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‘Family Farms: A Tribute’ Highlights Plight of Family Farms
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is featuring an art exhibit, organized to draw public attention to the plight of family farms and the rural communities they support. “Family Farms: A Tribute,” which features the work of 14 artists from throughout Minnesota, will run through Nov. 5 at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries in the Toner Center on Saint Mary's main campus. A variety of paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and photography are featured. Sponsors are: Minnesota COACT (Citizens Organized, Acting Together), Minnesota Farmers Union, Land Stewardship Project and Clean Water Action Alliance. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and the exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Sister Margaret Mear at mmear@smumn.edu.

"Tillable Soil vs. World Hunger ." Ding Darling Editorial Cartoon. This cartoon reflects the crux of the problem facing farmers and environmentalists alike. The world needs to be fed, but we can't keep feeding everyone if we deplete our soil and water resources. Conventional wisdom stemming from the "Green Revolution" suggests that intensive row cropping with high levels of synthetic fertilizer and pesticide inputs combined with maximizing the use of biotechnology is the answer. Indeed, such practices have vastly increased the total yield that our soils can produce. However, this increased yield has come at a cost. Erosion, loss of soil fertility, polluted waters, unknown ecological risks, and reduced nutritional content of crops are taking their toll on the fruits of the "Green Revolution". Alternative farming practices focusing on sustainability as well as high yield are needed. Ongoing efforts by local watershed groups, independent producers, and government agencies are slowly changing the way that we manage our land. The ideals of sustainability are being actively heralded by both the organic agriculture movement, and promising new federal legislation like the Conservation Security Program. If CSP is ever fully implemented, it will promote many of the same stewardship practices that help small organic producers maintain profitability without overfarming the land. Although these practices might lead to some increase in food costs here in America, the silver lining is that these higher prices would allow third world producers to sell their crops for a fair price, thereby creating the wealth that they desperately need to lift their families and communities out of poverty. Click this link to view a larger image.Copyright J.N. "Ding" Darling Foundation, 1999-2003. Used by permission.

Driftless Region Groundwater Fieldtrip
Mark your calendars for a very exciting fall field trip to western Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota! There is so much to see that one day would not do justice to the region, so the trip will be Friday September 24 and Saturday September 25. The area is a treasure trove of geological features-karst terrain, springs, caves, fossils, and increasing urban pressures influencing the hydrogeology of the region. The Wisconsin Ground Water Association and American Institute of Professional Geologists (Wisconsin chapter) are combining forces to make this trip happen! The Minnesota Ground Water Association is providing suggestions for the Minnesota stops. We have a star-studded cast of characters who will be leading various stops-Calvin Alexander, Jeanette Leete, Bruce Brown, Jim Knox, Terry Lee, and Lee Trotta--just to name some! We will start early on Friday out of Winona and meander through Minnesota and include stops along the mighty Mississippi River, seeps, a calcareous fen, an outcrop or two, and Mystery Cave. Overnight accommodations will be back in Winona. Saturday we will tour Wisconsin and include stops of fossil hunting (trilobites among others), aquitards, floodplain terraces, and sinkholes. Details will follow in the near future but we wanted to whet your appetite now and make sure you commit this fall weekend to enjoying this scenic region (while maybe even learning something!). Friends, spouses, and children old enough to enjoy the field trip are welcome.

More information will be forthcoming soon.
Direct questions to Dave Nemetz at dnemetz@madison.liesch.com

UMBSN Teams up with Audubon Society and Fish and Wildlife Service for Grand Excursion 2004 The Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholders Network has made plans to team up with the Audubon Society and Fish and Wildlife Service Upper Mississippi Refuge Offices to build awareness of clean water and wildlife habitat issues during the 2004 Grand Excursion event. David Wilson and Dick Hegle will travel the length of the event from Rock Island, IL to St. Paul, MN between June 25th and July 5th. Contact with stakeholders will be made from the deck of the Audubon Arc (The Lilly Belle) and from Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge display tables at many stops along the route. You can find us whenever the Lilly Belle is in port by looking for the UMBSN banner on deck, or by stopping by the Upper Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Refuge displays. Dick and David will be available to discuss water quality issues, distribute the Mississippi Monitor, and record stakeholder feedback at each of the major stops between Rock Island and St. Paul. Funding for this special event has been made available through cooperation with the Will Dilg chapter of the Izaak Walton League, the McKnight Foundation, and GeoSpatial Services of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.
Vessel Position

Grand Excursion 2004
Audubon Society Upper Mississippi River Campaign
Izaak Walton League of America
Gushing mightily about the Mississippi By Kevin Duchschere Star Tribune 7/2/04

Welcome to the Great Dakota Gathering & Homecoming!
An historic and unique Gathering of Dakota Peoples from all over the Midwest and Canada will be held June 26-27th on the Shores of Beautiful East Lake Winona, at the Jaycees Pavillion. The event will include:

Living History Encampment
Canadian-American Moccasin Tournament
Reconciliation Ceremonies
Storytelling for Family & Kids
Unity Feast
Dancing
Drumming
Singing
Authentic Native American Craft
The Flandreau Veterans
Dakota Honor Guard
Book signing by Mark Dietrich

This gathering presents an unique opportunity to learn about the great Dakota people who originally inhabited this area, and to begin to forge an ongoing cultural exchange, respect, and understanding of this unique people, many of whom have dedicated their lives to building bridges of peace and reconciliation. This event is sponsored by the City of Winona, The Diversity Foundation, Dacota Pathology, and the Winona Community Foundation.


Statewide Wetlands Group Offers Train Ride into Tiffany Bottoms State Natural Area
Durand , WI – On August 28 th , wetland enthusiasts will board an antique, open-air train bound for Tiffany Bottoms State Natural Area (SNA), as part of a field trip hosted by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA). Participants will travel approximately eight miles by train into Tiffany Bottoms floodplain forest to explore the SNA, located in one of the most extensive river deltas in the Midwest . The trip will be led by several naturalists and biologists including Karen Voss and Dave Linderud of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. "Trip participants will see expansive lowland hardwood forests, sloughs of the Chippewa River and open wet prairie meadows with blooming with native flowers and grasses. This train trip offers spectacular views for wildlife and wetland viewing, as well as a good bit of railroad history," said Voss. This field trip is part of a series offered by Wisconsin Wetlands Association to encourage Wisconsinites to get their feet wet and experience the beauty and ecology of wetland habitats first hand.

Wetlands play an important role in both the ecology and economy of our state. These hardworking ecosystems provide valuable wildlife habitat, natural flood control and they filter runoff, which helps keep our rivers, lakes, and drinking water clean. Despite these wetland benefits, more than half of Wisconsin 's original 10 million wetlands acres have been lost due to draining and filling for land uses like agriculture and development. "We hope that our field trips will help Wisconsinites to understand and appreciate the value of our state's wetland heritage, which is an important step towards protecting all our wetlands," said program director Laura England .


Interested citizens may register for the field trip ($10 for WWA members and $20 for non-members) by contacting Laura England at Wisconsin Wetlands Association (608.250.9971, programs@wiscwetlands.org ). Registration is limited to 65 individuals – please register by August 23 rd .

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced a series of public hearings on the Upper Saint Anthony Falls, Lock and Dam 1, Upper Mississippi River, Minneapolis, MN. Photo courtesy U.S. Army Corps of EngineersRestructured UMR-IWW System Navigation Feasibility Study Report for the following dates and places: Click Here for News and Views on the Plan
June 7: Davenport, IA, Holiday Inn, 5202 Brady St.
June 8: Dubuque, IA, Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark-Grand River Center, 350 Bell St.
June 9: La Crosse, WI, Radisson Hotel La Crosse, 200 Harborview Plaza
June 10: Bloomington, MN, Minneapolis Airport Marriott, 2020 American Boulevard East
June 14: Peoria, IL, Hotel Pere Marquette, 501 Main St.
June 15: Quincy, IL, Stoney Creek Inn, 3809 East Broadway St.
June 16: St. Louis, MO, St. Louis airport Marriott, I-70 at Lambert Airport
June 17: Washginton, D.C., Phoenix Park Hotel, 52 Capitol Street, NW

The presentation highlighting the preferred plan and the analysis leading to its
selection will be made available on the study's website:

http://www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/umr-iwwsns/.

MOSTLY MISSISSIPPI: A Very Damp Adventure By Harold Speakman--The charming classic of river travel now back in print! In 1925, Harold Speakman and his new wife, Frances “Russell” Lindsay Speakman, journeyed down the entire Mississippi River, from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, on a twenty-foot houseboat. A classic American travel narrative that captures the soul of the river, Mostly Mississippi features lyrical descriptions of encounters with archetypal characters, landscapes, and experiences. The Speakmans meet lumberjacks in northern Minnesota and Mormons at Nauvoo, Illinois, as well as roustabouts, hoboes, farmers, drifters, Southern grandees, Native Americans, collegians thirsting for the real world, and convicts. They also meet William Alexander Percy, the “Poet of the Delta”; Laura Frazer, the inspiration for Mark Twain’s Becky Thatcher; and the prototypical “lady from Dubuque” as described by the New Yorker. Illustrated by Harold Speakman’s paintings and sketches and Russell Speakman’s delightful drawings, Mostly Mississippi captures the deepening emotional bond of a newly married couple embarked on a grand adventure. Harold Speakman (1888-–1928) was a writer, poet, and artist. He wrote eight books, including the travel narratives Hilltops in Galilee (1923), Beyond Shanghai (1922), and Here’s Ireland (1925).
For more information, visit the book's webpage.

Bruce Babbitt (l) with Mel Kuntz at Craters of the Moon, USGS photo.Bruce Babbitt on Balance for Rivers and Dams
A recent article in Open Spaces Quarterly by former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt (pictured at left with USGS geologist Mel Kuntz), titled, "A River Runs Against It: America's Evolving View of Dams," offers the emerging point of view on the value of free-flowing rivers. Babbitt takes the reader through the logic and the history of dam building and river restoration. "No, we're not taking aim at all dams. But we should strike a balance between the needs of the river and the demands of river users," he states. (This is a "must read" according to the Sierra Club's Dean Rebuffoni of Minneapolis, where Lock and Dam Number 1 is under scrutiny for a restoration of the once free-flowing Falls of Saint Anthony.

Agrarian Philosopher and Essayist
The Citizenship Papers by Wendell BerryWendell Berry Speaks Out
In Citizenship Papers (Shoemaker & Hoard; Sept., 2003) -- to date his most recent collection of essays -- writer, farmer, poet, novelist, and teacher Wendell Berry offers some of his best work. While challenging the conservation movement to find a new rural economy, he pointedly cites the global industrial economy for its rapacious treatment of democracy, the land, and the people. Berry calls for a local consumers' and small farmers' revolt to revive rural areas with a viable, sustaining economy. One of the principal essays, “A Citizen’s Response to the National Security Strategy of the United States of America” appeared as a full page ad placed by the Orion Society in the New York Times in February of this year. Wendell Berry speaks out as the conscience of rural America, an ever-hopeful agrarian, determined to do the right thing in the face of significant evidence of considerable decline in rural communities, rural quality of life, in the degradation of working lands. This book should be on the 'must read' list of every land manager in the nation.
Agrarians of the World, Unite!
Wendell Berry's vision, and how Christians should respond to it.
By Eric Miller, Christianity Today, 06/10/02
Mr. Wendell Berry of Kentucky
Internet Resources Page by Bro. Tom Murphy, Order of Carmelites
The New Patriotism Series
Orion Society; three books, two by Wendell Berry

Freshwater Mussels of the Upper Mississippi River Web Site from FWS and USGSNew Upper Mississippi River Freshwater Mussel Web Site from FWS and USGS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the United States Geological Survey recently announced a new internet site featuring the freshwater mussels in the Upper River from among the 300 North American freshwater mussel species. According to FWS biologist Gary Wege, the site provides a wealth of information, plus pays special attention to the federally endangered Higgins eye pearlymussel (Lampsilis higginsii) and the exotic invaders, the zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). The site offers history, ecology, current harvest and threats, photography, video and animated multimedia, posters, links, and an education section for teachers. The site also links directly to an online version of the excellent Illinois Natural History Survey manual, Field guide to freshwater mussels of the Midwest, by Cummings and Mayer. For more information:
Gary Wege, Fish and Wildlife Biologist
Ph: 612-725-3548, gary_wege@fws.gov

Abstract: Potential Exposure to PCBs, DDT, and PBDEs from Sport-Caught Fish Consumption in Relation to Breast Cancer Risk in Wisconsin; Environmental Health Perspectives OnlineNew Wisconsin Breast Cancer Study Cites Possible Elevated Risk for Young and/or Premenopausal Women with PCBs in Game Fish
A newly published study (abstract online at Environmental Health Perspectives) titled, "Potential Exposure to PCBs, DDT, and PBDEs from Sport-Caught Fish Consumption in Relation to Breast Cancer Risk in Wisconsin," examined breast cancer cases for women 20-69 years of age, diagnosed in 1998-2000. The found a relative risk of breast cancer for women who had recently consumed sport-caught fish that was similar to that of women who had never eaten sportcaught fish. However, it does say, "This study demonstrates no overall association between recent sport-caught fish consumption and breast cancer, although there may be an increased breast cancer risk for subgroups of women who are young and/or premenopausal," according to the abstract. The study is by Jane A. McElroy, Marty S. Kanarek, Amy Trentham-Dietz, Stephanie A. Robert, John M. Hampton, Polly A. Newcomb, Henry A. Anderson, and Patrick L. Remington (most are from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, except Dr. Anderson, who is chief medical officer with the Wisconsin Division of Public Health).

Meanwhile, Rebecca Katers of the Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin has published a list of Breast Cancer, PCBs and Dioxin studies, some citing strong associations with breast cancer, at the Fox River Watch web site. Fox River Watch also publishes comments critical of the state's fish consumption advisories by a toxicologist under contract to the Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin.

UMBSN Releases Results of Recent Stakeholder Survey
The Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network surveyed stakeholder participants in June and July of this year. The results are available in a .pdf document (109KB). Thank you very much to everyone who completed the survey! UMBSN 2003 Survey Results.

Elsie and Pearl Schuenemann standing among Christmas trees for sale in Chicago,, 1917; DN-0069265, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. American Memory Collection, Library of Congress.Give Sustainable Local Farm, Forest, and Fisheries Products, Art, Photography, Writing, Music, and Donations for the Holidays!
You can use your holiday shopping dollars to build a sustainable economy in your watershed. Support the people who support sustainable land use. Where to find them? Locally-harvested Christmas trees and greenery are a great-start. [Photo of Elsie and Pearl Schuenemann of the "Christmas Tree Ship" family standing among Christmas trees for sale in Chicago, 1917. Courtesy Chicago Historical Society] Check with your local and community newspapers, your food co-op, local art tours. Call your agricultural extension agent. Check with your book store and music stores (any left?) for local writers, musicians, artists, and photographers. Recommend sustainable farm-based products and enterprises to your friends and family. Give to the organizations who support the land and water you care about. Make a donation in someone's name to a conservation, watershed, or environmental group in your area. Here are a few resources among many, many. (Part of the fun is finding these folks!)
LocalHarvest -- find organic products close to you.
Minnesota Artists Online -- McKnight Foundation Minnesota Artists Directory.
Big River Magazine -- Covering the Upper River from the Twins to the Quads.
Julia Crozier, Artist, Blue Heron Studio, Winona, Minnesota.
Bernadette Mahfood, Hotflash Designs, Winona, Minnesota.
Allen Blake Sheldon, Photographer, Trempealeau, Wisconsin; absheldon@earthlink.net.
Yarrow Brown, Artist, Winona, Minnesota.
Vera Ming Wong, vera@arakunem-arts.com; (651-246-4074).
Robert J. Hurt, Aerial Photography, Dakota, MN; archenv@acegroup.cc.
The Outside [Magazine] Canon -- A Few Great Books.
Project Art for Nature -- "collaboration of artists and illustrators from Minnesota and Wisconsin, working independently and collaboratively to create artwork which promotes stewardship of threatened natural areas in our region."

More Upper Mississippi Waterfronts as Viewed from the Big Boat -- Hannibal and St. LouisLaCrosse, WI Waterfront Photos by A.M. Hine
Upper Mississippi American Heritage River Listserv [MISSRIVERL@LISTS.UMN.EDU] contributor Andrew M. Hine of St. Paul, Minnesota recently created a series of brief powerpoint (.ppt) slide presentations of photographs taken from the 21st to 28th of September, 2003 while aboard the American Queen steamboat. Mr. Hine was en route to St. Louis with his wife and her grandparents. Here are Andrew Hine's photos of these waterfronts:
Winona, MN (669KB, .ppt) La Crosse, WI (1,430KB .ppt) Dubuque, IA (1,109KB, .ppt)
Burlington, IA (1,005KB, .ppt) Hannibal, MO (275KB, .ppt) St. Louis, MO (355KB, .ppt)
Photographer Hine (36KB, .jpg) The presentations are copyrighted; please credit Mr. Hine on their use.

BASSMASTER Sees Sport Decline
BASSMASTER's 35 Greatest Threats to FishingThirty-Five Greatest Threats to Fishing
This very active organization in June 2003 published a feature story alarm for its members in an attempt to counter what it believes is a serious threat to the sport -- declining participation and a host of other issues. In addition, most of the list comprises environmental problems, including public health advisories, water level manipulation during spawning seasons, climate change, runoff pollution, shoreline development, urban sprawl, factory farms, invasive plants, personalized watercraft, all among several others. See the Bassmasters feature.

New Report Available: "Conservation Priorities for the Freshwater Biodiversity in the Upper Mississippi River Basin"Report: Conservation Priorities for Freshwater Biodiversity in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
A new report, an assessment of freshwater biological diversity in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, by Roy E. Weitzell, Mary Lammert Khoury, Paula Gagnon, Brian Scheurs, Dennis Grossman, and Jonathan Higgins, and published by NatureServe and The Nature Conservancy creates a "network of areas that together represent the full diversity of target species and aquatic ecological systems, as well as the top forty-seven areas for both terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity," according to one of the authors, Mary Khoury. "[The report is for] conservation practioners and natural resource managers to guide action needed to sustain freshwater biodiversity in this national treasure." Downloadable from http://www.conserveonline.org (select browse library) and http://www.natureserve.org. Additional spatial data, species and project databases are available by request to Mary Khoury, Freshwater Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy, mkhoury@tnc.org; (312) 759-8017 ext. 16. See the report page.



Implementation Plan Released for the Regional Fecal Coliform TMDL for the Lower Mississippi River Basin

Norman Senjem of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced the release of the Total Daily Minimum Load (TMDL) Implementation Plan for watersheds in southeast Minnesota on October 30, 2003. Download the report. The TMDL plan is in Implementation Plan: Regional Fecal Coliform TMDL for the Lower Mississippi River Basin; October, 2003Watersheds of SE Minnesota and NE Iowasupport of the goals of the Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota (BALMM). "BALMM is a locally-led alliance of land and water resource agencies formed to coordinate efforts to protect and improve water quality in the Lower Mississippi River Basin in Minnesota." See the BALMM pages on UMBSN.

Next 50 Years of Upper Mississippi River Policy and Funding Direction Now on the Table
MV Mississippi Bell and Horns,  8/7/02, LaCrosse, WI. Photo by John GabbertQuestion the Corps - Show Up, Speak Up at the October Public Meetings

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "Restructured Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway (UMR-IWW) System Navigation Study" rolled out its latest set of refined choices in a series of public meetings in late October. Read the October Mississippi Monitor's " Special Section: Citizen’s Guide to the Navigation Study." The locations of the public meetings included:
Saint Louis, Quincy, Peoria, Davenport, Bloomington, La Crosse, and Dubuque.
Report on the LaCrosse Meeting by David C. Wilson, UMBSN
Download the Navigation Study September Newsletter (.pdf).
Restructured Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway (UMR-IWW) System Navigation Study
website.

Prject Art for Nature "Close to Home" ExhibitProject Art For Nature "Close to Home" Exhibit Features Minnesota and Wisconsic Artists in Support of the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust and Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas Program
Three regional gallery venues, Upper Mississippi Basin artists from Project Art For Nature exhibited works for sale to raise funds for two conservation projects. Artists Carla Benjamin, Richard Crammer, Judy Fairbrother, Denise Friesen, Barbara Harman, Mimi Holme, Yung Jouseau, Anne Kerfoot, Wendy Lane, David Morrison, Alis Olsen, Catherine Reed (Bouteloua), Roz Stendahl, Gloria Williams, Vera Ming Wong, and Susan Bacig will show works that "highlight natural gems of, or threats to, prairie, forest, wetland or savannah." Twenty percent of the sales of the River Falls exhibit go to the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, and 20% of the St. Paul sales go to the Minnesota Scientific and Natural Areas Program (SNA). Slide show of selected works and details of times and locations.

Bioneers: Visionary and Practical Solutions for Restoring the EarthBioneers: Visionary and Practical Solutions for Restoring the Earth
Bioneers is a group of ecological innovators seeking restorative change for the earth. Founded by Kenny Ausubel in 1990 for educational and economic development programs in biological conservation, cultural diversity, traditional farming practices, and environmental restoration. Bioneers uses conferences, workshops, media, and model projects to get its ideas across. Its recent annual conference in San Rafael, California, and simultaneous satellite conferences with twelve other sites around the country, including one in the Upper River basin. The Fairfield, Iowa conference included sessions on:
Soils 101: Building a Productive Soil; Soils 102: Getting Balanced, Discovering Soil Nutrient Behavior; Noah’s Ark Today: Conservation of Rare Livestock Breeds; Landowner Options: Restoration and Conservation; Tours: Examples of Local Sustainability; Socially Responsible Investing (SRI); Why Grass Fed is Best – The Many Health Benefits For Farmer & Consumer; Prairie Landscaping – Living Treasure of the Midwest; Eating Locally – Lessons From France; Get into the Act: Influencial Iowa Non-profits; Community Wind Power: Making it Happen; How to Choose Green Building Materials; Genetic Engineering: How is it affecting Iowa Farms?
Bioneers Conference to focus on ecology, social solutions FAIRFIELD, IA -- By Erik Gable, Fairfield Daily Ledger, 10/14/03

Rapanos and SWANCC Resources: The Impact of the Reinstated Conviction
On August 5, 2003 the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court reinstated the wetland filling conviction of Michigan land developer John A. Rapanos on appeal. The case is closely related to Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. United States Army Corps of Engineers (often called the "SWANCC decision"). In SWANCC the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ authority under the Clean Water Act [Section 404(a); Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972] does not extend to isolated wetlands not adjacent to navigable waters. The Corps had assumed authority via the "Migratory Bird Rule," 33 CFR 328(a)(3). The Supreme Court ruling has prompted two federal bills in the present 108th Congress, one in the Senate, and one in the House that seek to restore Clean Water Act protection to isolated wetlands.
Resources:
August, 2003: United States v. Rapanos, Sixth Circuit Court Decison to Reinstate the Conviction
August, 2003: U.S. EPA Region 5 Enforcement Action Summary FY 2003 Sixth Circuit Upholds Wetlands Conviction Of Developer After SWANCC Review [scroll down] (United States v. John A. Rapanos; E.D. MI)
August, 2003: The Supreme Court's SWANCC Decision; U.S. Department of Energy
June, 2003: Hearing before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Commitee, "current regulatory and legal status of federal jurisdiction of navigable waters under the Clean Water Act." June 10, 2003
April, 2003: The Izaak Walton League; The SWANCC Decision - Conservation Issue Background Information
February, 2003: American Rivers on SWANCC and related issues. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM)
Search Library of Congress Thomas Database for two bills in the 108th Congress intended "to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify the jurisdiction of the United States over waters of the United States."
1) S. 473 Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2003, sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar, MN-8th.
2) H R. 962 Clean Water Authority Restoration Act of 2003, sponsored by Sen. Russell Feingold, WI.
January 2001: Ducks Unlimited EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - 404 Report; The SWANCC Decision: Implications for Wetlands and Waterfowl.
Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) SWANCC resources.

PBS Series "The Sacred Balance" with David SuzukiWatch Webcasts from Public Television's "The Sacred Balance" Series
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (PBS) recently provided the nation quality environmental programming in a new series hosted by scientist David Suzuki, who travels the earth reporting stories highly relevant to "exploring humanity's place in nature." The first broadcast looked at "The Journey Into New Worlds," how "science and technology have worked wonders" and incurred "terrible costs." The second episode examined "The Matrix of Life," discusses how water, air and the earth work together. Episode three, "The Fire of Creation," examines the elemental fire and how it drives the earth's carbon cycle. The final and fourth episode, "Coming Home," look at the "ethnosphere," " the web of human culture."Many of the key vignettes from the series are already available as webcasts.
See The Sacred Balance PBS portal page. Sacred Balance Webcast page. Biography of host David Suzuki; High school curriculum; Postcard page, high quality e-postcards; Kidzone page, fun activities for children.

Billings Gazette: Special Report on "Plight of the pallid"Special Report on the Plight of the Pallid Sturgeon
The Billings Gazette ran a four-part series the week of August 18, 2003 on one of the species at the center of the Missouri River debate, the pallid sturgeon, a fish the experts say is on the brink of extinction. Read the Gazette's series, by Mark Henckel, outdoor editor, 406-657-1395, henckel@billingsgazette.com:
Part 1: Death of a dinosaur
Part 2: Sex and the lonely sturgeon
Part 3: Sparking romance in pallids
Part 4: Gambling with hatcheries and death and politics

EPA Conference on Water Quality TradingEPA Holds National Forum on Water Quality Trading, June 22-23
While there's not much news available from the Chicago conference itself, plenty appears to be in the making with this approach to clean water. The EPA's water trading web site offers a number of links to policy and programs, including two from this region, one from Wisconsin and one from Minnesota.
First forum on water quality trading held in USA, Edie (Environmental Data Interactive Exchange, UK, 08/08/03)
National Forum on Water Quality Trading Conference
Enviromental Trading Network Web Page

Website: Friends of the BayFriends of the Bay: "The Battle in the Backwaters" Heats Up in St. Paul Park
A group of Twin Cities area citizens of St. Paul Park and Grey Cloud Island Township recently formed a grassroots organization "to preserve the region's quality of life." Friends of the Bay is concerned about the impact of the pending Rivers Edge Development project, and wants the developer to accept local residents' recommendations. Click the image on the left to see the group's website. For more information email the group at speakup@friendsofthebay.com. See this recent article:
ST. PAUL PARK: Development plan packs punch A savvy boxing promoter might call it "The Battle in the Backwaters." In one corner, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, hailing from Arlington, Texas, and weighing in with net sales of $6.7 billion last year. In the other, a handful of environmental groups who want to preserve what they call an environmentally sensitive bay in the Mississippi River just south of St. Paul Park. (BY DOUG PETERS, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 08/10/03

Storms' Oxygen Temporarily Reduces Gulf Dead Zone2003 Gulf Dead Zone  Map; LUMCON
According to Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) reseacher Dr. Nancy Rabalais, "Two tropical storms in as many weeks have mixed up the coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico and disrupted the usual widespread extent of summertime waters severely depleted in oxygen...The result was a half again smaller 'dead zone' this summer than the average size for the last ten years. The size just mapped on a 6-day cruise was 8,560 square kilometers (=3,300 square miles)."
Read the complete Dead Zone news release with map and annual comparative chart from LUMCON, 07/29/03.
Rabalais: No historical dead zone. In a reply to a query about the existence of a historical dead zone, the LUMCON scientist said the dead zone is a recent phenomenon.
Page down to 2002 Dead Zone map and release.

League of Conservation Voters Education Fund Releases 2003-2004 Briefing Books for Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin
Illinois LCV Briefing Book Minnesota LCV Briefing Book Missouri LCB Briefing Book Wisconsin LCV Briefing Book
In an effort to define the issues surrounding Upper Midwest conservation and environmental concerns, the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, an arm of the Washington, DC-based lobbying group, has issued a new set of state-based issues-related briefing books. The fund describes itself as "founded in 1985 to promote active and responsible citizenship in addressing our nation's environmental challenges."

New USGS Report Available Online
Anthropogenic Constituents in Shallow Ground Water in the Upper Illinois River Basin
This new USGS "Water Resources of Illinois" report by William S. Morrow is now available online. The report assesses ground- and surface-water quality. "Increasing urbanization throughout the United States has made the occurrence and distribution of anthropogenic (caused by humans) constituents, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and pesticides, in ground water a concern. The rapidly expanding growth in the Chicago, Ill. and Milwaukee, Wis. metropolitan areas in the upper Illinois River Basin may affect the ground-water resources of these areas." Download Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4293.

Lakeshore Property Values and Water Quality: Bemidji State University Report"Lakeshore Property Values and Water Quality," Report from the Mississippi Headwaters Region
Bemidji State University has just released the online version of its important study of property values and water clarity of Minnesota lakes in the Mississippi Headwaters region. Lakeshore Property Values and Water Quality shows that water clarity has a positive influence on property prices. The research was conducted by BSU graduate students Charles Krysel and Elizabeth Marsh Boyer, and BSU faculty Dr. Pat Welle and Dr. Charles Parson. Pat Welle is a professor of economics and environmental studies, and director of the university's Center for Environmental, Earth & Space Studies. Charles Parson is a professor of geography. The study was funded by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCMR), and directed by the Mississippi Headwaters Board, (MHB) the joint powers board of the first eight counties on the Mississippi River. Download the 58-page report.

Endangered Forests, Endangered Freedoms ReportReport on America's 10 Endangered National Forests includes Wisconsin's Chequemegan-Nicolet
According to the foreword by preeminent biologist Edward O. Wilson, "...environmental scientists continue to argue that America’s national forests are a priceless reservoir of biological diversity and an aesthetic and historic treasure. In this view, they represent a public trust too valuable to be managed as tree farms for the production of pulp, paper and lumber...Worldwide, the four horsemen of environmental ruin – habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution and unsustainable logging – have increased the rate of extinction by as much as one thousand-fold, thereby shortening the average lifespans of species by the same amount." The report, "Endangered Forests, Endangered Freedoms," developed and released by the National Forest Protection Alliance (NFPA), a coalition of 120 groups including Greenpeace USA, expresses grave concern for the present policy of national forest management. See the report web site to download the 40-page (.pdf) report.

The Effects of Motorized Watercraft on Aquatic EcosystemsDetails on the Effects of Motorized Traffic on Aquatic Ecosystems
Steve Johnson, a river management supervisor with Minnesota DNR Waters, has lately been touting the work of a Wisconsin DNR colleague. Timothy R. Asplund's "The Effects of Motorized Watercraft on Aquatic Ecosystems" appeared in 2000, yet Johnson hopes that more people will take a look and pay attention. Asplund's thoroughly detailed report on the problems caused by watercraft, and what we know and don't know about the problems, sees a combination of no-wake zones, restricted areas, enforcement and education, and technology as contributors to the solution for the results of more and more water traffic with larger and larger engines. Tim Asplund himself recommends the March 2003 issue of Lake and Reservoir Management, the journal of the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS), and an article there on the effects on Iowa's Clear Lake. Also see the Minnesota DNR Waters website.

Pew Oceans Commission Report"The Mississippi...has become an expressway for nutrients and toxic substances bound for the sea." The Pew Oceans Commission Report
The just-released Pew Oceans Commission report, "America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change," pulls no punches in identifying the Mississippi River Basin (along with the Hudson, the Susquehanna, the Columbia, and America’s other great rivers) as one of several threats to the health of the nation's ocean resources. "Each summer, nutrient pollution creates a dead zone the size of Massachusetts in the Gulf of Mexico." See the article from the Des Moines Register in the News column (right). The full report represents the first comprehensive assessment of US ocean resources in 30 years. You can download or purchase the report in book form. Read the Environmental News Service article on the report, "Pew Report Finds U.S. Oceans in Crisis" by J.R. Pegg, 06/04/03.
NPR's Science Friday: Health of the Oceans. Listen online to the experts' discussion from Friday, June 6, 2003.

Commodity System ChallengesReport Examines Sustainability of Natural Resource Economies
A new Sustainability Institute report "provides a map of the structures that produce the behavior common to many natural resource economies — ever-increasing production leading to the traps of over-harvest, pollution, and community decline." Part of the study, the "Corn System Project," was in partnership with Minnesota-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). Other leemenets include forestry and shrimping. The completed report, "Commodity System Challenges Moving Sustainability into the Mainstream of Natural Resource Economies," is now available. Download the report; April 2003. (425 k pdf). Founded in 1996 by the late Donella (Dana) Meadows (Limits to Growth; Beyond the Limits), the Sustainability Institute's mission is "to apply systems thinking and organizational learning to economic, environmental and social challenges."

Topsoil Value in Perspective - Get this American Farmland Trust Online Animation!Apple as Plant Earth online movie
American Farmland Trust's movie, "The Apple as Planet Earth," a one minute-long, auto-downloadable animation, demonstrates the value of the earth's arable land and the tiny part of it that topsoil represents. To access the movie, click on the graphic and go to the link near the bottom of the AFT's home page. Best of all, you can request a copy for use in your PowerPoint presentations via info@farmland.org. American Farmland Trust focuses on conservation easements, effective community planning, and good stewardship and conservation.

Vital Signs 2003 by Worldwatch Institute"Birds in Decline" Cited in Vital Signs 2003
The Worldwatch Institute and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) report on Earth's "vital signs" details declining bird populations worldwide, among other equally dismal indicators. The reort cites a study by BirdLife International and states that "about 12 percent of the world's 9,800 bird species are threatened with extinction within the next century and that in the near future an additional 8 percent may become threatened." Overall, the vital sign numbers are staggering; the march toward disease, poverty, and environmental degradation continues while the gap between rich and poor nations ever widens. This just-released report, produced in cooperation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), lists infectious diseases, wars and conflicts, illegal drugs, large numbers of refugees, and corruption as among the biggest problems facing Planet Earth. According to an article on the report by ENS (Environment News Service), the Vital Signs report notes that Michael Renner, coauthor and project director, says the buying habits of the wealthy and the inaction of political leaders are causes. See the Worldwatch Institute press release on Vital Signs 2003.

Minnesota DNR Billboards Target Trail Users via "Protect Your Privilege to Ride" ThemeRecreational motor vehicle riding; Minnesota DNR
In this example from U.S. Highway 61 northbound near Minnesota City, Minnesota, the message from the state DNR's spring campaign to change off highway vehicle (OHV) riding behavior reads pretty clearly. Both billboards and radio spot public service announcements (listen online) tie trail behavior to continuing use. According a DNR news release, vehicle now number over 200,000, and are expected to increase by "tens of thousands" per year.

[center] Green landscaping by Minnesota DNR on Lake WinonaGreen Landscaping with Native Plants - EPA's Great Lakes Region Web Site
With recent warm weather and rain, the lawns of the Upper Midwest are sprouting like crazy -- along with the TV commercials touting lawn chemicals and fertilizers. In fact, much of applied suburban lawn treatments wind up in local watersheds at huge cost to the environment, and eventually to homeowners who apply them. The main photo at the left shows a green landscaping example from the Minnesota DNR, a demonstration project on urban Lake Winona (Winona, MN). Check out the fine recommendations of Danielle Green of the EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office and Dan Welker of EPA Region 3 on the how to's and why's of green landscaping with native plants. See the EPA's Greenlandscaping with Native Plants web site. Also CNN Health's story (07/17/02), "Does green grass come with health risks?"

Hegle Joins UMBSN Staff As Outreach Coordinator
Winona area resident Dick Hegle recently joined the Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network team to facilitate outreach coordination among stakeholder groups. Hegle's experience as a corporate training manager in sales and marketing organizations for several major manufacturing companies in the Minnesota and Wisconsin area. His love of the outdoors, especially golf, mountain biking, and four-wheeling, adds depth to the organization. He will be working on marketing and promotion for the UMBSN project and the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Department of Resource Analysis. You can reach Dick by phone at 507-457-8726, by fax at 507-457-6604, by email at dhegle@smumn.edu, or by mail at GeoSpatial Services, Department of Resource Analysis, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, 360 Vila Street # 7, Winona, MN 55987. You'll enjoy him as much as we do.

The River We Have Wrought by John O. AnfinsonAnfinson's History of the Upper River Now Available
According to the University of Minnesota Press, The River We Have Wrought: A History of the Upper Mississippi by John O. Anfinson "is a landmark history of the upper Mississippi from early European exploration through the completion of a navigable channel and a system of locks and dams. John Anfinson examines how politics has shaped the landscapes of the Upper Midwest and how taming the Mississippi has affected economic sustainability, river ecology, and biological diversity." 336 pages | 27 halftones, 3 line art, 9 tables | 2003 | ISBN 0-8166-4023-8 | hardcover/jacket | $29.95.

Wisconsin Lake Quality Monitoring via Satellite and Volunteers
University of Wisconsin - Madison remote sensing researchers and hundreds of volunteers are working together to create a significant new lake water quality monitoring tool. This view of Madison's two primary lakes, a composite of three Landsat 7 satellite images (1999-2000), clearly demonstrates the summer algae bloom there. To learn more, click on the image. Photo courtesy of Environmental Remote Sensing Center, Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

"Censored Science" Special Reports
Des Moines Register Tackles the Agricultural Pollution Story
Iowa's flagship newspaper took on the state's largest industry recently and one of the heart of America's biggest problems — industrial level agricultural pollution. See the "Special Report Censored Science" articles on this Register page. According to the Society for Environmental Journalism, where he is first vice president, series author, "Perry Beeman has reported for The Des Moines Register since 1981. His work at The Register has included a number of award-winning investigative pieces, including a water-sampling effort that prompted the state's first comprehensive testing of state-park swimming areas. Beeman has documented widespread concerns about pollution and health threats from livestock confinements. He won a science writing fellowship at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA., in 1999, where he studied environmental science before working with scientists in the field in Brazil's Amazonia region. Beeman is a graduate of Iowa State University in journalism and environmental studies. Contact Perry, (515) 284-8538."


"Under Construction: Tools And Techniques For Local Planning" from Minnesota Planning

The Minnesota Department of Administration (formerly, Planning) now offers a comprehensive guide to the community planning process via a new CD or as downloadable PDF files from their web site. For the CD, contact Deborah Pile at 651-297-2375, or at Minnesota Planning, Room 300 Centennial Bldg., 658 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55155. You can also download the full document (9.5mb, 212 p., pdf) from this site.

According to Minnesota Planning, this tool is "a guide for people interested in shaping their community's future. [It] offers local governments and those they serve ideas for developing a comprehensive plan that articulates the aspirations and vision of a community. The guide is based on the principles of sustainable development, which means simply that it considers how environment, economy and community are interrelated, and how a sustainable community lives within its means by recognizing this in both the short and long term."


Developing a National Ocean PolicyNonpoint Source Farming Practices Cited as Ocean Pollution
Meeting this week in a public regional session in Chicago, the United States Commission on Ocean Policy just released its midterm report, "Developing a National Ocean Policy" (pdf, 480k; 9/17/02) that points to urban, farm, and air pollution as principal nonpoint sources damaging the oceans, and especially the nation's coastal waters. Established by the Oceans Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-256), and headed by respected Admiral James D. Watkins (USN) Ret., the commission will make recommendations to the President and Congress on a national ocean policy. You can see Admiral Watkins' brief comments at the commission's web site. Read the Great Lakes regional meeting agenda, now in session, September 24-25, 2002. William F. Hartwig, regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will participate in the Chicago meeting. The commission will issue its final report in June 2003. Read the AP story, "Panel Says Health of Seas in Peril."

Upper River Management and Program Structure Diagrammed for Fremling's New Book
To support a new book by Calvin R. Fremling, biology professor emeritus at Winona State University, the Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network staff created an organization chart/flow diagram. Dr. Fremling's book, “Immortal River: The Upper Mississippi in Ancient and Modern Times,” will be available in 2004. Early readings make it plain that the veteran biologist and principal Upper Mississippi River researcher will offer unique and valuable insights on one of the earth's major river systems. If you think the management and programs structure on the Upper River is complex and difficult to understand, we believe you're right. The chart attempts to balance complexity and comprehension. We appreciate your feedback and comment. Email or fax us via 507-457-6604. Open or download the letter-sized diagram (pdf, 77K, v083002, requires Adobe Acrobat). See a list of acronyms and abbreviations used on the diagram. Many thanks to reviewers, including Barbara Naramore of the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMBRA).

A Carp in the Chops No Fun
Wendy Martin, of the Mason County Democrat in Havana, IL, alerted us to Rich White, an Illinois River boat tour guide who was hit hard in the face recently by a leaping Asian carp -- right between the eyes. "It didn't blacken my eyes, but it sure hurt," Rich said recently. Family from Holland traveling with him that day wanted to film the encounter for "funniest videos." Rich, who has been hit several times, has learned to duck. "You can hear them break the water," White said. "These go up to about 8 pounds," he said. "Bigger than that, and my dad's .069 [commercial fishing] net won't hold them. They tear right through it." The exotic carp, in schools, and frightened by passing boats even at low speed, leap high into the air, into people, and sometimes, into the stern bilge. Notice the near carp over the boat wake, and another flying in the trees to the left of Rich's cap. Rich holds one that hurtled into his flatboat . Photos (click for a larger images) by Bob Martin, photographer for the Mason County Democrat, used by permission. For the Illinois River (and leaping carp) tour, you can reach Rich White at (309) 543-2049.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Violators Highlighted
The Sierra Club compiles feedlot point source polluters in this controversial report titled, "The RapSheet: Convictions, Fines, Pollution Violations, and Regulatory Records on Animal Factories."
New York Times article:"Feedlot Perils Outpace Regulation, Sierra Club Says."
View the report by state.
The "Ten Least Wanted," and their environmental (or home) web pages: Buckeye Egg Farm (no home page available); Cargill's Environment Page; ConAgra's Environment Leadership Initiative Page; Premium Standard Farms' (PSF) Environment Page; (DeCoster; no home page available); Foster Farms' Home Page; Sand Livestock Systems, Inc. Home Page; Seaboard Farms' Home Page; Smithfield Foods 2001 Environmental Report; Tyson Foods' Home Page and its Nature's Farm Organic Chicken brand.
Feedback to UMBSN: Robert R. Broz writes: "I found the information useable but as in many cases, some of the facts have been distorted by the Sierra Club." More...

UMBSN PhotoSpecial Report: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by the Washington Post
Here's a comprehensive look at the 200 year-old agency and its attempts to reform itself while critics and defenders in Congress prepare to do legislative battle over the future of the 35,000 employee agency. Go to the Post's special report.

UMBSN Seeks Conservation Success and Rural History Stories
The Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network is now offering quality embroidered t-shirts and caps to contributors who submit 200-250 word stories. Here's how to get a cap or t-shirt. Read contributors' conservation success and rural history stories.

"The Farm Bill, Wildlife and Bobwhite Quail in Specific"
The Missouri Dept. of Conservation Private Land Services Chief delivers a message the Bobwhite Quail as the flagship species representing wildlife conservation on agricultural lands. (from the Farm Bill Network email list, http://www.fb-net.org/e-list.htm).

"Scorecard" Site Tallies Environmental Health
See "Scorecard," a leading environmental web site tallying the health of your neighborhood and county based on state and federal databases from environmental defense.

Leopold's Coon Creek Revisited
See "Utilizing GIS for Mapping Reforestation of an Agricultural Landscape, 1939-1993, in Coon Creek Watershed, Wisconsin," a GIS look at woodlot changes in the watershed where Aldo Leopold worked in the early 1930's. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota graduate instructor Roldan details her research project on forest land cover changes since Leopold's time there.

NRCS Partners with UMBSN on Agriculture Success Stories
These graphical poster-stories from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri feature the Mark Twain Watershed Program, the Missouri Irrigation Program, the Illinois River CREP, the Cache River Program, the Anoka Sand Plain Project, the Olmsted County Hydrologic Unit Program, Plum Creek, and the first soil conservation program, Coon Creek.  (Caution:  Large, poster-sized graphics, from 2-5MB, may require extended download times at modem speeds.)



Holistic Overview of the Upper Mississippi River
Ecological, Economic, and Institutional History of the Upper Mississippi River, by Dr. Calvin Fremling, Winona State University Biology Professor Emeritus, and Barry Drazkowski, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.

Extended Deadline to June 3, 2002
Call for Papers from the Soil and Water Conservation Society
Changing Faces of Conservation and Agriculture-the Future of Working Lands
, a Conference of the West North Central Region of the Soil and Water Conservation Society at the Holiday Inn Airport, Moline, IL - Abstracts are being solicited for concurrent session and poster session presentations for the conference, October 8-10, 2002. The conference will examine how the changing faces of agriculture and conservation affect working lands in the United States, particularly in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. For specific information about abstract submission, visit the website at www.iaswcs.org/west_north_central.htm. See the draft program.

Thomas Nast Flood Cartoon
Also notable, Ding Darling's predecessor Thomas Nast published a Mississippi River cartoon in Harper's Weekly on May 13, 1882, "The South Asking the Federal Government's Protection from the Unruly, Overflowing Monster Mississippi." An excellent short history is included.

Twin Cities Mississippi Riverfront Online Forum
The Mississippi River is the "lifeblood" of the Twin Cities. But it's come under increasing pressure from many directions in the past few decades. What will become of the river in 20 or 30 years, or 100 years? The Metropolitan Council hosted an "online-only" discussion from March 13-31 in connection with the Mississippi Riverfront Initiative. The project is bringing together all the riverfront communities between St. Paul and Hastings, plus organizations, nonprofits and individuals to discuss the river corridor, riverfront development, transportation and environmental issues, river access, historical and cultural preservation, and related concerns. You can join the discussion, too. Go to http://www.metrocouncil.org/planning/river/intro.htm. The Forum closed March 31, but is available for review
.

Farm Service Agency Seeks Comment
The FSA is accepting comment on progam EIS for CRP, ECP, CREP, and GRP until May 30, 2002.

NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance Receives a Resounding Vote of Confidence from Landowners
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) shows that farmers and ranchers are happy with the conservation technical assistance (CTA) they get from the NRCS and conservation districts.  CTA received a satisfaction index of 81 out of a possible 100, 10 points higher than Americans rate private sector services, and 12 points higher than the index for Federal government services. CTA received a trust index of 90 out of a possible 100.  Check out Customer satisfaction with CTA.

Wisconsin NRCS Announces Signup for Farmland Conservation Program, July 1 - July 26, 2002.
According to a news release the Wisconsin office, "The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced the statewide signup period for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program will open July 1 and continue through July 26, 2002 at all USDA Service Centers in Wisconsin. The program, called EQIP, provides cost sharing to help farmers with conservation practices. Approximately $1.9 million is available for this signup." Read the complete release.

Mississippi River Relief - Big River Cleanup, June 22 - 30, 2002
A collaborative effort by several Mississippi River interests groups and corporate sponsors promises to turn out large numbers of volunteers onto the Minneapolis - St. Paul Mississippi River corridor beginning Saturday. Download the event PDF brochure. For other river news, see Big River with a new issue about to hit the street.

Prairie Chicken, Passenger Pigeon, Bobwhite Quail
Sky Is Falling on Prairie Chicken, Sacrifice of a Rite of Spring
CASSODAY, Kan. — A roadside sign proclaims this town the Prairie Chicken Capital of the World. But the prairie chicken is experiencing a catastrophic decline here in the Flint Hills, the core of its range. (By E. VERNON LAUX, New York Times [registration req'd], 5/28/02)
Passenger Pigeon article; Smithsonian Institution Encyclopedia
"The Farm Bill, Wildlife and Bobwhite Quail in Specific"
The Missouri Dept. of Conservation Private Land Services Chief delivers a message the Bobwhite Quail as the flagship species representing wildlife conservation on agricultural lands. (from the Farm Bill Network email list, http://www.fb-net.org/e-list.htm).

Massive Cuts in 2003 EMP Budget PendingPool 8 Change 1961 - 2000
According to a recent news release from the Wisconsin DNR, the program with acclaimed successes in habitat restoration projects on the Upper Mississippi River is in definite peril under the present federal budget proposal for 2003: "Mississippi River Habitat Restoration and Monitoring Program Faces Massive Budget Cuts The federal budget proposal for 2003 will reduce funding of the Environmental Management Program (EMP), the premier habitat restoration and monitoring program for the Upper Mississippi River, by a massive 40% from the 2002 budget. This program, administered through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has been responsible for well known and highly acclaimed habitat projects such as the Pool 8 Islands Phase I and II, near Stoddard, WI. Habitat projects such as these have helped to restore or improve roughly 68 thousand acres of fish and wildlife habitat on the Upper Mississippi River System." More...

Upper Midwest Founded CROPWALKERS Feed the Hungry
Many, many ears of Upper Midwest corn have supported the 35 year-old CROP WALK program of Church World Service (CWS). CROP Walks, started in Bismarck, ND in 1947, continue to get people walking to raise funds to feed the hungry via food pantries in the U.S., as well as donations for Afghanistan and Pakistan. CROP/CWS also promotes sustainable development and AIDS relief in Africa. CROP stands for "Christian Rural Overseas Program," and in some communities, for "Communities Reaching Out to People." For a walk near you...

"Nature's Revenge: Louisiana's Vanishing Wetlands"
In concert with Bill Moyers of PBS, Daniel Zwerdling of National Public Radio's documentary division has created a powerful new documentary on the degradation of the Mississippi River estuary. See the web site to listen to the one hour documentary. "Every year, a chunk of land almost the size of Manhattan turns into open water in Louisiana. After decades of ignoring warnings from scientists and environmentalists, the state's business leaders are taking notice because they say this could doom the state's economy and threaten vital American industries like seafood, gas, and oil. Louisiana is getting ready to go to Congress with a bold and expensive plan to unleash the Mississippi to restore the wetlands - and they want you to help pay for it."

"The Disappearing Delta," NOW with Bill Moyers on PBS
In concert with American Radioworks (NPR), the Public Broadcasting System's NOW program presents the story of "The Disappearing Delta" in two parts: On Friday, September 6, 2002, at 9 P.M., (see NOW archive) PBS ran, "Losing Ground," on how "one of the biggest civil engineering projects in U.S. history — the levee-ing of the Mississippi River — has brought Louisiana and the nation to the brink of what could be the most costly environmental disaster in history." On Friday, September 20, 2002, at 9 P.M., on PBS will air "The Sinking of New Orleans," in which NOW with Bill Moyers returns "to examine another ominous effect of this crisis — the risk that a massive hurricane could drown New Orleans." Check your local PBS online schedule listings for possible re-runs and the next segment, or watch online via the NOW archive, where the show will appear soon.

World Summit on Sustainable Development Concluded
News sources on the summit:
Johannesburg Summit 2002 – World Summit on Sustainable Development UN Site
World Summit on Sustainable Development, NPR's World Summit Web Site
Daily Summit Full Coverage
, BBC News World Edition
World Summit Daily Updates, Worldwatch Institute
World Summit Overview, Several Stories; UN News Yahoo!
U.S. aid to farms harms Africa, [Canada's] PM says
, Toronto Star
Earth Summit Deal Snagged on Women's Rights, NY Times (registration req'd.)
To save the planet, first get an interpreter, Christian Science Monitor

Lagging WHIP Sign-ups Imperil New Funds for 2002
According to Gene Whitaker at the Farm Bill Network, "The $15 Million in WHIP [Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program] funds provided in the new 2002 Farm Bill for this year will be lost if not spent by the end of September! In reality, signups after the end of August will probably be too late to process. Signups for WHIP are accepted continually. However, only a few States have yet to actively promote the program this year." State NRCS contacts, etc., http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/. For an online form, go USDA eForms Service Center, and browse for form "AD1153." Print and hand carry a completed form to your USDA Service Center. To submit online you must first register with a notarized signature. See Gene Whitaker's complete message. See a response from Bill McGuire, Private Land Services Chief, Missouri Dept. of Conservation.

Soil and Water Conservation Society Releases Final "Measure Up" Report on Farm Bill
According to Craig Cox, Executive Director of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, the new (June 21, 2002) report's "main message is that the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (FSRI 2002) falls short of achieving the vision articulated by workshop participants as outlined in the [society's earlier] "Seeking Common Ground" report. The failure to fundamentally reform farm programs is the law's most serious shortcoming...Despite its shortcomings, the law creates the greatest opportunity for conservation on private land since 1985." See the "New Report."

USDA Economic Research for 2002
The Economic Research Service (ERS) is the main source of economic information and research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Here is their Agricultural Outlook for for U.S. Agricultural Trade, May 31, 2002 in PDF form. Here is another report on Agri-Environmental Policy at the Crossroads: Guideposts on a Changing Landscape in PDF form. See the  Economic Research Service (ERS) web site.

FAPRI Preliminary Farm Bill Analysis
The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) offers several comprehensive publications on agriculture issues and markets, both in the U.S. and globally. Go to the FAPRI website

Farm Bill Forestry Summary
The Pinchot Institute recently summarized the 2002 Farm Bill forestry provisions. See the Farm Bill Network or the Pinchot Institute.

Two USDA Units Proposed Shifted to Homeland Security
According to a document available on the Department of Homeland Security website, the USDA's Plum Island Animal Disease Center would be part of the department's "Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures" division under the reorganization announced by President George W. Bush on June 6. In addition, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service would report under "Border and Transportation Security." See the document at the Department of Homeland Security's website at whitehouse.gov. The changes are subject to congressional approval.

Coast Guard Drafts Rule For Mississippi/Missouri River Nuclear Power Plant Permanent Security Zones
This draft document describes proposed security zones controlled by the Captain of the Port, St. Louis Area, US Coast Guard 8th District. Temporary rules now in place expire June 15, 2002 for areas around the Quad Cities Generating Station, Cordova, Illinois; Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Facility, Welch, Minnesota; Clinton Power Station, Clinton, Illinois; Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station, Fort Calhoun, Nebraska; and the Cooper Nuclear Station, Brownville, Nebraska. The final rule will appear in the Federal Register and via a Broadcast Notice to Mariners from the US Coast Guard (USCG). See the Office of Boating Safety web site. Also, you can download, print, and build a color paper model (PDF) of the recovery helicopter, the HH-65 Dolphin, from the 8th District web site download page. HH-65 data sheet.

"The Internet as Environmental Activist"
In this article, the director of the Internet and Conservation Project at the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, James N. Levitt, predicts an upsurge of environmental awareness as a result of the internet.

NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance Receives a Resounding Vote of Confidence from Landowners
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) shows that farmers and ranchers are happy with the conservation technical assistance (CTA) they get from the NRCS and conservation districts.  CTA received a satisfaction index of 81 out of a possible 100, 10 points higher than Americans rate private sector services, and 12 points higher than the index for Federal government services. CTA received a trust index of 90 out of a possible 100.  Check out Customer satisfaction with CTA.

National Coastal Condition Report
Some U.S. Coastal Waters Deemed Unfit, While the Missouri is Endangered from Hypoxia (hypoxia@iatp.org ) (mmuller@iatp.org) Wed, 10 Apr 2002 A new federal "report card" confirms the declining quality of U.S. coastal waters and the threat that this trend poses to both humans and marine life. A National Academies report calls for a national strategy to combat nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in coastal waters. The overabundance of these nutrients - often from agricultural runoff, sewage treatment plants and fossil fuel emissions - is causing serious environmental damage on all of the nation's coasts, says the Academies report. The federal National Coastal Condition Report: http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/nccr. The Academies report, Clean Costal Waters: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9812.html?do_ph20.

NRCS Midwest Regional Report
"2001 Midwest Region Report [on] Natural Resources Conservation Activities" (4.6MB PDF). Saint Mary's University gets a mention for Upper Basin Stewardship Initiative activity.

Upper Basin Cultural Research
The Great Lakes Archaeological Research Center in Milwaukee Wisconsin is developing a cultural resources management strategy for the Upper Mississippi River Valley and Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge on behalf of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Researcher Katherine Rognsvoog is the project leader.

MPR Looks at Minnesota Rivers
Minnesota Public Radio's series Changing Currents offers (in archive) an excellent audio look at the rivers of Minnesota and how they are faring and changing. You can add your group's perspective to the discussion in an online "civic journalism forum."

Corps Releases New Draft Navigation Study
US Army Corps of Engineers releases draft "Interim Report for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway Restructured System Navigation Feasibility Study, May 10, 2002. Read report (4.5MB PDF). See the USACE Navigation Study web site.

Draft Navigation Study Pool 1 and 2 Planning Documents
Read draft pool plan visions for Pools 1 and 2 from the US Army Corps of Engineers navigation study folks. Download the .zip file with three Word documents.

Hypoxia (Dead) Zone Now Larger than New Jersey
According to a news release from Chief Scientist Nancy Rabalais of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), the zone of low oxygen content (<2.0mg/L) in the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River has increased again this year, and now surpassed the size of the state of New Jersey, and is approaching the area of the state of Massachusetts. Read the complete press release. [Ed. note: Much of the hypoxia zone is attributed to agricultural runoff from the Upper Midwest.] (Page Up to 2003 Hypoxia)


Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota Releases Basin Scoping Plan
The Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota (BALMM) is a locally-led alliance of land and water resource agencies formed to coordinate efforts to protect and improve water quality in the Lower Mississippi River Basin in Minnesota.  See the Basin Scoping Plan or the BALMM brochure to learn more about the organization and view a basin map.

Trade Nutrients, Improve the World
Nutrient Net, a nutrient trading demonstration website, sponsored by the World Resources Institute, provides Information on nutrient trading, buying and selling nutrient credits, and tracking the nutrient credit market.

Driftless Region Watershed Project
The "Driftless Area Initiative," recently extended its area of watershed concern into the Chippewa basin and parts of the 104 watershed area, as well. See the interim home page for an emerging organization of professional conservationists, volunteers, and concerned citizens in the Upper Basin's Driftless Region.

Letter to the Editor
A former Iowa farmer responds to the Hog Summit in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Southeast Minnesota Regional TMDL On Fecal Coliform Bacteria Completed
According to "balmm currents," newsletter of the Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota, "The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released a regional study [Monday, July 8] evaluating problems of excessive fecal coliform bacteria levels in streams in southeastern Minnesota. The agency is requesting the public to comment on the study through Aug. 6, 2002. The study covers an area of 7,266 square miles draining through 11,000 miles of streams to the Mississippi River. MPCA data show most monitoring sites in the region regularly violate federal and state water-quality standards for fecal coliform bacteria in recent years. Two-thirds of the region's land area drains to stream segments that are on a federal list of 'impaired' waters due to high fecal bacteria levels. Monitoring sites on the Root, Cedar, Zumbro, Cannon, Whitewater, Vermillion and Mississippi Rivers showed water quality impairments...To view the full Regional TMDL report and a Fact Sheet summary, visit the following location on the MPCA's web site." [All 2002 Minnesota impaired waters listed there.] Read the complete story.

"NitroGenius" Computer Game Now Available for Download
On July 5, Mark van Elswijk of Play2Learn announced that the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture's computer game for nitrogen pollution awareness (originally a multiplayer game) is now available for download in a single player version. Read about the game in this article from Grist Magazine, "The Netherlands tackles nitrogen pollution with a game."

Urban Storm Drain Stenciling on Minnehaha Creek
Volunteers stenciled urban streets near storm drains along the Minnehaha Creek Park in South Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, June 19th.. Distinctive white (with three fish) stencils, saying "Please! Don't Pollute! Drains to River" remind people that water from their lawns, sidewalks, alleys, and driveways all runs downhill to the creek and the river. In addition, Friends of the Mississippi River volunteers hung doorknob flyers throughout neighborhoods along the extensive Minnehaha Parkway. Areas of West St. Paul, South St. Paul, and Inver Grove Heights are also targeted this year. For more information, contact Katie Galloway, 651/222-2193.

Pesticide Detection Tops BALMM Agenda
"The detection of the commonly used herbicides atrazine, metolochlor and metribuzin in groundwater as a result of normal use of these products is leading to the development and promotion of best management practices to minimize impacts on groundwater, according to "balmm currents," newsletter of the Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota. MPCA staff are looking at stream monitoring data, which shows atrazine concentrations above state water quality standards at times, and a possible Total Maximum Daily Load study for atrazine. See "balmm currents" newsletters.

Sustainable Lawn Care Growth
The University of Minnesota's Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series (SULIS) offers a comprehensive Sustainable Lawn Care Information Series. While the 2002 Minnesota Legislature passed a phosphorus-free lawn fertilizer bill effective January 2004 in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, the site does not yet reflect that new information. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Master Gardeners' 2001-2002 slogan is "Clean Water or Green Water."

Chad Pegracke: More Than "Dude Over Troubled Water" Chad Pegracke by  Micheal McLaughlin copyright Outside Magazine
Check out Outside Magazine's in-depth profile of the Mississippi River trash crusader Chad Pegracke and his Living Lands and Waters organization. The river "dude" won the nation's most prestigious public service citation, a Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service, last May along with
Rudolph Giuliani, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Lilly Tartikoff. U.S. Justice of the Supreme Court Sandra Day O'Connor presented Chad with the "Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual Thirty-Five Years or Under" for his service cleaning the waters of the Mississippi, the Illinois, the Ohio, and the Missouri Rivers.

Corps Releases New Draft Navigation Study
US Army Corps of Engineers releases draft "Interim Report for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway Restructured System Navigation Feasibility Study, May 10, 2002. Read report (4.5MB PDF). See the USACE Navigation Study web site.

Grand Excursion Momentum
The "Grand Excursion 2004, America Celebrates the Mississippi River," a summer-long series of events that commemorates the 150th anniversary of a grand tour of the nation's greatest river, is (a-hem) picking up steam.

Listen: A Riverboat Captain and a Ranger, Lives on the River
Hear an August 1 (Hour 2) Voices of Minnesota broadcast from Minnesota Public Radio's Midday program with interviews of longtime riverboat captain Bill Bowell, and National Park Service Ranger John Anfinson. Also See MPR's Changing Currents page on river issues.

NE-MW Institute Posts "New Directions in Farm Policy"
The most recent edition of the Northeast-Midwest Institute's Economic Review is now online. It looks at the 2002 farm bill and future of environmental stewardship, local and regional food production, and new agricultural products and markets, including renewable energy. Also read about "Controlling Mercury," "Blocking Invasive Species," "Manufacturing's Emerging Trends," "Cleaning Brownfields," and "Removing Barriers to Electricity Innovations." See New Directions in Farm Policy.

The Mississippi and the Making of a NationAmbrose and Brinkley Publish "The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation"
Historians Stephen Ambrose and Douglas Brinkley, with National Geographic photographer Sam Abell, have released a new river book by National Geographic Books. "Variegated and ruminative about the Mississippi's physical and literary centrality to American history, Ambrose and Brinkley's exploration will justly attract great attention," writes Gilbert Taylor of the American Library Association's Booklist. You can meet Doug Brinkley on Tuesday, October 22, 2002, in the Twin Cities at one of these locations.

League of Conservation Voters 2002 ScorecardElection Results Listed by League of Conservation Voters
Following the Tuesday, November 5th, election, the League assessed races where conservation-supportive candidates won and lost. Its "Dirty Dozen" list looks at how the least supportive candidates fared. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issues its National Environmental Scorecard prior to each major election for members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives by state and district. You can download the complete 2002 pre-election environmental scorecard (PDF; 97K).

Book Review
Founding Fish by John McPhee -- Most Savory

The Founding Fish by John McPheeAuthor John McPhee's new book on the American shad Alosa sapidissima (most savory) will give fishermen and women, and fish feasters alike, a treat of the history, biology, anatomy, ecology, and prospects for North American's premier (he believes) anadromous fish. You will spend time fishing with McPhee on both the native east coast, wading and canoeing the Delaware, and on the west, where the American shad arrived by train in 1871. You will also meet a few shad ichthyologists (with a sturgeon story or two) and many a shad and fishing characters whom only the master can describe. According to his publisher, "John McPhee is the author of 26 books, including Annals of the Former World, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1999. He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1965 and lives in Princeton, New Jersey

River Refuge: Interviews on Online Radio
Minnesota Public Radio's Midmorning Program broadcast live interviews Friday, April 25th, with Don Hultman, USFWS manager of the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge (9 a.m.), and birding expert Carol Schumacher (10 a.m.) with host Katherine Lanpher from the Acoustic Cafe in Winona. Drop in at 2nd and Lafayette in downtown Winona, Minnesota. Listen to the program archive via the web from the link above. (You'll need the RealAudio player version 8 or newer. The RealPlayer takes about five or more minutes to install, depending on your connection speed. You can easily opt out of the paid player for the free version toward the end of the installation.)

Earth Day 2003 Resources
On April 22, 2003, National Public Radio (NPR) and the National Press Club featured a live address by former Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, the "Father of Earth Day." Minnesota Public Radio's Midday Program. This program will also be available in online audio archive if you missed it.
Here are a few of many Earth Day worldwide web resources to help you celebrate its 33rd anniversary:
Earth Day Network, "an alliance of 5,000 groups in 184 countries working to promote a healthy environment and a peaceful, just, sustainable world."
Environmental News Network

Biography of Wisconsin U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day.
Gaylord Nelson page from Wisconsin's Environmental Education for Kids.
Federal Earthday.gov site. NPR's Bob Edwards spoke with Senator Nelson on April 2,20021 on Morning Edition (online audio). Wisconsin Public Radio host Larry Meiller spoke with Sen. Nelson on March 6, 2003 (online audio).
PBS recently featured Walter Cronkite narrating a televised series on the real potential for the world's most devastating environmental disaster: "Avoiding Armageddon. Our Future. Our Choice." Follow the link for online replay.

Earth Day Event in Winona, Saturday, April 26 12:00 to 4 p.m. at Lake Winona's Lake Park Lodge.

courtesy of Freshwater Mollusk Conservation SocietyCongratulations to Malacologist Marian Havlik!
We can almost hear the bivalve applause as the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society (FMCS) presented the William J. Clench Award to Marian E. Havlik, Malacological Consultants, La Crosse, WI, at the 3rd National FMCS Symposium, March 18, 2003, in Raleigh, NC, "in grateful recognition of her longstanding commitment to the mussel fauna of the Upper Mississippi River system in the form of surveys, publications, and unwavering advocacy for this important national resource".

Spring Wind: "In a mucked up lovely river..."Greg Brown Song Anthology, "Going Driftless"
Songwriter Greg Brown, who lives in the Des Moines River watershed in southeast Iowa, writes compelling folk songs that get right to the point. "Spring Wind" from his 1992 "Dream Café" album not only decries the sadness of a broken relationship, but also the river pollution that separates him from good fishing.

In a mucked up lovely river,
I cast my little fly.
I look at that river and smell it
and it makes me wanna cry...


Greg's latest albums are "Milk of the Moon" and a benefit anthology of his songs by women artists, "Going Driftless," both released in 2002. Royalties for "Going Driftless go to The Breast Cancer Fund of San Francisco. He expects to release a new album this spring.

Water Wars by Diane Raines WardBook Review
Water Wars: Drought, Flood, Folly and the Politics of Thirst by Diane Raines Ward
This worldwide overview of the few successes and a number of failures of large scale water projects details the monumental human effort to control water in modern times. It foretells a looming crisis and the pending struggle between the water haves and the have-nots. From the lowlands of Zeeland and the Everglades to the highlands of the Nile and the Tennessee, Ms. Ward writes from a first hand interview perspective, and provides a good gateway read to on the most critical environmental issues of the new century.

Web-cast "Shorebirds On The Move...Come Migrate With Us"
According to Hilary Chapman, Shorebird Sister Schools Program Coordinator, sssp@fws.gov, you can see the webcast online (through the end of the school year) at http://www.efieldtrips.org/shorebirds/. Learn shorebirds and their migrations!

Great River Birding Festival SiteInternational Migratory Bird Day, May 11
According to Bonnie Koop of the Audubon Society, birders all over the upper Midwest gathered last weekend to celebrate the migratory birds of the Mississippi River flyway, one of the most important migratory bird paths in the western hemisphere. Click on the web site image to go the the festival site, or on these other migratory bird links:
International Migratory BIrd Day
USFWS International Migratory Bird Day
Smithsonian International Migratory BIrds

HECUA's Off-Campus Environmental SemesterHECUA's New Semester Program Launched: "Environmental Sustainability: Science, Politics and Public Policy"
The Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA, http://www.hecua.org/), a consortium of 15 Midwest colleges and universities that provides off-campus study programs, has launched it's interdisciplinary watershed science program, "Environmental Sustainability: Science, Politics and Public Policy." Targeted at college sophomores, and beginning this fall, [the] "Program focuses on the social and economic underpinnings of conflict over natural resources and environmental quality." Contact Joe Underhill-Cady at cady@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1312, or see the program website, http://www.hecua.org/programs/epsd/, for more information.