Clean Water Blog

“The Value of Open Space”

Jenna Fletcher, Embrace Open Space

Friday, June 18, 7:30-9:00 a.m.

St. Cloud City Council Chambers (400-2nd Street South, St. Cloud, 56301)

In 2009, Embrace Open Space commissioned an economic study of home values in Hennepin County to quantify the financial impact of proximity to open spaces on the value of nearby single-family homes. As communities begin to plan now for new residents that are projected to be in the area by 2030, such results can help communities better understand how decisions to conserve open space might affect property tax revenues. The study found that the overall impact of open space on property values was an increase equivalent to $3.5 billion, resulting in a $36 million/year increase in property taxes (2006 values). The study also concluded that, if the amount of open space is doubled in a community, all residential properties would increase in value by 1.3%. If the percent of open space in the community again doubles, the properties will increase an additional 1.3%.

The study’s findings are important to think about as communities grow. When a community begins with 1% of its land use in open space, then increases it to 2%, the impact on property values is just as powerful as going from 10% to 20% open space in a community. This means that it is particularly powerful to add open space in communities that currently have very little open space.

Jenna Fletcher is Program Manager for Embrace Open Space, a program housed at The Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit. Embrace Open Space is a collaborative of organizations with a shared goal of fostering conservation and stewardship of natural areas and parks in the eleven county Twin Cities area.  Jenna has also worked for the State of Minnesota as a policy analyst on forestry issues, and researched urban smart growth practices for ICF Consulting, a national environmental public policy consulting firm. Jenna was a Fellow in the Donella Meadows Leadership Fellows Program at Sustainability Institute, where she received training in systems thinking, reflective conversation and visioning. Jenna has a Masters in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota.

Light breakfast provided. Free.

The Mississippi River Forum is made possible by the generous support of the Mississippi River Fund and the McKnight Foundation.

BRAINERD, Minn. (4/20/2010) — An educational class on “Tree and Shrub Identification” will be offered on Thursday,May 20, 2010 in Brainerd/Baxter area from 1:00 - 4:30 PM at the Northland Arboretum, 14250 Conservation Drive, Baxter. 

In this class participants will learn the practical way of identifying trees, shrubs and other plant species in the landscape.  Further, participants will also learn to identify factors that influence where a plant grows.  In developing a forest stewardship plan, knowing trees in your forest and identifying species in it are very important. 

This workshop is a Woodland Advisor class and is approved for continuing education hours for Master Gardeners.  The public is invited to attend.   

Woodland Advisor is a program of the Minnesota Forestry Association, University of Minnesota Extension, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry.   

The cost to attending this class is $20.  For more information about the class, visit http://www.WoodlandAdvisor.org/classes or contact Diomy Zamora at 612-626-9272, zamor015@umn.edu.  To register, contact

We invite you to the kick-off luncheon for a unique and exciting process for the St. Cloud area.

At no time in the history of our communities has the past, present, and future of the Mississippi River been the target of a cooperative public-private planning process. The forthcoming “St. Cloud Urban Area Mississippi River Corridor Plan” will identify strategies and key opportunities to enhance the Mississippi River as a community asset for active/passive recreation, economic development, tourism, community events, sustainability, and overall quality of life.

The project partners (St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, Stearns County SWCD-Mississippi River Renaissance, Benton, Stearns, MN Waters, Central Minnesota Community Foundation, Emerging Leaders Forum, and Initiative Foundation) invite you to the river corridor planning process’ kick-off luncheon scheduled for:

Thursday, May 20, 2010
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
St. Cloud Civic Center

The plan’s kick-off luncheon is intended to engage residents, business leaders, elected/appointed officials, civic organizations/clubs, and other interested parties in the forthcoming process. The luncheon’s keynote speakers will offer their advice and experiences from river communities across the Country that have benefitted from focused attention and investment in their riverfront experiences, while local officials will outline the local process to come.

Please RSVP by May 14, 2010.  Registration information is available at www.ci.stcloud.mn.us.

Online Tools Help Consumers with Diagnosis and Treatment of Drinking Water

LISLE, Ill., April 29 /PRNewswire/ — Take five minutes and take the test to check out the quality of your water. That is the advice of the Water Quality Association as National Drinking Water Week begins.

The federal government is calling on Americans to start the spring by learning how they can make sure they get the safest and cleanest possible water coming into their house. This year, National Drinking Water Week takes place May 2-8.

WQA offers free online diagnosis tools that let consumers figure out what might be affecting the quality of their water. They are available at wqa.org. In the “Find a Water Professional” program, local certified professionals can be found for consultation. There is also a “Diagnose Your Water” button that provides information on possible problems.

“We are learning more and more about what is in our water,” said Peter Censky, executive director of WQA. “By consulting a certified professional, consumers can be assured they are getting the best advice available.”

For a copy of the WQA Safe Drinking Water Act information booklet, visit wqa.org.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (4/26/2010) — If you traveled through rural Minnesota last winter, you probably realized some of the benefits of windbreaks and living snow fences.

In addition to protecting roadways and farms from drifting snow in winter, farmers and other rural residents know the value of properly placed trees and shrubs to save energy (heating and cooling), protect from the wind, protect soil and water, increase wildlife habitat, and beautify the land.

Arbor Day is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April, and May is Arbor Month. This is the time of year soil and water conservation districts are working with rural residents in planting trees and shrubs to enhance their way of life. University of Minnesota Extension can help you decide what kind of trees to plant. Extension’s forestry website at www.extension.umn.edu/go/1027 is a helpful place to identify trees suitable for your location.

Minnesota residents must consider planting shade trees other than ash, since emerald ash borer (EAB) was found in the state last May. In most rural areas there is an abundance of green ash trees. EAB can attack and kill any species of ash trees in the state. Visit Extension’s emerald ash borer website at www.extension.umn.edu/issues/eab to learn more about EAB and alternative shade trees.

Remember landscape diversity this Arbor Day and Arbor Month by planting several different species of trees, shrubs and plants in your landscape. No one species should represent more than 15 percent of your landscape. Make it a family activity to plant trees or shrubs this year. You can pass on the benefits of trees when you explain them to your children or other children in your community.
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Information provided by:
Gary Wyatt, agroforestry educator with University of Minnesota Extension.