balmm currents
Basin
February 7, 2004
NEXT BALMM MEETING: Wednesday,
February 16, MPCA-Rochester. FOCUS ON NITROGEN IN THE WATER
NITROGEN MANAGEMENT HEADS BALMM AGENDA: Almost
70 people packed the meeting room at Rochester Public Utility on Wednesday,
Dec. 1, to learn more about the problem of nitrogen in the water of
southeastern
– Nitrogen
Management Strategies in the BALMM Scoping Document. An inter-agency team led
by the Dept of Ag developed a sound strategy in 2001.
– Nitrogen-Use
Efficiency. Bruce Montgomery of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will
give a presentation on nitrogen use in
– Current
Nitrogen Management Practices from FANMAP Survey – Denton Bruening
of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will present the results of a new
farmer survey in the S Branch Root River watershed on fertilizer use vs.
University recommendations, comparing results with earlier surveys in
– Nitrogen
Management Demonstrations. Two ideas will be presented. First, Pat Bailey of
Turtle Creek Watershed Study to be presented at BALMM: Land use changes, primarily through extensive land clearing
and agricultural drainage, have significantly altered the landscape of much of
the
Says Boddy:
“The Turtle Creek watershed, quite literally, stands at a crossroads within the
debate of agriculture, drainage, water quality and climate change. This area was once the site of a massive
wetland complex of over 15,000 acres, yet most recently received attention as
the epicenter of some of the worst flooding of 2004. Between these two extremes, however, the
watershed’s residents have proudly produced famous bumper crops of vegetables
worthy of praise as well as profit. This
report attempts to highlight some of the history of land use changes within the
Turtle Creek watershed, as well as to acknowledge the connection between
agricultural traditions, farm policy and the current state of the environment
in the area. In addition to this
analysis, the report makes use of GIS to identify sensitive areas within the
watershed, the targeting of which may make the most of conservation efforts and
funds.”
TOWARDS A PERMANENT
AGRICULTURE: “Our goal is permanency in
agriculture – an agriculture that is stable and secure for farm and farmer,
consistent in prices and earnings; an agriculture that can satisfy indefinitely
all our needs of food, fiber and shelter in keeping with the living standards
we set. Everybody has a stake in a permanent agriculture. …Permanency in
agriculture is a goal to be sought always by all people, everywhere. It was
never more clearly recognized than during the past sad decade. To lose sight of
it is to invite the specter of tragic want – the end product of soil depletion.
So, in the wake of war and in the glow of our unprecedented production, this
country looks to the future and considers again the land and its management –
this time, as never before, in terms of grass. For around grass, farmers can
organize general crop production so as to promote efficient practices that lead
to permanency in agriculture.” – P.V. Cardon, “A
Permanent Agriculture,”
in Grass: Yearbook of Agriculture 1948,
Organizations Devoted to
In December 2004, the Boards
of Directors of the Freshwater Society, the Minnesota Lakes Association and the
Rivers Council of Minnesota approved an intent to
merge into a single organization devoted to the enjoyment, protection, rational
management and stewardship of the lakes and rivers of
The merger creates exciting
new opportunities for Minnesota’s citizens, government agencies and
non-government organizations to work together in managing one of the state’s
most important assets—her water resources.
The cost savings in administrative efficiency coupled with a more
diversified revenue source will result in the enhancement and expansion of citizen
science, watershed education, conservation stewardship, and public policy
programs.
James Hansen, Chair of the
Freshwater Society said, “The new organization will have over 5,000 members
statewide and serve a large and growing network of citizen scientists providing
local monitoring of wetlands, rivers and lakes, which is critical in times of
reduced state funding and increased mandates for improved waterways.” The Freshwater Society was founded in 1968
and is dedicated to conserving, restoring, and protecting freshwater resources
and their surrounding watersheds.
“I am most excited by the depth of the
education programs the new entity will now be able to deliver to K – 12
students, educators, county watershed boards and riparian landowners,” noted Louis
Smith, Rivers Council of Minnesota Chair.
The Rivers Council was formed in 1996 to help Minnesotans protect,
restore and enjoy the state’s 92,000 miles of streams and rivers by building
awareness of river resources, monitoring river health, and promoting actions
that improve and rivers.
Added Kay Cook, Chair of
the Minnesota Lakes Association, “We will become a very large voice on
stewardship and water quality public policy issues as a result of the merger
and look forward to many years of improved water quality for the citizens of
this state.” Since 1980, the Minnesota
Lakes Association has been promoting citizen stewardship of
The merger of the three
organizations is expected to become formal by July 1, 2005. Bruce Johnson, Executive Director of the
Rivers Council of Minnesota, has been appointed Interim Executive Director of
the new organization. As the groups
combine resources to achieve the opportunities the new organization offers,
current programs and services will be continued without disruption.
Announcing the 2005 Shoreland Education Workshops Schedule
http://www.extension.umn.edu/water/shore/workshops.htm
Shoreland Volunteers
(lake and watershed stewardship)
Shoreland Revegetation (establishing natural vegetation and erosion
control)
Shoreland Plants
(aquatic plant ID and Curly Leaf Pond Weed management)
The workshops are designed for lake associations, shoreland property owners, resource professionals, and
government staff.
Please visit http://www.extension.umn.edu/water/shore/workshops.htm
for more information and to look up a workshop near you. The
workshop brochure and on-line registration is available at this site.
“Hard” copies of the brochure are available from the address below or from UM
Extension Regional Centers.
BEARS REPEATING:
“The town organization is the germ of the commonwealth, and
a nursery of citizenship.” –
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balmm
currents editor:
Phone: 507/280-3592