The
Confluence January
2006
The Confluence is the monthly electronic
newsletter of Minnesota Waters, a
confluence of the recently merged
At times on quiet
waters one does not speak aloud but only in whispers, for then all noise is
sacrilege.
- Sigurd F.
Olson
In
this issue:
~
The
~
River Leaders’
~
2006 Lakes and Rivers Conference
Hot
Off the Press
~
“Protect Our
Water” 2006 Legislative Agenda
~
~
Clean Water Legacy Gains
Momentum
~ What does
December’s District Court Ruling [on the State’s Cigarette Fee] Mean for the State Budget and
Its Projected Surplus?
~
Phosphorus Fertilizer Restrictions
Upheld in
Resources for
Conferences,
Confabs and Conglomerations
The
Bucks Start Here
~
MLA and RCM Merge to
form
Effective
January 1, the
Join Us for a
Celebration of
January 31,
We’ll gather
members and supporters alike to celebrate our newly formed organization and
honor retiring Board members and founders.
There will be presentations on Minnesota Waters program plans and
milestones and a special guest speaker.
If you plan
to attend, please
RSVP no later than January
25 by calling Keri at our Brainerd office: 800-515-5253 or send an e-mail to
keri@mnlakes.org. We’ll send a map and directions
following your reservation.
River Leaders’
In December the Rivers Council of
Minnesota (RCM) hosted their third River Leaders’
Lakes and Rivers
Conference 2006—mark your calendars today!
Minnesota Waters is
planning for the 2006 Lakes and Rivers Conference, September 7-9 at the Duluth Convention
Center and we need your input.
Please consider which session topics will be most helpful for your
organization, river sentinel or lake stewardship initiatives. The conference will also offer an
exhibit area for businesses in the field of water resource protection. To offer a suggestion for a topic or to
inquire about exhibit space for your company, please contact Keri at the
Minnesota Waters, Brainerd office: 800-515-5253 or keri@mnlakes.org.
~ Hot Off the Press
~
“Protect Our Water”
2006 Legislative Agenda
The 2006
“Protect Our Water” legislative campaign is underway. The Minnesota
Environmental Partnership (MEP) and MEP member organizations, including
Minnesota Waters, are committed to achieving this legislative agenda, but we can’t do it alone—“Protect Our Water”
needs citizen support. To learn more about the agenda, click
here. Or to support the
agenda, use your voice and protect our water, consider participating in one of
the following events:
Protect Our Water
In-district Legislative Meetings
If you live in a
district where a meeting is being held, please contact the meeting coordinator
for more information and to RSVP.
District 27,
Rep. Dan Dorman
Monday, January 23,
Contact Bobby King or Blaise
Sopiwnik of Land Stewardship Project at
612-722-6377.
District 60,
Rep. Anderson-Kelliher and Sen. Dibble
Tuesday,
January 24,
Contact Elizabeth
Storey of Friends of the
District 64,
Rep. Entenza and Sen. Cohen
Wednesday, January 25,
Contact
Elizabeth Storey
of Friends of the
District 57,
Rep. Denny McNamara
February 1,
Contact
Katie Galloway,
Friends of the
District 4,
Rep. Howes and Sen. Ruud
Friday,
February 3,
Contact Molly
Zins of
District 65,
Rep. Mariani and Sen. Pappas
Monday,
February 6,
Contact Elizabeth
Storey of Friends of the
District 39,
Reps. Hansen & Atkins and Sen. Metzen
Tuesday,
February 7,
Contact Elizabeth
Storey of Friends of the
District 30,
Sen Sheila Kiscaden (and possibly Representatives Tina Welti and
Andy Leibling)
February 15,
Contact
Fran Sauer of
District 37,
Sen. Chris Gerlach and Rep. Dennis Ozment
February 23,
Contact
Katie Galloway,
Friends of the
Protect Our Water
Citizens Day at the Capitol
March 14,
Meet with your
legislators to discuss this year’s Protect Our Water agenda and your local
priorties for water protection.
RALLY with citizens from across the state to celebrate the Protect Our
Water agenda in the State Capitol Rotunda at
MEP 10th
Annual Legislative Forum
March 1,
Mark your
calendars and watch The Confluence
for more information in February.
The Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency (MPCA) announced
Clean Water Legacy
Gains Momentum
A recent court
case and projected state budget surplus have the Clean Water Legacy partners
focused on 2006. Fortunately for
the impaired waters effort, the announced General Fund surplus was even larger
than expected. On November 30, the Finance Department released its report
indicating the state could expect approximately $1 billion of additional revenue
between 2006 and 2008. The Clean
Water Legacy stakeholders are realistic about the prospects for long-term
general fund dollars for the clean water effort when education, social services
and other groups are seeking resources. Still, the partners see the surplus as
the best opportunity yet to establish this initiative into law and set the stage
for a serious conversation among legislators in 2007 about secure long-term
funding for the impaired waters effort.
To read
the full report and learn more about the Clean Water Legacy in 2006, click here.
What does December’s
District Court Ruling [on the State’s Cigarette Fee] Mean for the State Budget
and Its Projected Surplus?
Letter from MEP Lobbyist,
Released:
The political
news of the week was that a Ramsey County Court overturned the state's new
cigarette wholesale fee. There are several interesting constitutional issues
that this fee litigation brings to the forefront. One of the important questions
is whether the Attorney General’s Office can forbid the Legislature to raise a
revenue without their approval through settlement of litigation. More importantly for those of us trying
to find additional dollars for the environment, what does the District Court
ruling mean for the state budget and its projected surplus? It was the existence
of this surplus that we we’re counting on for an expanded bonding bill and
funding for Clean Water Legacy.
Click
hereto read the
letter in its entirety.
Phosphorus Fertilizer
Restrictions Upheld in
The
~ Resources for
Green Spaces—Clean
Waters Booklet
This booklet
introduces and demonstrates landscaping ideas that improve water quality, by
cleaning and reducing water runoff, including ideas for lawn care, rain gardens,
rain barrels, green roofs, buffers and green parking. There are drawings of an
urban residential home and a small business showing how all of the landscaping
ideas can be incorporated together.
To order the Green Spaces—Clean Waters booklet, click
here or contact Tree Trust at 651-644-5800.
Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Watershed Website
The EPA's
Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds recently created a website to help
nonprofit watershed organizations, state and local governments who are working
to improve watershed health. The
site includes the Draft Handbook for
Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect our Waters, information on
funding and much more. Click here
to visit the website.
The Minnesota
Stormwater Manual is a valuable tool for stormwater managers; it helps
professionals and newcomers manage stormwater in a way that conserves, enhances,
and restores high-quality water in our lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and
ground water, ensuring a high quality of life for all Minnesotans. User comments will guide the Stormwater
Steering Committee’s twice-yearly revisions. Click
here to download or to comment on the
Manual.
Smart Growth
Technical Assistance Opportunities
Assistance is
available from the US EPA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA),
and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for local governments that face
growth pressures and the challenge to develop in ways that improve the tax base,
provide housing and transportation choices, and minimize environmental
impacts. This assistance can be tremendously helpful
for local
Shoreland Plant
Selection for Non-Botanists
Mary Blickenderfer,
Are you
overwhelmed by the long list of native plants to choose from when planning your
shoreland revegetation project? In this article, shoreland specialists share
their “short list” of native aquatic plant species - plants that have performed
the best in restorations statewide. In upcoming newsletters look for the “short
lists” of wet transition and upland plant species. Click
here to read the
article in its entirety.
Sustainable Tourism
Survey
The University
of Minnesota Tourism Center wants to know your interest in and educational
preferences for sustainable tourism.
They have developed a 9-question survey that includes questions about you
and your organization's interest in attending a sustainable tourism
conference. Responses will help
guide educational product development and allow the University to better serve
the sustainable tourism industry.
The survey is completely voluntary, confidential, and anonymous. Click
here to complete the
survey.
Minnesotan and North Dakotan MS4s
in the
~
Conferences, Confabs and Conglomerations ~
January 24,
Meeting of an
organization formed to enable diverse watershed groups to speak as one voice on
issues facing the river's water quality, biological integrity and scenic
beauty. Free. For details, contact Larry Gunderson of
the MPCA at larry.gunderson@pca.state.mn.us.
Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency Mercury Meeting
January 24,
The Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is holding a meeting to discuss part of the
state’s plan to reduce the mercury contaminating our water, our fish and our
children. For more information go
to www.MercuryFreeMinnesota.org or call
The
January
25-February 9
These workshops
are designed to introduce the manual and provide training in "better site
design." You can register for either the morning session, afternoon
session, or both for any of the state-wide locations. Click here to learn more.
Public Comment on
The formal public comment period on
the draft list is from Jan. 23 through
Date
Location
Time
Jan. 26
Jan. 30
Jan. 31
Feb. 1
Brainerd
Feb. 6
Feb. 7
Feb. 8
Water Quality and the
Health of the
January 28,
Dr. William
Toscano, Chair of the Environmental Health Sciences division of the University
of Minnesota School of Public Health, will answer questions such as: What
toxins are entering the
Wetlands
February 4,
The Wetlands
Summit is an outgrowth of the Rally for Ducks, Wetlands and Clean Water,
attended by more than 5,000 people on the Capitol grounds in April 2005.
The Rally called for holding a Wetlands Summit to review current programs and
problems, and identify corrective measures needed. There will be a registration fee of $20
per person, which includes morning and afternoon refreshments and lunch. Click here for more information.
17th
Annual MECA Erosion Control and Stormwater Management
Conference
March 9 & 10th at
Double Tree Park Place Hotel,
The Minnesota
Erosion Control Association (MECA) is planning its 2006 Annual Erosion Control
and Stormwater Management Conference.
For more information call MECA at
763-478-3267.
The Great Waters Fly
Fishing Expo
March 31—April 2, Sheraton
Minneapolis South Hotel,
The Expo
features fly fishing, fly casting and fly tying celebrities and teachers.
Non-stop fly fishing education, free fly casting lessons and demonstrations for
beginning and experienced casters as well as grass-roots efforts to protect our
streams, rivers and lakes.
Click
here for more information.
7th Annual NATIONAL
RIVER RALLY
May
5-9,
The 2006
National River Rally will bring together hundreds of river and watershed
organizations for throughout the nation and beyond for professional and personal
development, education, organizing and celebration. Click here for more information.
River Management Society Biennial Symposium
May 9-12,
RMS is pleased
to announce the joint meeting "Collaborating in the Current" - the 8th Biennial
RMS Symposium and 10th Annual Missouri River Natural Resources Conference. RMS
and MRNRC have issued a Call for Papers to promote the science and understanding
of river management. Click here for more information.
National
September 24-28, Courtyard Marriott
at the Depot,
This workshop will once again bring
together land managers and water quality specialists to share information on the
effectiveness of best management practices in improving water quality, effective
monitoring techniques, and statistical analysis of watershed data. The workshop
will focus on the successes of Section 319 National Monitoring Program projects
and other innovative projects from throughout the
~
The Bucks Start Here ~
Make A Splash (MAS)
with Project WET Water Festival
On this day, more than 60,000 K-12
schoolchildren will gather at sites across the country, to draw attention to the
importance of water in our daily lives.
Sponsorship & Grant Deliverables include: $3,000; bottled water for
up to 1,000 students; Project WET water festival teacher guides; and project
WET’s Spring Waters Books for each participating classroom. Applications are due
BoatU.S. Foundation
Clean Water Grants
The BoatU.S.
Foundation is dedicated to promoting safe and environmentally sensitive boating.
The Clean Water Grants Program provides grants of up to $4,000 for the promotion
of clean boating education. The deadline
is
Environmental
Assistance Open Grant Round
Environmental
Assistance at the MPCA requests proposals for projects or practices related to:
the development or implementation of pollution prevention projects or practices.
These include activities such as green building, sustainable community
development, low-impact development, and environmental education. $400,000 available; $40,000 max. grant;
33% cash or in-kind match required.
To learn more, click here. The
preliminary application is due February 10, 2006.
Wetland Tax
Exemption
Created in 1979
by the MN Legislature, this program exempts qualifying areas from property taxes
so as to maintain wetlands in their natural state, providing wildlife and water
conservation benefits. Eligible areas are generally those lands mostly under
water that produce little if any income. Private landowners can apply without
completing an application by contacting their county assessor's office. For more
information, visit http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/water/wetland_tax.html.
To have material
included for announcement or to request removal of your name from this mailing
list, please send information to lakes@mnlakes.org. Do not reply to the listserv from which
you received this message.
Minnesota
Waters
promotes responsible
stewardship of our water resources by engaging citizens, state and local policy
makers and other like-minded partners in the protection and restoration of our
lakes and rivers. We achieve our mission through watershed education,
citizen monitoring, supporting conservation stewardship, influencing public
policy and empowering citizen groups to manage their local water resources.