 The first Minnesota River Congress June 19 drew about 100 people and at least 22 organizations to the Turner Hall in New Ulm. They heard Wild River Academy students share their stories about adventures on the Minnesota River, shared a meal, and gathered in small groups to discuss ideas for the future of collaborative efforts to protect and improve land and water resources in the basin. Information and display tables set up by the various organizations contributed greatly to the networking action.
A majority supported the idea of creating a basin-wide entity with citizen leadership. It would help coordinate efforts of the many diverse groups and agencies working in the basin, and create 'clout' in political and economic circles. Other themes that emerged included: More
recreation on the Minnesota River, support for land set-aside easements, more
people aware of the river, and much good work has been done.
A series of regional
meetings will be organized later this summer and fall to share information from
the congress. A follow-up congress would be convened later in the fall to
review the actions and steps resulting from the first congress, and to move
forward as appropriate. (Photo: Conversation at the Congress, from left: Jeremy Geske, MN Ag Water Resources Center; Ann Lewandowski, U of M Water Resources Center; Mark Dittrich, Dept. of Agriculture; Warren Formo, MN Ag Water Resources Center.)
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A report on
the recent Minnesota River Congress will be a main discussion topic at the
quarterly meeting of the Minnesota River Watershed Alliance scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 12, at Ridgewater College in Hutchinson. A potluck meal begins at 6 p.m., followed
by the meeting at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The Minnesota River Watershed Alliance is a
watershed-wide network of individuals from private organizations and public
agencies, and citizens who meet quarterly and work on projects that support and
benefit the Minnesota River basin. The Aug. 12 agenda also includes a status report of the National Blueway
designation project for the Minnesota River, and other general updates.
At its April
15 meeting, the Alliance voted to support the convening of the first Minnesota
River Congress, which occurred June 19 at Turner Hall in New Ulm. The purpose
of the Congress was to bring together all interested parties in the Minnesota
River basin to network and discuss building a broad-based citizen and
government partnership entity to preserve and improve natural resource
conditions in the basin.
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A flotilla of six canoes and four kayaks launched on the west branch Lac qui Parle River on a warm, sunny July 11 for the annual paddle event of the Lac qui Parle-Yellowbank Watershed District. Led by Mary Homan, the paddlers launched just below the stair-step cascade at the former dam in Dawson. A two-hour paddle took them to a take-out point at the farm of David Bergeson about two miles north of Dawson. They returned to Veterans' park in Dawson for a picnic lunch. The trip had been postponed due to high water levels, although the river still flowed a brisk pace carrying 580 cubic feet per second.
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 Mike Weckwerth joins MPCA watershed staff
Mike Weckwerth started July 2 with the MPCA Southwest Watershed Unit as a watershed project manager in the Marshall office. He takes the position formerly held by Darrell Schindler. Mike comes from the Yellow Medicine Watershed District where he worked as the assistant administrator and field technician. Mike also has experience in the agriculture industry and as an ag educator. He will be working with the Yellow Medicine and Hawk Creek watershed projects. He lives in Canby.
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Lower Sioux Community seeks environmental specialist
The Lower Sioux Community at Morton is seeking an environmental specialist to replace Jesse Anderson, who is now an environmental health specialist with Blue Earth County working with sub-surface sewage treatment. Application information and a complete position description is available at: www.lowersioux.com/employment.
MPCA seeks southwest watershed technician
The MPCA is seeking a watershed technician in in the Mankato or Marshall office. This position assists in water quality monitoring and analysis, data management, technical writing and stressor identification support for major watershed restoration and protection projects being carried out by the Southwest Watershed Unit over a 10-year cycle. This position participates on the MPCA's technical team for each of the unit's major watershed projects. Details are available on the state job posting webpage.
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Hawk Creek plans side inlet field day Aug. 20
The Hawk Creek Watershed will be hosting a side inlet field day in partnership with BWSR, U of M Extension, and MDA on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Registration is 8-8:30 a.m. at the Renville Community Center, followed by presentations 8:30-9:30 a.m., then board buses and visit side inlet sites from 9:30 to noon, and then returning to the Renville Community Center at 12:15 p.m. for lunch. Call the Hawk Creek Watershed Project at (320)523-3666 to reserve your lunch (complimentary) and and seat on the bus.
Tillage, drainage management, soils, cover crops topics at field day Aug. 13
Soil health, cover crops,
and drainage water management will be topics at a field day on Aug. 13,
10 a.m. at the Lloyd Schrunk farm north of Canby. A light lunch will
be served at noon. Follow the "Field Day" signs to the site. Jodi DeJong-Hughes,
U of M Extension Educator will be one of five presenters:
Topics to include; primary tillage, cover crops, soil health, drainage water
management, pollinator habitat and bee health. For more information
contact Stu Frazeur at 507-828-2219, or email StuFrazeurtiling@gmail.com.
Crow River paddle events being planned in August
After high water levels in June caused postponements, Crow River organizations are planning paddle events in mid-August. Details will be announced soon from the Crow River Organization of Water and Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District. For more information, contact Diane Sander, CROW, diane.sander@mn.nacdnet.net, 763-682-1933x112; Mike Behan, MFC, mike@mfcrow.org, 320-796-0888.
Heron Lake Watershed District hosts project site tour
The Heron Lake Watershed District hosted a project tour July 21. The tour included the cedar revetment site in section 3 of Seward Township in Nobles County and the J-hook weir site in section 4 of Alba Township in Jackson County. The projects were funded by a 319 grant via the MPCA.
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The MPCA is pleased to introduce
its “How’s the Water?” pages. This web feature provides a snapshot of
Minnesota’s water quality in four areas: lakes, rivers and streams, wetlands,
and groundwater. The MPCA gathers and analyzes a huge amount of environmental
data, but often that data is embedded in long and technical reports. “How’s the
water?” offers a broad and accessible look at the threats to state waters, the
current water quality in regions around the state, and the steps the MPCA and
other organizations are taking to restore and protect our water resources.
Users will quickly discover the state of the water in their region, and the
contaminants, land use issues, and other challenges facing Minnesota
waters.
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/hows-the-water/index.html
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If your organization is
interested in submitting proposals for MPCA surface water monitoring grants
later this year, be sure to register now with SWIFT. All of the required
materials for the Request for Proposal (RFP) process must be submitted through the
SWIFT e-supplier portal for the 2015 Surface Water Assessment Grants
(SWAG) and Watershed
Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) Sampling Grants .
In order to view 2015 Request
for Proposal (RFP) materials and apply for grant funds, proposers are required
to have a SWIFT Vendor ID and Supplier Portal Account. Detailed registration
directions are available on the SWIFT
e-supplier portal. Potential proposers should be aware that it can take several
days to receive a required Vendor ID from SWIFT and are encouraged to register
now. For additional information regarding this application and process, please
see this SWIFT
message. If you need technical assistance for the SWIFT e-supplier
portal, please contact the SWIFT helpdesk line: 651-201-8100, option 1.
All SWAG and WPLMN proposals must
be electronically submitted through the SWIFT e-supplier portal. Proposals
received after the established deadlines will not be considered. Additionally,
grant recipients must use SWIFT to review and approve, through electronic
signature, their final contract and work plan.
The authorized representative within each organization that is awarded a
grant must obtain a SWIFT user ID to perform the electronic signature.
The MPCA is responsible for
carrying out and overseeing the monitoring of Minnesota’s lakes and streams
using Clean Water Legacy funds. The SWAG and WPLMN grants channel these funds
to local organizations to assist with these activities. Additional information
for both programs can be found at the SWAG webpage and the
WPLMN webpage.
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Numerous activities are planned for the
U of M Southwest Research and Outreach Center’s fifth Soil and
Water Management Field Day scheduled for Wednesday, July 23. The objective of the field day is to convene farmers,
researchers, stakeholders and practitioners to interact on issues related to
soil and water management for productivity and environmental enhancement. The program will begin at 9 a.m. with field tours
at the Brian Hicks’ farm near
Milroy. There is no
cost for the field day and a lunch will be provided. The afternoon program, beginning at 1 p.m., will feature a
panel discussion on achieving crop production environmental quality goals in
the face of future climate change. Panelists include: Brian Hicks (farmer), Dave Frederickson (Commissioner of Agriculture), John Linc
Stine (Commissioner of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency), Dr. Jerry Hatfield
(USDA-ARS NLAE) and a commodity group representative. For more information on tours and specific event
times visit the website at
http://swroc.cfans.umn.edu or call the SWROC at 507-752-7372.
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BWSR is seeking nominations for three to six project watersheds to
participate in the Targeted Watershed Demonstration Program. Eligible watersheds
are those where the amount of change to achieve a water quality improvement is
known, the types of actions required to achieve those results have been
identified, and a significant amount of those actions can be implemented within
a four-year timeframe.
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The Minnesota Nutrient Planning Portal, developed
as an adjunct to the statewide nutrient strategy but focused on HUC8 watershed
nutrient planning, is essentially completed by Minnesota University Mankato. It
will be linked to the Nutrient and Watershed Webpages, shared with the
Interagency Coordinating Team members and their agencies, and promoted to local
water planning groups. For more information contact Kim Musser, (507) 389-5307,
kimberly.musser@mnsu.edu.
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 The One Watershed, One Plan pilot program will build on existing efforts in five watersheds, using current local water plans, state and local knowledge and a systematic, science-based approach to watershed management. The resulting plans will address the largest threats that provide the greatest environmental benefits to each watershed. The pilot program will involve a broad range of stakeholders, including local governments, state agencies, and community members as true partners in the planning process. The five pilot areas are:
• Lake Superior North watershed, a two-county area that includes Cook County and Lake County.
• North Fork Crow River watershed, a six-county area that includes parts of Hennepin County, Kandiyohi County, Meeker County, Pope County, Stearns County and Wright County.
• Red Lake River watershed, a five-county area that includes parts of Beltrami County, Clearwater County, Pennington County, Polk County, and Red Lake County.
• Root River watershed, a six-county area that includes parts of Dodge County, Fillmore County, Houston County, Mower County, Olmsted County, and Winona County.
• Yellow Medicine River watershed, a four-county area that includes Lac qui Parle County, Lincoln County, Lyon County, and Yellow Medicine County.
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MPCA publishes first-of-its-kind report on condition of Minnesota’s rivers and streams
News release, 7/2/14
Ohio farmer says ecology will solve water problems
Lima News, 7/4/14
A cumulative effort to improve water quality
Jackson County Pilot, 7/21/14
July 23: Soil and water management field day, 9 a.m., Hicks farm north of Tracy.
July 24: Ag and water quality presentation, 4 p.m., Sleepy Eye Community Center.
July 26: A Dakota perspective on the Minnesota River, 9 a.m., location TBA.
July 26: Paddle the Minnesota River with Don Robertson, 9 a.m., location TBA.
Aug. 12: Minnesota River Watershed Alliance, 6 p.m., Ridgewater College, Hutchinson.
Aug. 13: Soil, drainage, cover crops, tillage, pollinator field day, Lloyd Schrunk farm, Canby.
Aug. 20: Hawk Creek side inlet field day, 8 a.m., Renville Community Center.
 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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