Transit, Sustainability and the Twin Cities Mississippi River Corridor

From The River Talk Blog:

One of the (many) difficulties in managing a large urban river so that the river corridor is sustainable is how to get a handle on transportation.  On one hand, you want the people of the city to know, love, and protect their river.  On the other hand, many of those folks are going to want to visit by car, which causes a whole host of problems:  parking places, air pollution, contributions to sedentary lifestyle.  The list goes on.

But a potential solution in the case of the Twin Cities Mississippi River is on the horizon.  The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MISS) has received over $1 million dollars from the  Federal Transit Administration and NPS Category III funds to implement a partnership, multi-modal, alternative transportation project that builds on  existing public transit, Nice Ride MN’s bike share program, and existing river access.  Over $843,000 came directly from the Federal Transit  Administration, as announced by Administrator Peter Rogoff.

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Politics & Flying Carp

From the Star Tribune:

The sanctity of the Lessard-Sams Council is being challenged, and council members owe it to conservationists statewide and to future councils not to cave when threatened, directly or indirectly, by its legislative members. McNamara isn't the first and won't be the last to insist, in effect, that the council amputate its own appendages. Let him -- them -- make the cuts if they must, or dare.

Secondly, mere shillings won't beat back invasive species, and the sooner the Legislature -- and the governor -- own up to this obvious fact, the sooner an invasive species research center at the U can be developed, and the sooner real action can be made toward minimizing the impact that carp and zebra mussels have on all of us.

Think $30 million in the first year, and $20 million a year thereafter for at least five years.

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Video - Carp & Minnesota

From River Life Facebook page:

Here's a great video with some more information on carp, and what they mean to Minnesota.

Best of 2011 from Friends of the Mississippi River

Video - St. Paul's Great River Passage Plan Unveiled

The Great River Passage Master Plan is intended to transform Saint Paul in profound ways. Developed with hundreds of hours of citizen input, the Great River Passage vision is based on three principles – to be more natural, more urban and more connected.  These were outlined in the 2007 Great River Park chapter of the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework. These principles guide a grand vision for unifying the entire length of Saint Paul’s riverfront. Moving forward, the master plan will set the stage for the manifestation of sustainable parks and open spaces, ecological restoration and economic development, connecting the City, its neighborhoods and people, to Saint Paul’s unique Mississippi River resources.

What is the River Talk Blog?

From River Life:

Last week, I posted a set of accomplishments for 2011.  Now what?

We’ve thought a lot this year about who we are and what we should be doing.

We’re a university program, which means that we have a three part mission:  educate, research, and engage our community.  The previous list makes the first and last of these very evident; we’re “locked in” on community engagement and education.

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Mississippi National River and Recreation Area [Video]

The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area includes 72 miles of the Mississippi River stretching from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey, Minnesota to just downstream of Hastings, Minnesota. The diverse stretch of the river flowing through the park consists of numerous natural, historic, recreational and cultural resources of national significance.

Minnesota Starts New Mississippi River Cleanup Effort

From the Star Tribune:

Project will offer farmers incentives to clean up runoff, but critics say voluntary efforts haven't worked.

Minnesota will be the nation's first test site for a federal program designed to stem the flow of agricultural pollution strangling some of the country's great bodies of water, including Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River.

Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to announce Minnesota's leading role in the project at the Capitol on Tuesday morning, with Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture, and Lisa Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at his side.

They are promoting the pilot project as the start of an ambitious federal strategy that, in essence, would give farmers a green seal of approval if they voluntarily choose to put land conservation and water quality ahead of crop yields.

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A Totally Different View of the Mississippi River [Video]

Video shot in Iowa, looks like a tropical rainforest:

Compared to Downtown Minneapolis:

Downtown Ducks [Photos]

We encountered these fine featherd friends on a recent walk from the West Bank of the Downtown Minneapolis Riverfront, across the Stone Arch Bridge, through Father Hennepin Park, along Historic Main Street, and down on the East Bank of the Minneapolis Riverfront.

Our walk was inspired by a hike we attended in the winter of 2010 guided by Cordelia Pierson of the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership. Support MRP - MinneapolisRiverfrontPartnership.org - and the Minneapolis Riverfront.