NW Watershed staff celebrate watershed approach milestone with trip to Red Basin project success sites
 Northwest Watershed Unit staff have completed all cycle 1 WRAPS and TMDLs for the Red River Basin. One way they celebrated was with a visit last week to a major basin success story their efforts contributed to — the Whiskey Creek Restoration project in the Upper Red River of the North Watershed near Breckenridge. Our local partners in the area (watershed and conservation district staff) served as tour guides.
And since they were in the neighborhood, the group stopped to visit a unique feature in the basin, a large natural spring that constitutes the headwaters of Lawndale Creek, a designated trout stream near Rothsay with its own recent restoration success story. Pictured from left to right are Mike Sharp, Jim Courneya (Evelyn Ashiamah is hidden behind Jim), Denise Oakes, Theresa Haugen, Mulu Fratkin, Scott Schroeder, Cary Hernandez, and Danielle Kvasager. Watershed Division Director Glenn Skuta snapped the photo.
Reduce your risk of flu or COVID-19
It’s that time of year again, the leaves are changing and flu shots and the COVID-19 booster are here. Reduce your risk of getting or spreading the flu and protect yourself from COVID-19. Find a clinic near you to schedule an appointment or make an appointment in the St. Paul office for October 5 or 7. Don’t forget your mask, it is required for the St. Paul flu clinics. We will have a limited supply for those who forget their mask.
You can also find locations for the COVID-19 booster online. Don’t forget to complete the health screening for COVID-19 before coming into the office. Find out more on the Lorax.
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Upcoming trainings
8-hour HAZWOPER refresher: This course is required for staff who respond to hazardous substances released in the environment. The course satisfies the OSHA requirements for uncontrolled hazardous waste operations, response, and management. The course will cover the levels of PPE, toxicology, chemical safety, and managing an incident. Sign up through ELM (8-hour HAZWOPER training, R32PCASAF002-089, 10/06/2022). A minimum of eight attendees is required to hold the class and this class is in-person at the St. Paul location.
Initial first aid, CPR & AED training: This class is offered as an initial certification class which will take 8 hours. The class can have up to 15 attendees. The location for the class will be the St. Paul office, room 100 and will need a minimum of 8 attendees to be offered. Any staff in the agency may register for the class in ELM (First Aid, CPR AED, R32PCASAF011-071, October 25. If cannot attend the class for any reason, you must drop the class in ELM.
Questions about retirement benefits?
Representatives from the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS) will be available Tuesday, October 4, for individual appointments. Employees will take away information on all three benefits MSRS provides: State Retirement Benefits (MSRS), Deferred Compensation, and Health Care Savings Plan.
To register: To meet in-person click here or to meet via phone/Zoom click here. Click on the time that works for you and fill in the requested information. You will get a confirmation email with your date and time.
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Tips to combat social engineering
MPCA offers municipal wastewater webinars
On Wednesday, October 5, from 1-2 p.m., MPCA will continue its quarterly webinar series on topics important to wastewater professionals. This is a good opportunity to gain a deeper understanding and earn one credit hour.
For the autumn webinar, Effluent Limits Supervisor Steve Weiss will give a presentation on how effluent limits are calculated, and ultimately placed in NPDES permits. For more information, contact Joel Peck.
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Registration now open for Racism in Real Estate!
The Twin Cities Metro area has the lowest rate of Black home ownership in the U.S. with just 19% of Black Minneapolis residents owning their home in 2019. Racist real estate practices including redlining, racial covenants, and single-family zoning have been used for decades to segregate neighborhoods and bar residents from homeownership. How were these policies enacted and how do they continue to affect non-white residents today?
Instructors Denise Pike, Public Historian, and Jackie Berry, Realtor, will dive deep into the history and ongoing presence of racial housing discrimination in Minnesota. Come ready to learn some initial steps you can take to combat racist housing policies in your neighborhood! You can register for one of our Racism in Real Estate classes below by clicking on the class title. Both sessions are pay-what-you-can. Invite your friends, family, and colleagues to register!
Racism in Real Estate (Virtual) Thursday, October 6, 1-2:30 p.m.
Racism in Real Estate (In-Person) Wednesday, October 26, 5:30-7 p.m.
Air Issues Seminar: MNRISKS 2017
Wednesday, September 28, 2-3 p.m.
Please join us for the September Air Issues Seminar. MNRISKS2017 is published! Eric Wilcox Freeburg, a research scientist in the Risk Evaluation and Air Modeling Unit, will give an overview of MNRISKS, its data and tools.
Join Teams meeting
Leadership Forum: Team building in a virtual world
Thursday October 13, 2-3:30 p.m.
Do you cringe when you’re told it’s time to do an ice breaker or team builder?! It may seem like these activities take away from valuable work time, but research shows there is actually a lot of value that team building activities can add to our work relationships and outputs. Learn why team building activities are important, receive recommendations for team building activities you can lead, and gain insight on the tools that can be used when facilitating a team building activity. The first hour of the 90-minute session will be spent learning about the importance of team building and trying out some team building activities, the final 30 minutes of the session will be a demonstration of how to use various technical tools to support team building. Anyone and everyone in the agency is welcome to attend.
Join Teams meeting.
Equity Experience events
Equity Experience events offer a variety of ways to “experience” equity, so we can hold ourselves accountable to learning, growing, and engaging with this important work and our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In order to receive an IDEA credit for attending an Equity Experience event, you will be required to report what you learned, thought, experienced, etc. to your team, so that there will be accountability and shared learning. Check out the event list on The Lorax.
"It's coming full circle": State leaders look to Indigenous communities for climate solutions
Members of Minnesota's MPCA, DNR, and DOT are turning to indigenous communities throughout the state for climate solutions. During 'Climate Week,' representatives from the state agencies plan to visit 11 such communities. On Thursday, they toured the Prairie Island Indian Community near Red Wing. — CBS News
Help available for Minnesota feedlot operators applying for online permit
Minnesota livestock producers with questions about the state’s new online feedlot permit application have another chance to ask questions about it at an upcoming webinar. The MPCA will give a demonstration and answer questions about the process at 1 p.m. Sept. 29. — Agriculture Week
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Last week in social media at the MPCA
A strong economy is better equipped to handle climate change. By encouraging innovation, developing worker skills, assisting businesses with their sustainability efforts, and more we can secure a clean economy—and brighter future—in Minnesota. Learn more about the state’s plan to address climate change: https://bit.ly/3eaT2oP #ClimateWeek Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
Harmful blue-green algae can form on Minnesota lakes well into the fall. Avoid contact with green and slimy water, especially if it looks like spilled paint or pea soup, and remember: when in doubt, STAY OUT! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3DCeAbs Facebook | Twitter
More than 600,000 Minnesota homes and businesses use septic systems, which treat an estimated 42.3 billion gallons of wastewater per year. It’s SepticSmart Week—a great time to schedule routine maintenance of your septic system to help protect and preserve our waters! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3BF4Hsh Facebook | Twitter
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