There will be a FREE gardening knowledge workshop at Whitney Senior Center on Saturday, February 20, 2010. This event will include a rain barrel building session. You can preregister by calling the Stearns County Extension at 320-255-6169. There will be three one hour sessions to follow taught by Stearns County Master Gardeners. Registration is limited to 70 participants.
Friday, February 19, 7:30-9:00 a.m.
“Minnesota’s Clean Water Council”
Louis Smith and Earl Bukowski, Clean Water Council
The Clean Water Council was created, through Minnesota’s 2006 Clean Water Legacy Act, to advise on protecting, restoring, and preserving the quality of Minnesota’s surface waters. This mandate predates the constitutional amendment (the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment) that Minnesotans passed in November 2008, as well as the Clean Water Fund that was established as a result of the amendment.
What is the Clean Water Council working on and recommending for funding these days? Has its work changed since the passage of the constitutional amendment, and, if so, how? Join us for a conversation about the work of the Clean Water Council and how it is helping to preserve Minnesota’s water resources!
Louis Smith and Earl Bukowski are both members of the Clean Water Council (Smith is the former Chair). Louis Smith, of Minneapolis, is an attorney with Smith Partners PLLP. He serves as legal counsel for a number of watershed districts and -management organizations around the state. Earl Bukowski, of Sauk Rapids, is a Benton County Commissioner. He also serves on the Natural Resources Committee for the Association of Minnesota Counties.
Light breakfast provided. Free.
LOCATION:
St. Cloud City Council Chambers
400-2nd Street South, St. Cloud, 56301.
The Master Naturalist program is a community-based natural-resource volunteer program that is open to any adult who is interested in learning more about the natural world. This program is different than the Master Gardener program as it will provide participants a broader based understanding of the state’s natural environments.
Those who sign up for the program will have the opportunity to be trained in any one, or all, of Minnesota’s biomes - prairie, deciduous forest or coniferous forest. However, in order to be certified as a master naturalist, volunteers must complete 40 hours of training and a supervised sponsored outreach project. Following training, these conservationists will assist the DNR, the Extension Service and other partners with public outreach and management of the state’s diverse natural environments.
Additional information is available at http://www.MinnesotaMasterNaturalist.org .
The Sauk River Watershed District (SRWD) is updating the Rules for the District’s permitting program. These rules establish the baseline for when a permit is required on a project. The District’s watershed management plan identifies several areas where District Rules are necessary to effectuate the District’s statutory purposes. The Districts Rules are intended to fill gaps in existing federal, state, and local regulations, not duplicate existing regulation.
The four provisions in the rules are: Stormwater, Erosion Control, Drainage, and Water Uses. A complete copy of the rules is available on the SRWD website at www.srwdmn.org. It is also recommended to read the SONAR document along with the rules.
The Sauk River Watershed will hold a public hearing that is open to all persons within the Sauk River Watershed on January 26th, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. The hearing will be held at Melrose City Center, in Melrose, MN. The purpose of the hearing is to take comment on the proposed rules revision for the SRWD per Minnesota Statute 103D.341.
For more information about the Sauk River Watershed District programs visit our website at www.srwdmn.org or call (320) 352-2231.
Minnesotans will have the chance to voice their opinion in person on how the state should invest resources to protect clean water at statewide public meetings beginning Jan. 19, 2010 coordinated by the University of Minnesota’s Water Resources Center and the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources.
The meetings, called “listening sessions,” will be facilitated by staff from the Water Resources Center and Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources and are a chance for people to voice their opinions on a range of water-related issues from boating and water recreation, to priorities for cleaning up polluted lakes and streams.
The meetings are scheduled as follows:
• Jan. 19 – Holiday Inn and Suites, 75 S. 37th Ave, St. Cloud.
• Jan. 21 – Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska.
• Feb. 3 — University of Minnesota, Crookston’s University Youngquist Auditorium, 2900 University Ave., Crookston.
• Feb. 4 – Northland Auditorium, 14250 Conservation Dr., Baxter.
• Feb. 10 – Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Building, 525 S. Lake Ave., Duluth.
• Feb. 11 – Holiday Inn South, 1630 S. Broadway, Rochester.
• Feb. 16 – Best Western Marshall Inn, 1500 E. College Dr., Marshall.
From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., each meeting will focus on concerns of professionals associated with local government units, soil and water conservation districts and watershed districts. Citizens, community leaders and elected and appointed officials will have a chance to share their concerns from 4 to 6 p.m.
The meetings are free and open to the public
The U of MN Water Resources Center received a grant of $750,000 to develop a 25-year framework for Minnesota. This money is generated by the increased sales tax that MN citizens approved in the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment last November.
The framework will direct how the State on how to protect and enhance the quality and quantity of Minnesota’s ground and surface waters.
They want this framework to reflect the perspectives of people from across the state – not just the technical, agency, or legislative interests in Saint Paul. There is a survey posted on the WEB – this is an opportunity for you to give your opinion and be heard!
The website is www.wrc.umn.edu
If you own shoreland or do building or excavating work in shoreland, you should check out the “Stearns County Shoreland, Erosion Control, and Stormwater Training” workshop. It will be an all-day training on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at Gorecki Hall at the College of St. Benedict.
Topics covered include shoreland restoration, rain gardens and using trees for stormwater management.
There is a fee of $30 which includes lunch and breaks. For more information contact the Stearns County Environmental Services Department, (320) 656-3613.
The Minnesota DNR and Minnesota Waters invite all interested citizens to attend an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Open House. A series of five AIS Prevention Open Houses will be held throughout Minnesota during January. The Open Houses will provide information on statewide AIS prevention strategies and resources available for citizen-leaders working on AIS at the local level. In addition, the DNR will be seeking input and comments on AIS prevention efforts.
Each Open House will include informational tables on AIS:
• regulations and enforcement;
• watercraft inspections and public education;
• local and regional resources for AIS prevention; and
• identification and general AIS information.
DNR staff will also provide a 20-minute presentation on AIS prevention strategies. This presentation will be given at 6:15 pm and again at 7:15 pm.
The closest Open House to Saint Cloud will be at the Willmar Community Center on January 28, 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
No registration is necessary to attend. With questions, please contact Molly Zins at mollyz@minnesotawaters.org. Or go to the Minnesota Waters website http://minnesotawaters.org/
CERTs Works with Recycling Association of Minnesota & Partners to Recycle Inefficient Holiday Lights Across the State.
It’s that time of the year again, bring you’re your holiday lights and untangle the wadded mess, but what do you with the strings that no longer light up? Most people just throw them in the trash, but not anymore.
The Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) in partnership with WCCO TV, Xcel Energy, Snyders Drug Stores and the Clean Energy Resource Teams, announces the launch of “Recycle Your Holidays™” a first-of-its-kind effort in the country going through January 10th all throughout the state.
“Recycle Your Holidays recycles every part of the light strings. Even the little lights are recycles by another project partner Green Lights Recycling” state Ellen Telander, Executive Director of RAM. “This year our goal is to recycle over 50,000 light strands and to encourage Minnesotans to use LED light strands instead, which will save a lot of energy.”
Minnesotans are urged to drop off their old, broken holiday lights at any participating Snyders Drug Stores or various locations during the holiday season. Unlike any other holiday lights recycling programs in the country, RAM will recycle all lights and cords free of charge by working with local vocational centers that provide meaningful jobs and job training. Another added benefit is the reduction of waster going to landfills, helping keep our air and water cleaner.
The new program provides free recycling of holiday lights, free recycling bins with signs and free pick up service to any participating local business, school or church. The program can also recycle any type of electrical cord as well.
The recycling containers for this program are currently stored in Hutchinson, Minnesota. CERTs and RAM staff will do their best to get containers to you. To become holiday lights collection site in the Recycle Your Holidays ™ program, call 651-641-4560 or email ram@recycleminnesota.org.
You can find more information and existing holiday light recycling locations at:
http://www.recycleminnesota.org.
Information provided by CERTs (Clean Energy Resource Teams)
Friday, December 18, 2009
“Minimal Impact Design Standards–MN Takes the Lead”
Presented by: Julie Westerlund, Minnehaha Watershed District
Participants of the Mississippi River Forum kick-off workshop in April heard about how land use is impacting Minnesota’s water resources. Consider this an update to that discussion! Earlier this year, Minnesota updated its approach to managing stormwater by passing legislation that directs the Pollution Control Agency to “develop performance standards, design standards, and other tools” to enable and promote improved stormwater management and better protect Minnesota’s water resources. The result is MIDS - Minimal Impact Design Standards. The MIDS project represents the next generation of stormwater management. It consists of three main elements that address current challenges:
1) A higher clean water performance goal for new residential development and residential redevelopment that will provide enhanced protection for Minnesota’s water resources.
2) new modeling methods and credit calculations that will standardize the use of a range of “innovative” structural and nonstructural stormwater techniques.
3) a credits system and ordinance package that will allow for increased flexibility and a streamlined approach to regulatory programs for developers and communities.
Come hear how the MIDS package will allow communities to adopt effective stormwater standards and techniques, meet regulatory requirements, and help Minnesota reach our clean water goals.
Julie Westerlund and Jay Riggs are co-chairs of the Low Impact Development Team of the MN Stormwater Steering Committee, which helped develop the MIDS project.
Light breakfast provided. Free.
LOCATION:
*December 18: St. Cloud City Council Chambers–400-2nd Street South, St. Cloud, 56301.
The Mississippi River Forum is made possible by the generous support of the Mississippi River Fund and the McKnight Foundation.