The Watershed Network spring meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 25 at the Redwood Falls Pizza Ranch. The planning group met Tuesday to discuss ideas for meeting topics. The meetings for watershed organization staff combine presentations, informal discussion, and networking. Potential meeting topics include: Artificial drainage, civic engagement, total maximum daily load project updates and connections to local projects, and feedback on grant applications. More information and contacts are found on the watershed network webpage. After meeting details are confirmed, a notice will be sent via GovDelivery to this Watershed Network e-mail distribution list.
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A Watershed Academy for the Pomme de Terre River is tentatively scheduled for Thursday evenings, April 19 to June 7 in Morris. Brett Arne of the Pomme
de Terre River Association, and Joe Hauger of the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency, have teamed up to develop and teach a program aimed at
getting citizens educated and involved with the Pomme de Terre River watershed.
The eight-week course will help watershed residents learn about their watershed, how it functions, and what
plays a role in the processes of the watershed. Each class will address
a new topic from the basics to more complex such as
geomorphology (how rivers change shape through time), and how water quality assessments
are made. There will be activities, guest speakers, and a
Saturday field trip to show different land features, monitoring
stations, and other physical watershed traits.
The academy is intended for landowners,
citizens, outdoor sports enthusiasts, students, and/or anyone else interested
in learning more about the water in the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. One goal is to develop a group of leaders who can
help educate other watershed residents. There is no fee, but pre-registration is necessary, and opens April 5. Contact Brett Arne with the Pomme de Terre River Association at (320)
589-4886 ext. 109 or brett.arne@stevensswcd.org
for more information or to register.
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An open house
“Map Party” will be held on Tuesday April, 10, 4-8 p.m. at the Main
Street Plaza and Community Center in Pemberton. The public is invited to this free event
designed to share maps and information about the waterways and historic
landscape of the Le Sueur River watershed. Participants may come and go as
they please. Refreshments and hot beef
sandwiches will be served. For more
information call 1-877-269-2873.
The event is being sponsored by the newly forming Le Sueur River
Watershed Project, hoping to find interested citizens who will form a
steering committee to help guide the project as it gets off the ground in the
coming year. The project will focus on
working with local landowners to direct resources to voluntary efforts designed
to improve the water quality of the Le Sueur River.
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Conservation incentives and water quality were the focus of an information meeting March 22 in Buffalo.University of Minnesota Extension educator Brad Carlson talked about the federal Clean
Water Act and related legislation affecting agriculture. The goal of the presentation is to provide a foundation of
understanding on what is being done and why, and to encourage farmers to
embrace technology and adapt it to their operations. In addition, they
learned how the process works so they can get involved proactively with the
MPCA’s watershed approach to ensure positive outcomes for their operations. Other speakers included: Scott Glup, U.S. Fish &
Wildlife; Nicholas Snavely and Fred Bengtson, DNR; Kevin Bergquist, FSA;
Julie Reberg, NRCS; Colleen Allen, Wright SWCD; and Dan Nadeau,
CROW.
Bluebird Day April 7
The CROW is participating in Bluebird Day, Saturday, April 7, noon-3 p.m. at Gopher Campfire on Lake Byron, seven miles northeast of Hutchinson. Families are invited to bring a hammer and build a bluebird house. Lunch and other activities are being provided.
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The MPCA thanked the members
of the stakeholder and technical advisory groups for the Minnesota River TMDL
project for turbidity at a meeting March 21 in Redwood Falls. “This project is very
important because it lays the foundation for implementation. This report sets
a clear direction for moving forward,” said Bob Finley, MPCA regional manager.
More than 30 people, representing agriculture, conservation and
research, attended the meeting. Participants engaged in informal small group
discussion about the TMDL report, and strategies and technologies for reducing
the amount of sediment.
Watershed staff attending the meeting included: Doug Goodrich, RCRCA; Stephanie Klamm, Hawk Creek; Brett Arne, Pomme de Terre; and Megan Ulrich, Upper Sioux Agency; also, Scott Sparlin, CCMR.
A similar meeting is scheduled for March 29 at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, with a focus on the South Metro Mississipp River TMDL.
Keep in the TMDL loop with River Connections
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In the Fulda Lakes project, members of the Fulda community approached Heron Lake Watershed District staff regarding the condition of their lakes. The First and
Second Fulda Lakes were in dire need of a drawdown and reclamation due
to severe algae blooms, loss of rooted aquatic vegetation, loss of
migratory waterfowl, rough fish impacts, reduced water clarity, and
flooding. Concerned citizens asked for both financial and technical
assistance in finding ways to make their lake healthy again. HLWD staff
began to identify projects and seek funds for restoration efforts.
The annual awards, established in 1994, honor innovative projects
that have achieved extraordinary environmental results by harnessing the
power of partnership
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The Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District has completed interviews, and is close to naming a new staff person, who will be filling the vacancy from the departure of Sara Jacobson. Sara has a new job with the DNR as a hydrologist II, working from the department's Hutchinson office.
The Hawk Creek Watershed Project is seeking to fill the coordinator position, vacated when Cory Netland joined the DNR staff in New Ulm. This is a grant-based position, with funding currently available through
June 2015. It is the coordinator’s responsibility to secure additional
funding to continue the position and the overall mission of HCWP. The
application deadline is April 6. To apply send resume with references and cover letter to Wally Strand, president, Prairie Country
RC&D Council, 1005 High Avenue NE, Willmar, MN 56201; phone: 320-231-0008 ext. 131 or fax: 320-235-8751.
Redwood Falls Gazette, 3/26/12
Rochester Post-Bulletin, 3/22/12
The Farmer, 3/22/12
MPCA news release, 3/19/12
Reuters, 3/14/12
March 29: Water quality
dialogue, 5 p.m., St. James Hotel, Red Wing.
March 29: Minnesota Soil and Water Conservation Society annual meeting, St. Anthony.
April 10: LeSueur River Watershed map party, 4-8 p.m., Pemberton Community Center.
April 24: Minnesota
River Watershed Alliance, 6 p.m., Ridgewater College, Hutchinson
April 28: CCMR annual banquet, Lola's Larkspur restaurant, New Ulm.
May 8-10: Art of
hosting training, Prairie's Edge, Granite Falls, register at 877-269-2873, dixie@cureriver.org.
Watershed Projects
Watershed Districts
Joint Powers Boards and Associations
Citizen/Organizations
Watershed Network
News welcomes news from partners about funding opportunities, project updates
and events. Email your news to forrest.peterson@state.mn.us. Please
note that the MPCA has switched to a new service, called GovDelivery. To
ensure delivery of these messages, please add mpca@public.govdelivery.com
to your address book or safe sender list. Please forward this to any other
interested parties. Past issues are located on the MPCA Minnesota River Basin
webpage
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