significant channel alteration, drainage of wetlands, and changes in vegetative cover have compounded the naturally erosive nature of the Lower Minnesota River watershed. The resulting highly turbid streams create areas that lack habitat due to high sediment loads and channel succession processes. 

Increases in water storage, soil health, and perennial cover are restoration strategies that will help address the hydrologic changes. Due to the degree of incision and lack of floodplain connectivity that cause nearly every bank to be erosive in many of the streams, streambank stabilization practices are recommended mainly to protect infrastructure. For more information, see the five-page summary and report online or contact Jon Lore, Mankato DNR office, (507)389-8804. 

Back to top

The annual Earth Day festival April 22 at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center near Spicer featured a panel discussion among area farmers involved in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program. Grant Pearson of the Stearns County SWCD set the stage with an overview of the program. 

The MAWQCP is a voluntary program for farmers and landowners that protects the state’s water resources. Since the program started in 2014, 365 Minnesota farms have been certified. They have added 628 new conservation practices that have kept over 12.1 million pounds of sediment out of rivers while saving nearly 17.4 million pounds of soil and 7,414 pounds of phosphorus on farms each year. Those numbers will increase as more landowners enroll in the program. Photo L-R: Grant Pearson, Rich Radtke, Ken Schefers, Jim Barchenger, and Lucas Sjostrom, Minnesota Milk Producers executive director. 

Back to top

Keep Our Waters Swimmable & Fishable is the May theme of Governor Dayton's “Year of Water Action”. Gov. Mark Dayton encourages all Minnesotans to take a role in protecting our state’s most precious resource for future generations. Gov. Dayton has called on Minnesotans to work together to find solutions to keep Minnesota’s water clean and accessible to everyone. Despite the state’s abundance of lakes, rivers, groundwater and streams, more than 40 percent of Minnesota’s waters are currently listed as impaired or polluted. 

Back to top