Mississippi Messages October 2012

FMR Updates State of the River Report release a huge statewide success FMR and The National Park Service’s late-September release of the groundbreaking State of the River Report has been generating substantial media coverage. If you missed its well-attended launch at the Science Museum of Minnesota, you can catch up an upcoming presentation, schedule one of your own, or read the report and take the State of the River Stewardship Pledge. Read more » Join us! FMR’s final fall outings There’s still time to get outside to help improve wildlife habitat and water quality this season. Saturday, October 20th, October 27th or November 3rd, 9a.m.-noon, volunteers are needed to help FMR staff just off the beaten path in Hastings, Cottage Grove and Rosemount. Helping to remove invasive species and haul brush, you’ll get a real workout, and should see a real difference after just a couple hours of work. Sign up for one or all! Read more » ‘Evening Celebrating the Mississippi River’ once again a success! FMR would like to express many thanks to hosts Peggy and Dave Lucas, our host and co-host committees, our speakers (including Walter Mondale), our silent auction donors, Fabulous Catering, East Lake Liquors, and all of the attendees and supporters who helped make FMR's 2012 fall fundraiser the most successful ever. The event raised over $36,000 that will go right to work for the river! Photos by Matt Holland are available on FMR’s flickr page. Read more » Above the Falls plan revision coming together After years of work and dozens of meetings, plans for the north and northeast Minneapolis riverfront are taking their final shape. Translation: Rubber, meet road. Read more » Welcome FMR fall intern Gabby Ghreichi! If you’ve participated in an FMR event this fall, or plan to, you’ve probably met our top-notch restoration and education events intern, Gabrielle Ghreichi. A senior at the University of Minnesota, Gabby came to us through the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs or HECUA program, and we’re lucky she did. Read more » Mississippi River News ‘Cleaning up at Maplewood Mall’ When pollution control officials realized that minerals were seeping into Maplewood's Kohlman Lake, it wasn't difficult to figure out why: the nearby 70-acre Maplewood Mall parking lots were laden with phosphorus and sediment. Rain would wash minerals from the impervious surfaces into storm sewers, through Kohlman Creek and into the 74-acre lake, which then turned green with algae. Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District planners not only recognized the problem, but seized it as a chance to demonstrate how a state-of-the-art retrofitting with tree trenches, raingardens, porous pavements and other kinds of low-impact storm-water management techniques could transform a commercial parking lot into an environmental asset. Learn more in this Star Tribune article by Don Jacobson. Read more » ‘Important change isn't spontaneous’ What do Lindsay Whalen of the Minnesota Lynx and the Redwood River have in common? The success of each can be linked to landmark legislation that turns 40 this year: Title IX and the Clean Water Act. As the fall campaign season approaches with its inevitable targeting of government regulations as obstacles to progress, Michelle Beeman, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, invites us to take a look back and recognize the importance of such monumental acts — to stop and recognize: "Wow, that was really the right thing to do." Read more » Powderhorn Lake scrubs out pollution Although the State is still adding many more lakes and rivers to its list of water bodies that fail to meet water quality standards, there are occasionally a few bright spots worth mentioning. Most recently Powderhorn Lake, a pond in the heart of South Minneapolis was removed from the list. Read more » Hastings Bridge placement time-lapse video Watch the entire process of moving the 6.5 million pound Highway 61 bridge down the river and lifting it into place. The process took about 60 hours from start to finish, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Read more » Calendar of Events Hastings Scientific and Natural Area Brush Haul Saturday, October 20 — 9:00 a.m.-noon Hastings Scientific and Natural Area, Hastings Hastings SNA is a small but diverse, high-quality natural area adjacent to the Vermillion River bottoms. Floodplain forest and marshland cover the low-lying areas, while oak forest and sugar-maple basswood forest cover the steep, 170-foot limestone bluffs. The site has a wonderful array of woodland wildflowers, but exotic brush like buckthorn is creeping in from the edges. Volunteers will work to begin the restoration of some of the blufftop areas by hauling cut brush. Professional crews will have already cut the brush prior to the event, and by hauling it out volunteers will help open the canopy, making way for more beneficial native plants to return. To ensure a high-quality experience, capacity is limited and preregistration required. To learn more, or sign up, please see the event listing or contact Katie at kclower@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x23. Read more » ’Attack of the Asian carp’ Thursday, October 25 — 7:00-8:15 pm HUGE Theater, 3037 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis We’ve all heard the horror stories or seen the YouTube videos; giant fish leap from otherwise placid waters to attack unsuspecting boaters. But other than a few bumps to the head, what danger do Asian carp really pose to Minnesota’s waters? Is it even possible to halt their invasion? What secret weapons are scientists cooking up to combat these silvery villains? The Theater of Public Policy uses live improvisational theater to bring public policy issues and debates to life. This show features Jon Anfinson of the National Park Service (and an FMR board member) and is hosted by StopCarp.org ally Clean Water Action. For more information, visit the Theater of Public Policy. Read more » 'Tunnel Valley' Restoration Saturday, October 27 — 9:00 am-noon Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park, Cottage Grove Centered around one of the most impressive landscape features in southern Washington County, Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park totals nearly 600 acres. Its namesake ravine, known as "tunnel valley," was carved by a subglacial drainageway and is approximately a half-mile wide with 80- to 100-foot slopes. Historically, the slopes were covered by oak woodland and savanna, however they've grown in with trees and invasive nonnative shrubs. Volunteers are need to work with FMR ecologist Karen Schik to begin the restoration of this beautiful landscape by hauling away pre-cut brush. Professional crews will cut down the brush prior to the event; by hauling it out, volunteers will help open the canopy, making way for more beneficial native plants to return and clearing the way for further restoration efforts. No experience is required and all supplies, as well as lunch, will be provided. Capacity is limited to ensure a high staff-to-volunteer ratio in this highly protected area, and to ensure a positive volunteer experience. To sign up, please contact FMR Program Assistant Katie Clower at kclower@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x23. Or, for more information, please see the event listing. Read more » Help restore habitat at Pine Bend Bluffs Saturday, November 3 — 9:00 a.m.-noon Pine Bend Bluffs near Highway 52, Flint Hills property, Rosemount Join Friends of the Mississippi River, Flint Hills Resources and Great River Greening as we return to the Flint Hills property within the Pine Bend Bluffs Natural Area along the Mississippi River — one of the largest and most diverse native ecosystems left in the metro area. The site is owned by Flint Hills Resources and is only accessible to the public for special events such as this. This award-winning restoration project includes sand-gravel prairie, oak savanna, and oak forest plant communities. We'll be working in a black ash seepage swamp (which will be dry at this time of year), an uncommon type of habitat along the edge of Spring Lake where skunk cabbage and marsh marigold bloom in the spring. Working with FMR and Great River Greening ecologists and staff, volunteers will remove invasive species — helping to stack pre-cut buckthorn brush — and assist with other restoration tasks. After clearing the buckthorn, we may get glimpses of the large marsh beyond. All tools and supplies will be provided, as well as lunch at the conclusion of the event. The location is roughly 25 minutes south of Minneapolis/St. Paul and 15 minutes west of Hastings. All registrants will be emailed directions to the meeting spot along with all other event basics. Individuals, families and small and large groups welcome! To ensure a high-quality experience, capacity is limited and preregistration required. To learn more, or sign up, please see the event listing or contact Katie at kclower@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x23. Read more » ‘Make and Take’ Rain Barrel Workshop Wednesday, November 14 — 6:30-8:30 pm Minnesota humanities Center (near Lake Phalen), St. Paul Did you know that, according to the EPA, lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer ? Or that the biggest threat to our waters today is polluted runoff — water that runs off our roofs and into our streets and alleys, carrying oil, sediment and other contaminants into our lakes, rivers and streams? But there is one simple way to save water, save money, and help protect our watershed: use a rain barrel to collect and store rainwater for use on your lawn and gardens. During the course of this workshop, participants will be provided with the necessary parts ($30 per kit) and guided through the process of converting these containers to rain barrels. To learn more, or sign up, please see the event listing. Read more » Phenology Legends of the prairie fall Move over forests. With its wine and copper-hued grasses and forbs, the Minnesota prairie offers a feast for the senses. Read more » Whose View? From Where? October 2012 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 » June 2012 Answer After a brief "vacation," Whose View has returned from its hiatus for another month with two correct guesses for our last photo. A couple people got last month's photo correct. Read more » Supporting FMR Making the State of the River Report effective! FMR and MNRRA's release of the first State of the River Report met with significant press and wide acclaim. But this is only the first step. Next comes leveraging the report to change policies and implement measures to protect our lands and waters. The river has shown us that it can heal itself if we let it — let's make sure it continues to have that opportunity! Support FMR's advocacy efforts on behalf of the river today by contributing online. We'll put your support right to work for water quality! Read more » Quote of the Month “Like the sorcerer’s apprentice, we are acting upon dangerously incomplete knowledge. We are, in effect, conducting a huge experiment on ourselves.”         - Barry Commoner, “Science and Survival”   FMR Updates State of the River Report release a huge statewide success Join us! FMR’s final fall outings ‘Evening Celebrating the Mississippi River’ once again a success! Above the Falls plan revision coming together Welcome FMR fall intern Gabby Ghreichi! Mississippi River News ‘Cleaning up at Maplewood Mall’ ‘Important change isn't spontaneous’ Powderhorn Lake scrubs out pollution Hastings Bridge placement time-lapse video Calendar of Events Hastings Scientific and Natural Area Brush Haul ’Attack of the Asian carp’ 'Tunnel Valley' Restoration Help restore habitat at Pine Bend Bluffs ‘Make and Take’ Rain Barrel Workshop Phenology Legends of the prairie fall Whose View? From Where? October 2012 June 2012 Answer Supporting FMR Making the State of the River Report effective! 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 2012, Friends of the Mississippi River http://www.fmr.org