Video - RiverFIRST Parks Proposal Presentation, 21 Sep 2011

From the Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative (MRDi):

Part 1: The Presentation

Part 2: Q&A Session

Asian carp: Are They Here, What Next?

A press release from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR):

Water samples from the Mississippi River downstream from the Ford Dam in Minneapolis have tested positive for genetic material from silver carp, indicating the invasive Asian species may be present in the Twin Cities stretch of the river, according to the DNR.

Known as environmental DNA (eDNA) testing, the results are a chemical indication that some silver carp are in the river, but they do not provide any information on the possible number of fish present, their size or whether they are breeding.

The Mississippi River eDNA testing was conducted in September by the National Park Service and the DNR after similar testing in June indicated the presence of silver carp in the St. Croix River.

The DNR will immediately hire a commercial fisherman to begin netting and searching for Asian carp below the Ford Dam, also known as Lock and Dam 1. No Asian carp were discovered this summer in the St. Croix River after a nine-day search by DNR biologists and a commercial fisherman, but that doesn’t necessarily mean some fish aren’t present.

“The eDNA tests are very sensitive, but they can only tell us that DNA is present in the water,” said Tim Schlagenhaft, Mississippi River biologist. “In other states where DNA testing has resulted in positive samples, the fish have proven very difficult to subsequently capture, and we expect this to the case in the Mississippi River if the fish are in present in low numbers.”

In the most recent round of Mississippi River eDNA testing, 14 of 49 samples were positive for silver carp. The samples were among 275 that were collected in September from the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers. The rivers are being tested for two species of Asian carp: bighead and silver. The DNR is awaiting test results from the other river locations.

National Park Service officials said these new results could mean Asian carp are present in a reach of the river that includes the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park System that runs along 72 miles of the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities.

“These eDNA results are like a smoke alarm blaring. Until we find the source, we have to assume there is a fire. We have to assume Asian carp are here,” said park superintendent Paul Labovitz.

Labovitz said the park officials may discontinue using Mississippi River locks when conducting NPS-sponsored canoe and boat programs that introduce school kids to the river. When trips involve opening river locks, Asian carp may be able to move freely up and down the river. “We must explore every option to slow down these fish,” Labovitz said.

DNR officials said the positive eDNA tests highlight the importance of taking further actions to protect upper reaches of the Mississippi River from Asian carp. Gov. Dayton recently endorsed a seven-step action plan to address an invasion of Asian carp.

The plan supports immediate congressional action to give the Army Corps of Engineers emergency authority to close the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock, and Lock and Dam #1, if Asian carp are detected nearby. It also asks for immediate congressional action to fund a feasibility study examining the economic, ecological, recreational, legal, and operational impacts of making Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock a permanent fish barrier.

“We are committed to getting all government agencies and elected officials engaged in this effort to address Asian carp in our rivers before we have a large, reproducing population,” said DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr.

To date, no silver carp have been caught in the St. Croix or Mississippi rivers above Lake Pepin, though some have been caught further downstream near Iowa. Only two bighead carp have been caught in this area – one in 1996 and another on April 18 of this year – both in the St. Croix River.

DNR fisheries experts say silver and big head carp are extremely skittish and difficult to catch with traditional netting and electroshocking equipment. The two species of carp could cause serious damage to Minnesota’s native fish and aquatic systems by filter-feeding vast amounts of plankton, a key foundation of a river’s ecosystem and food chain.

eDNA testing is a new but scientifically accepted method of screening water samples for genetic material originating from an aquatic animal’s mucus or excrement.

Heads Up - Upper River Forum: Asian Carp Invasion: What Will It Mean for the Minneapolis Riverfront?

Date: Tuesday, October 25

Time: 5:00 pm to 7:00pm

Location: Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Headquarters, 2117 West River Road

Upper River Forum:  Asian Carp Invasion: What Will It Mean for the Minneapolis Riverfront?

Presentation by: Dr. John O. Anfinson, National Park Service, with panel discussion.

Co-sponsored by the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership and the Above the Falls Citizen Advisory Committee (AFCAC).

Governor Dayton is calling for quick action to prevent invasive Asian Carp from moving up the Mississippi River into Minnesota.  After the presentation, a panel of experts will answer your questions about the negative impact Asian Carp could have on the Mississippi's ecological, recreational, and economic health.  How do we slow or stop the spread of Asian Carp? What about closing Lock #1 and the Upper Lock at St. Anthony Falls?

Panelists:

John O. Anfinson, Resource Chief, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

Don Arnosti, Policy Director, Audubon Minnesota

Greg Genz, Vice-President, Upper Mississippi Waterway Association

Brian Nerbonne, Stream Habitat Specialist, MN Department of Natural Resources

Russel K. Snyder, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/St. Paul District

Don Arnosti, National Audubon Society

Asian Carp Have Reached Mississippi Lock & Dam 1 in Minneapolis

From MPR News:

A National Park Service biologist says testing by an Indiana lab has confirmed that invasive silver carp have swum up the Mississippi as far as Lock and Dam No. 1.

Byron Karns said in an email to MPR News that 14 of 50 samples taken from the waters downstream from the dam, which sits in between St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood and Minneapolis' Minnehaha neighborhood, tested positive for the presence of silver carp DNA.

Read the full article...

Minneapolis RiverCurrent 10-19-11

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Minneapolis Parks Foundation Names New Executive Director at October 12 MPRB Meeting [Video]

Cecily Hines, President of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation named Mary deLaittre, most recently Project Manager of the Minneapolis Riverfront Design Competition, as the organizations Executive Director at the most recent Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board meeting on October 12, 2011.

*Note - the caption on the video showing the date as October 5 is in error.  The meeting did indeed take place on the 12th.

Minneapolis RiverCurrent 10-13-11

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Download - RiverFirst Design and Implementation Plan

Download - Slideshow: RiverFirst Design and Implementation Plan (presented Sept 2011)

This presentation is a companion to one previously posted below:

http://millcitytimes.com/minneapolis-riverfront-news/download-riverfirst-a-parks-design-proposal-and-implementati.html

Photos - 3rd Annual River Tour with MRP

We attended the 3rd Annual River Tour with the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership last week.  The pictures tell the story of the Upper Riverfront...

Or if you prefer, set to music...

Minneapolis RiverCurrent 10-6-11

Download - Minneapolis RiverCurrent 10-6-11

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