 A series of regional meetings to discuss the idea of creating some form of basin-wide entity focusing on the Minnesota River watershed wrapped up Wednesday, Sept. 17, at Jackpot Junction near Redwood Falls. A total of more than 100 people attended the regional meetings in Montevideo, Fairmont, Henderson, Bloomington, and Jackpot. The meetings opened with brief overviews by Scott Sparlin and Ted Suss, followed by small group discussion of a set of five questions focusing on the need for a basin-wide entity, what it could do for existing organizations, and specific projects or tasks.
Discussion leaned in favor of creating a citizen-led entity to foster communication and collaboration among the scores of organizations working in the basin, with a primary focus on the health of the land and water. Among countervailing points, the basin is too large and diverse, the issues are too political, and there are enough organizations already. Information gathered will be brought to the second Minnesota River congress meeting scheduled Oct. 30 in New Ulm. All are welcome to attend, including organizations participating with table displays similar to the first congress. (Photo: Signing in at the Montevideo meeting Sept. 10, hosted by Clean Up the River Environment.)
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 Learn about mussels in the Pomme de Terre
Back by popular demand, Bernard Sietman will be on the on the Pomme de Terre River Saturday, Sept. 20 for a mussels field day, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event is free for Clean Up the River Environment members, and $10 ($15 per family) for non-CURE members. Registration is required and limited to 24 people. Bring a sack lunch and dress for water - bring boots and dry clothes. For more details and to reserve your spot, call Dixie at 1-877-269-2873.
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Ron Schara keynote speaker at Surface Water Forum Nov. 12
Ron Schara of Minnesota Bound will be the keynote speaker at a surface water forum held Nov. 12 in Blue Earth, sponsored by the Faribault County Soil and Water Conservation District/Planning and Zoning. Schara's topic will be "Down the Drain? Agricultural Drainage and Urban Stormwater." Registrations begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Hamilton Hall. Discussion sessions will follow lunch. The event is free to all Faribault County residents, and $25 for out-of-county attendees.
Watershed Network fall meeting Nov. 18 at New Ulm
The Watershed Network fall meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18 at the New Ulm Pizza Ranch. Ideas and suggestions for program topics are welcome, and can be sent to Forrest Peterson, forrest.peterson@state.mn.us, 320-441-6972. Presentations and topics from previous spring and fall meetings are located on the Watershed Network webpage.
Lac qui Parle-Yellow Bank photo contest entries due by Nov. 3
The deadline is Nov. 3 for submissions to the Lac qui Parle-Yellow Bank Watershed District annual photo contest. All photos must be from the Lac qui Parle Yellow Bank watershed. Selected photos may be published in a 2015
calendar and may be used on their website and brochures with credits given. Cash prizes are: First place-$50, second place-$30, and third place-$20. Digital photos are
preferred, and there is a maximum of three photos per person. Picture ideas include
scenic views of rivers and lakes, fun water activities, wildlife, or seasonal
pictures. Entry form with map of the watershed can
be downloaded from the web at www.lqpybwatershed.org; click on Clean Water Partnership button. If you need a mailed form contact Mary Homan at 320-598-3319 or mary.homan@lqpco.com.
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 The Le Sueur River Watershed Network potluck and
meeting Aug. 25 attracted 45 people to St. Olaf Lake Park in New Richland. Participants learned about conservation practices designed to
improve water quality, and shared food and conversation about ways to work together.
They collectively endorsed an application for funding designed to help local
landowners and farmers install structures and practices leading to
increased water quality.
Waseca County farmer Carl Guse introduced the group to the
practices and structures he has been discussing with Mark Dittrich of the Dept. of Agriculture. Leon Schoenrock, Waseca
County farmer and member of the network’s steering committee, gave an update on the
Bull Run Creek project application, and explained how a letter of support from
the network would strengthen the application. The project would provide funds
to alleviate landowner costs for water storage structures and other
improvements that would reduce sediment in Bull Run Creek and the larger Le
Sueur River watershed. The meeting wrapped up with a discussion and the signing of
a letter of endorsement for the Bull Run Creek Watershed Project application to
Board of Soil and Water Resources.
Meeting attendees were in
consensus that the network should support efforts that are aligned with the network’s seven recommendations for cleaner water and river health they worked to formulate over
the past two years. For more information about the Le Sueur River Watershed
Network's upcoming meetings and their seven recommendations, visit www.lesueurriver.org. (Photo: Le Sueur River Watershed Steering
Committee members discuss the changes that local farmer Carl Guse has seen on
his land, and the obstacles he has experienced while exploring the options
available to help him improve water quality on his property.)
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 Landowners in the Shakopee Creek watershed in Swift County gathered on a warm afternoon Aug. 21 to learn more about tools and technology for making nutrient and soil management decisions for their
fields.
Dan Haubrich of Centrol Crop Consulting showed how different chlorophyll meters could be used for
understanding nitrogen use and needs of a corn plant. Jill Sackett,
Ag Production Systems-U of M Extension educator, shared insights and challenges
of incorporating cover crops into a cropping system. Sharon Weyers, soil scientist at the USDA-ARS lab in Morris, spoke on soil health and the importance
of organic matter including microbial and fungal life in improving productivity
and water quality. Andy Marcum, Land Stewardship Project Ag Lands Solutions Outreach Specialist,
demonstrated the UAV drone and how its camera imagery can be used for making on-farm decisions based on the discovery, diagnosis and
documentation of crop and soil conditions.
The
Land Stewardship Project hosted the field day as part of the ongoing work with the Chippewa 10% Project, a collaborative
effort of LSP and the Chippewa River Watershed Project along with other
supporting partners.
The Chippewa 10% Project seeks ways for farmers to make money and improve land
and water resources primarily through the integration of perennial land cover
and supporting local efforts and infrastructure needed to get food and fuel
into local and regional markets. For more
information contact Robin Moore, Chippewa 10% Project coordinator, 320-269-2105 or rmoore@landstewardshipproject.org.
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 The Swift County SWCD hosted 5th and 6th
students from Benson and Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg schools at
the Outdoor Learning Center in Ambush Park on Sept. 12. Approximately 240 students spent the day learning about how water, soil and
animals are connected in the environment and the importance of the natural
environment. Several learning stations
focused on forestry, prairies, water quality, fisheries, wetlands, soils and
more. The kids were able to eat a glacier, be a water drop, test their
knowledge at water jeopardy, identify river bugs and be up close with a bald
eagle.
Presenters were local, state, federal and non-profit organization staff including the host
Swift SWCD, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Chippewa River
Watershed Project, Dept. of Natural Resources-Fisheries and Wildlife, U of M Extension, Clean Up the River Environment, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Bollig Engineering, and Swift County Parks, Drainage and
Wetlands. This year's festival featured a raptor presentation by the
University of Minnesota Raptor Center.
Community donations included: City of Benson, Abner Sales, Agralite Electric Cooperative, AGvise,
Benson Lions, Benson VFW Post 1403, CNH America, LLC, Benson Plant, Co-Op Credit
Union, Dooley's, Federated Telephone, Financial Security Bank of
Kerkhoven, First Security Bank, Glacial Plains, Rustad Bus Company, State Bank
of Danvers and Stony Ridge.
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The inaugural Minnesota State Water Trails Summit will be held Sept. 29-30 in St. Cloud. Registered attendees will be entered in a drawing to win a Northwind 17 canoe being given away by Northstar Canoes. The summit will feature how paddle sports can increase outdoor recreation tourism and foster economic development. Registration will be start at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29, at the River’s Edge Convention Center.
From 1-5 p.m. participants can tour the Mississippi River State Water Trail by canoe or van. A networking hour and dinner will follow. The next day will include a welcome by Tom Landwehr, commissioner of the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources; a keynote by Natalie Warren, founder of the Wilder River Academy; speaker panel facilitated by Patrick Moore, civic engagement consultant; and several breakout sessions. The registration fee is $125 for the full summit or $70 for one day.
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 The report of the Minnesota Nutrient Reduction Strategy is completed and posted on the MPCA website. The report will guide the state in reducing excess nutrients in waters so that in-state and downstream water quality goals are ultimately met. Fundamental elements of the strategy include: Clear goals, building on current efforts, prioritizing problems and solutions, supporting local planning and implementation, and improving tracking and accountability.
Successful implementation of the strategy will require broad support, coordination, and collaboration among agencies, academia, local government, private industry, and citizens. Along with 11 other states represented on the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force, Minnesota committed to develop a strategy to protect in-state waters and the Gulf of Mexico. An interagency coordination team, representing 11 agencies, helped develop the strategy.
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Environmental
Initiative and the seven state agencies responsible for implementing the Clean
Water Fund have completed "Minnesota's Clean Water
Roadmap." The roadmap articulates high-level goals for the 25 years of the
Clean Water Legacy investment. In combination with other,
including local water plans, the agencies will use the roadmap to guide their
activities under the Clean Water Fund to protect and restore Minnesota's water
resources. The roadmap will also be posted on the agencies' Clean Water Legacy web pages. The
agencies will be presenting the roadmap at a series of upcoming meetings,
including:
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The MPCA is asking for your data to help assess the condition of our lakes and streams and build a national database of water quality.
The agency is specifically interested in the following priority watersheds because MPCA staff will be determining whether these water bodies meet state water quality standards in early 2015:
- Two Rivers
- Snake River
- Lake Superior – North
- Rum River
- Mississippi River – Headwaters
- Minnesota River – Mankato
- Watonwan River
The agency is also looking for:
- Data on the Mississippi River from the headwaters to St. Anthony Falls.
- E. coli data for these large rivers: Minnesota, Rainy, Red, St. Croix, and Mississippi.
- E. coli data for Lake Superior public beaches.
- Toxics data -- nitrates, pesticides, trace metals, and mercury – for streams throughout Minnesota.
If you have data from outside a priority watershed or one of these areas, the MPCA will also accept it. The agency will use additional 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. 3, 2014.
Deadline: By Dec.15, 2014 you will need to review the data entered.
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.
For more information on submitting data:
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Nancy Flandrick, 651-757-2361 (St. Paul, Rochester, and Mankato Regional Offices)
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Jean Garvin, 651-757-2378 (Willmar, Marshall, and Detroit Lakes Regional Offices)
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Lynda Nelson, 651-757-2601 (Duluth and Brainerd Regional Offices)
For more information about how the MPCA uses your data to assess lakes and streams see the MPCA’s water quality assessment website.
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The website for the Minnesota Agricultural
Water Quality Certification Program has some new material, including a short video with interviews of farmers participating in several pilot watersheds. The voluntary program relies on farmers and agricultural landowners taking the lead in implementing conservation practices that protect our soil and water. Those who implement and maintain approved farm management practices will be certified and in turn obtain regulatory certainty for a period of ten years. A new edition of the brochure and the summer
2014 newsletter can be found on the main page. There is also a link to the August issue of Prairie Grains magazine with an article by Dept. of Agriculture Assistant Commissioner Matthew Wohlman.
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Is it possible to waste water in Minnesota?
MinnPost, 9/4/14
Despite efforts, Sauk River chain of lakes face pollution challenges
St. Cloud Times, 9/13/14
Sept
20: Mussels field day on the Pomme de Terre,
Appleton, 10 a.m.
Sept. 20: Crow River clean-up, 8 a.m., various locations.
Sept. 29-30: Water trails tourism summit, River's Edge
Convention Center, St. Cloud.
Oct. 5: Third Crop Walk 'n Talk, 1-5 p.m., Hazel Nut Valley Farm, Lake City.
Oct. 30: Minnesota River Congress, Turner Hall, New Ulm.
Nov. 18: Watershed Network fall meeting, 9:30 a.m., New Ulm Pizza Ranch.
 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 Watershed Network publications webpage.
Forrest Peterson
Information Officer
MPCA-Willmar office
320-441-6972
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