balmm currents
Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota
July 11, 2003
NEXT BALMM MEETING JULY 16: Things are moving fast - we'll spend our time at this month's BALMM meeting catching up, readjusting our sights, and planning how to forge ahead. Discussion of new 319 proposals, and how to rank them, will continue....We'll review Governor Pawlenty's goals for southeast Minnesota water quality and support for our CREP proposal.. Bea Hoffmann will update us on the Southeast Minnesota Wastewater Initiative, particularly a survey of citizens and public officials that will be used to create a marketing communication strategy (will there be billboards?)....Gretchen Sabel of MPCA will review new legislation on septic system compliance, possible pilot projects, and how counties could participate.....We'll review the Fecal Coliform TMDL Implementation Plan before it's finalized; and get the latest word on CREP.
GOVERNOR PAWLENTY TO HOLD HEARING ON SE MINN CREP JULY 17:
Governor Tim Pawlenty has scheduled a public meeting on the Southeast Minnesota CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) Proposal for early afternoon on Thursday, July 17 at the J.C. Hormel Nature Center in Austin ( From I-90, take 21st St NE north about ¼ mile to entrance on east side of street.) Exact time is yet to be determined. A series of brief presentations from sportsmen, farmers and urban representatives will follow an overview of the SE Minnesota CREP proposal by CREP coordinator Bev Nordby. An open mike will be available for others wishing to make brief comments.
CREP is a major element of the Clean Water Initiative that Governor Pawlenty outlined on June 24. "Last year's Farm Bill greatly enhanced the CREP program - and Minnesota can't afford to pass up this exceptional tool in our environmental protection efforts," he said. "We'll have an ambitious bonding proposal to tap into the CREP program - and get our second generation started - in time for the 2004 legislative session. Stay tuned."
"This is our opportunity to show the Governor what an outstanding application we have and the support that the Southeast has for the CREP program," says Bev Nordby, Mower SWCD Manager and SE Minnesota CREP Coordinator. Nordby urges those who have been involved in writing the CREP application and in supporting the program to attend the public meeting. "A large number of people will show support to the legislators and the Governor's office."
The morning of July 17, Governor Pawlenty will hold a public meeting on the Red River Basin CREP proposal in Crookston.
Final details on the Austin meeting should be available on Monday. For more information, call 507-434-2603.
SE MINN WASTEWATER INITIATIVE HIRES NEW FACILITATOR:
On June 26, the Wastewater I Steering Committee interviewed two candidates to fill Chris Ingebretsen's position for the Wastewater Facilitator for our southern 6 counties. I am extremely pleased to announce that Sheila Craig has accepted our offer for a full-time, temporary position with the SE MN Water Resources Board. Sheila will resume her position with the Wastewater Initiative shortly after accepting early retirement from the U of M Extension Service-Fillmore County where she served for 21 years. Sheila brings extensive experience in facilitating community process throughout the region and I feel confident that she will be an excellent addition to our team. Sheila will begin her duties on Monday, August 11 and will be housed out of the Fillmore County Extension office. For more information, contact Bea Hoffmann, SE Minnesota Water Resources Board, 507-457-5223.
WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS IMPLEMENTATION OF TMDLS: With EPA's approval of the Southeast Minnesota Regional Fecal Coliform TMDL last October, and Governor Pawlenty's charge to make southeast Minnesota streams swimmable in 10 years, it's time to get even more serious about how to achieve reductions of two-thirds or more in pollutant sources from livestock and human sources. And, with turbidity TMDLs around the corner, and Governor Pawlenty's charge to reduce soil soil erosion by 2 million tons and sediment delivered to streams by 30 percent, it's time to develop concrete plans for achieving serious reductions in these pollutants as well.
For people who have been wrestling with non point source pollution (NPS) either statewide or in basins or watersheds, trying (again and again) different combinations of education, incentives, and regulation, the advent of TMDLs raises the possibility of creating a more effective context for implementing NPS solutions. However, since we are early in the process of TMDL implementation, it is not yet clear how states, local governments and non profits can work together to incorporate TMDLs effectively to work towards NPS elimination. The purpose of this conference is to explore this question. This conference will present the experience of states, organizations, and individuals who have already actively probed this question through a project, study or by implementing a TMDL. Attendees will gain not only a broad knowledge of the state of TMDL implementation, but also will become empowered with tools they might use to implement TMDLs for their own watershed management plans. The cost of attending this 1 1/2 day conference is $45 if you register before August 9; it is $55 after that day. This includes breakfast, lunch for both days, morning and afternoon breaks, and a small reception the evening of August 19 including finger food and jazz entertainment. It does not include dinner.
There will be an extra fee of $10 charged for the field trip on Monday, August 18. This includes lunch and a snack on the bus.
For more information, visit the following web site:
<http://www.csg.org/CSG/Policy/environment/working+at+the+watershed+level/minnesota+conference.htm>
SEELEY ON CLIMATE: Dr. Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota, will address the topic of Climate Trends, Detection and Prediction at 10-11 am, August 4, Conference Room 1, Minnesota Department of Agriculture at 90 West Plato Blvd. St Paul.
SMALL GROUP NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANNING WORKSHOPS:
Funds are available for watershed groups, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, County Feedlot Officers, Extension staff, producer groups and others to organize "hands-on" nutrient and manure plan-writing workshops in their areas for crop and livestock farmers. UM Regional Extension staff, with local partners, lead the workshops where small groups of producers use information from two or three of their own fields to prepare plans. At the completion of the three-hour session, producers understand how these plans are prepared and are able to complete the plan for their entire farm. Eighteen such workshops have been held so far this year with excellent comments. The workshops are a good opportunity even for those producers who wish to employ a crop consultant to finish the plan: an understanding of how application rates are determined is useful for anyone applying manure and fertilizer. This opportunity will be of special interest to livestock producers with operations between 300 and 1,000 animal units, since they are required under state feedlot rules to have a plan on file or have manure applied by a certified operator by January 2005. Kevin Blanchet and Jodi DeJong-Hughes of UM Extension are the project coordinators and workshop presenters. Kevin works with eastern counties, (Kevin.Blanchet@CO.DAKOTA.MN.US <mailto:Kevin.Blanchet@CO.DAKOTA.MN.US>), and Jodi with western counties (dejon003@umn.edu <mailto:dejon003@umn.edu>). Contact them soon for more information, including a local organizers packet and brochures.
MONSANTO HOSTS CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FIELD DAY JULY 29: The maker of Roundup and other agricultural herbicides, Monsanto, is hosting a Center of Excellence Field Day at the Monsanto Agronomy Center in Mapleton, Minnesota from 10 am to 3 pm July 29. Tour stops include: Update on making conservation tillage work, Corn Rootworm Hybrid Technology, specialty corn marketing opportunities, MACRM Core Conservation Alliances, New conservation programs in the farm bill, and planter demonstrations with John Deere, Case-IH and Kinze equipment. For more information, call Tom Larson at 507-327-8775.
CANNON RIVER FESTIVAL COMING AUG. 2: The Cannon River Watershed Partnership is hosting its second Cannon River Festival in Bridge Square, in downtown Northfield, August 2, 2003. Organizations are invited to staff informational exhibits at the event at no cost ($10 or $20 charged for table and chairs for non-profits and other types of organizations, respectively). The event, which drew more than 400 visitors last year, will be held from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with exhibit setup time at 9:00. Please reserve exhibit space no later than July 21. For more information, contact Joey Robinson at 507-645-7094.
BEARS REPEATING: "In southeast Minnesota, the number of waters unsuitable for swimming is simply unacceptable." -- Governor Tim Pawlenty, June 24, 2003
Send comments and items for future editions to:
balmm currents editor: Norman Senjem, MPCA
Phone: 507/280-3592
Fax: 507/280-5513
norman.senjem@pca.state.mn.us