Mississippi Messages - April 2013

FMR Updates Save the date: May 25 is the Fulton-FMR beer release! Many thanks to all of you who submitted names for the new beer Fulton Beer is brewing for FMR’s 20th Anniversary. We hope ALL of you are planning to come to the release party at Fulton Beer’s tap room on May 25th! Read more » $2 off Peace Coffee and 20% for the river Peace Coffee and FMR have teamed up to make sure your tap water stays clean. Until June 30th, you can get $2 off your purchase of Peace Coffee around town or online, and 20% of the proceeds come to FMR! Read more » Epic Mississippi River Challenge video goes viral, plus dates to remember Every past Mississippi River Challenge paddler would probably agree that the dramatic musical score in our latest promo video only comes close to capturing the real essence of the Mississippi River Challenge. See it here, and find out what’s coming up for the countdown to the 10th Annual Mississippi River Challenge. Read more » Triclosan in Minnesota: An update The good news: Governor Dayton’s March 4th executive order requires state agencies to stop buying products that contain triclosan. The bad news: Legislation to initiate a statewide consumer product phase-out of triclosan, authored by Senator John Marty, failed on a 7-to-5 vote in the Commerce Committee, with Democrats Jim Metzen and Vicki Jensen voting with Republicans against the measure. Read more » Water Quality Policy Update FMR, alongside our friends in the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, are actively engaged with ongoing efforts to indentify and promote effective river protection strategies at the Minnesota Legislature. One of our top priorities this session is the Clean Water Legacy Accountability Act. Read more » Is Asian Carp still a looming threat? You betcha! New study finds no DNA evidence of Asian carp! That’s good news, right? Actually, it fits under a category often used in the environmental advocacy arena: it’s less bad. In spite of these latest findings, the Stop Carp Coalition, the Minnesota DNR and the agencies that released this study are still urging immediate action in the fight against Asian carp. Read more » Culminating three years of engagement, St. Paul City Council gives blessing to Great River Passage Master Plan The long-awaited Great River Passage master plan sets a high standard for riverfront planning through the metro area, creating a comprehensive vision for the City’s 17-mile-long river corridor. Read more » As Above the Falls Plan moves forward, FMR calls for design standards The updated Above the Falls Plan would keep much more of the west side of the river as industrial or commercial property than had been envisioned. That’s fine, but only if there are enforceable design standards to ensure new development complements the river. Read more » FMR welcomes a new Mississippi River Challenge coordinator to the team Please join us in welcoming Austin Aho to the 2013 Mississippi River Challenge coordinating team. He brings great experience and great ideas to the event this year, and we are excited to have him on board. Read more » Join FMR for Earth Day cleanups, plantings and more Restoration season is finally here. Help jumpstart it Saturday, April 20th at our traditional inaugural Earth Day cleanups in Minneapolis and Lakeville, or by helping to plant a raingarden in St. Paul’s Crosby Park, Saturday, April 27th. If you’re looking for a longer-term but flexible commitment, consider taking the Pledge to Pull to protect native spring ephemeral plants in Crosby Park or Pine Bend Scientific & Natural Area this spring. Read more » Mississippi River News Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Conditions and Trends Report Staff from the Met Council, St. Croix Watershed Research Station, and the National Park Service have recently released a report documenting 30 years of water quality data (and trends) for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Read more » Big Muddy, Big Money As another navigation season begins on the Mississippi a recent article in Forbes explores the massive taxpayer subsidies that keep commercial navigation on the big river profitable and competitive with other modes. According to the article, “Washington picks up more of the cost of riverborne shipping than any other type of logistics enterprise in the U.S. except, perhaps, resupplying the International Space Station...Trains and trucks largely pay their own way. Barges don’t.” Read more » National Rivers and Streams Assessment The National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA) is a study of all rivers and streams of the U.S., from the largest “great rivers” to the smallest headwater streams. Compared to a 2004 Assessment, the NRSA found significant changes in stream conditions nationally, including that 7% fewer stream miles are in good biological condition and nutrient pollution is widespread; 40% of river and stream miles have high levels of phosphorus and 27% have high levels of nitrogen. Read more » Mississippi River Mayors, lawmakers unite around holistic approach to waterway’s interests Mayors from Mississippi River communities are joining with members of Congress to draw attention to the waterway and the needs of communities dotting its banks. About a dozen mayors – including St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis – from communities big and small were in Washington in March to announce the formation of the Mississippi River Platform. The goal is to raise awareness of issues such as water quality, community development and drought and flood preparation. Read more » St. Croix River: Zebra mussel population continues to plummet A report prepared by the National Park Service shows that populations of zebra mussels have plummeted in key portions of the St. Croix River for the second straight year. The findings prompted a leading biologist to suggest the St. Croix has a “unique second chance” at a river nearly free of the invasive mussels -- as long as humans don’t reintroduce them. Read more » Calendar of Events Schedule your stenciling outing today! Mid-April through mid-October, 2013 City of Saint Paul If you're looking for a great service outing that is educational, active, outdoors and provides a significant community benefit, consider storm drain stenciling. It's just one and a half to three hours in length, and can be set at a time and St. Paul location convenient for your group. Reservations are now being taken for April through October 2013. Read more » Upcoming State of the River Report presentations Various dates Various locations In September 2012, Friends of the Mississippi River and the National Park Service released the first-ever State of the River Report, detailing the ecological health of the Twin Cities stretch of the Mississippi River. While the report is available in its entirety at StateoftheRiver.com, FMR and NPS staff will also be presenting the report several times over the coming months. We encourage you to attend any one of a number of public events, listed at StateoftheRiver.com. Read more » Earth Day in the city: Minneapolis watershed cleanup Saturday, April 20, 2013 — 9:30 a.m.-noon E. 36th St. & E. 44th St. at W. River Pkwy, Mississippi River Gorge, Minneapolis Join this Earth Day tradition in the Minneapolis River Gorge! People come from throughout the local river corridor neighborhoods and metro area to contribute to the health and vitality of the Mississippi River Watershed. All ages are welcome and all supplies provided, including lunch. We’ll meet at two sites along the parkway and bluff-top. Pick whichever works better for you — the oak savanna at East 36th Street and West River Parkway, or the maple basswood forest at 44th and the parkway. No registration is required and complete details and directions are available on the event page. We look forward to seeing you at the first River Gorge Stewards event of the season! Read more » South Creek, Vermillion Stewards Earth Day cleanup Saturday, April 20, 2013 — 9 am-noon South Creek, Lakeville Help clean up South Creek, which feeds the Vermillion River, an important tributary of the Mississippi River and trophy trout stream. This cleanup is part of the city of Lakeville's Watershed Cleanup Day. This event is also part of the Vermillion Stewards program, which helps local residents learn about the watershed while working to protect and enhance its unique natural resources. Learn more from the event page, or contact Lindsay, FMR's new event registrar, to sign up now: lhefferan@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x24. We look forward to seeing you at the first River Gorge Stewards event of the season! Read more » Hastings Area Birding Festival Saturday, April 20 — 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Carpenter Nature Center, Hastings Have you always wanted to learn more about the birds that live in your backyard? Whether you're an experienced birder or can't tell a robin from a chickadee, this is the perfect opportunity. With bird banding demonstrations, field trips to local birding hot spots for experts or beginners, a youth birding competition, and "Raptors 101", people of all ages and birding levels will find much to enjoy. Learn more, and download the registration forms directly from the event page. Read more » Mississippi River Challenge Meet-ups Last Tuesday of the month Various This year, Mississippi River Challenge paddlers, volunteers and enthusiasts are all encouraged to come to our series of meet-ups and social hours. Held the last Tuesday of every month at various Twin Cities locations, meetups will feature door prizes, Q and A with staff, and special registration promotions. Whether you're there to register with one of our special promotions, learn more about the Mississippi River Challenge, or just to meet and greet with others involved in this world-class paddling event, each meet-up will be a great chance to get involved in the Mississippi River Challenge community! For more information, please visit MississippiRiverChallenge.org, or subscribe to our Facebook and Twitter feeds!! Read more » Pledge to Pull in the Crosby Park Ephemeral Patch Wednesday, May 1 — 6:00-8:00 p.m. Crosby Park, Mississippi River Gorge, St. Paul Enjoy a spring evening near the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers helping to protect native plants from an invasive species. The area volunteers will be working in is home to a striking array of native spring wildflowers — Dutchman's breeches, trout lily, and Jack-in-the-pulpit to name a few — all in need of volunteer assistance. Volunteers will take the "Pledge to Pull" and will be certified to return to the area and independently remove the invasive species garlic mustard at times convenient for them. This opportunity was created for those looking to contribute more than a couple hours, but who need to set their own volunteer schedule. Trained participants may return to the area with family and friends to train and work with them as well. Learn more on the event page, or sign up now with Lindsay at lhefferan@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x24. Read more » Garlic Mustard Removal and Pledge to Pull Training at Pine Bend Thursday, May 2 — 6:00-8:00 p.m. Pine Bend Scientific and Natural Area, Inver Grove Heights In addition to stunning river valley views Pine Bend Scientific and Natural Area provides vital habitat for many birds who rely on the Mississippi River flyway. Come join this award-winning regional restoration project. You can contribute for two hours, or sign up to Pledge to Pull to return to this protected area to complete additional restoration work on your own or with friends or family. Learn more on the event page, or sign up now with Lindsay at lhefferan@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x24. Read more » Whose View? From Where? April 2013 Each month in this section, we feature a photo from somewhere along the river corridor in the Twin Cities that is in some way significant, important, or just plain scenic. Individuals may then e-mail us and identify the view and explain why they believe it is significant to the community or important to them personally. Read more » March 2013 answer Kudos to the several of you who correctly identified the landmark in the photo! Read more » Resource of the Month Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance: Local Resource Management Scorecard Over the past six months, our friends at the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA) have been developing a Local Resource Management Scorecard to compare conservation efforts across the Minnesota River Basin, which contribute to the reduction of sediment, both in the Minnesota River and in Lake Pepin. Read more » Phenology Garters One of the spectacular events to witness in the spring is the emergence of garter snakes. Seeing dozens of garters emerging from a den is a true sign that spring has arrived. Read more » Supporting FMR So many great ways to support FMR AND get some awesome benefits! Fulton Beer, Peace Coffee, a fabulous paddling experience, knowing that you’ve strengthened the community voice for the river...what’s not to like about supporting FMR?! Read more » Quote of the Month “With so many trees in the city, you could see the spring coming each day until a night of warm wind would bring it suddenly in one morning. Sometimes the heavy cold rains would beat it back so that it would seem that it would never come and that you were losing a season out of your life. This was the only truly sad time in Paris because it was unnatural. You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintry light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person had died for no reason. In those days, though, the spring always came finally but it was frightening that it had nearly failed.”         - Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast   FMR Updates Save the date: May 25 is the Fulton-FMR beer release! $2 off Peace Coffee and 20% for the river Epic Mississippi River Challenge video goes viral, plus dates to remember Triclosan in Minnesota: An update Water Quality Policy Update Is Asian Carp still a looming threat? You betcha! Culminating three years of engagement, St. Paul City Council gives blessing to Great River Passage Master Plan As Above the Falls Plan moves forward, FMR calls for design standards FMR welcomes a new Mississippi River Challenge coordinator to the team Join FMR for Earth Day cleanups, plantings and more Mississippi River News Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Conditions and Trends Report Big Muddy, Big Money National Rivers and Streams Assessment Mississippi River Mayors, lawmakers unite around holistic approach to waterway’s interests St. Croix River: Zebra mussel population continues to plummet Calendar of Events Schedule your stenciling outing today! Upcoming State of the River Report presentations Earth Day in the city: Minneapolis watershed cleanup South Creek, Vermillion Stewards Earth Day cleanup Hastings Area Birding Festival Mississippi River Challenge Meet-ups Pledge to Pull in the Crosby Park Ephemeral Patch Garlic Mustard Removal and Pledge to Pull Training at Pine Bend Whose View? From Where? April 2013 March 2013 answer Resource of the Month Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance: Local Resource Management Scorecard Phenology Garters Supporting FMR So many great ways to support FMR AND get some awesome benefits! Mississippi Messages is a twice-monthly e-mail update distributed by Friends of the Mississippi River to help our members and subscribers stay informed on issues, FMR events, and opportunities related to the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities area. All subscribers' names and e-mail addresses are kept confidential. Original contents copyright 2013, Friends of the Mississippi River http://www.fmr.org