Ten years ago former Gov. Arne Carlson stood on the banks of the Minnesota River and issued a challenge to clean up the river. Progress toward that goal will be scrutinized at the 6th Annual Summer Conference

"Clean Water in Our Lifetime"
co-sponsored by the
Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers Board (MRBJPB) and
Clean Up the River Environment (CURE).
It will be held Thursday and Friday, Aug. 2 and 3
at the TACC Center, Montevideo, South Western Minnesota.
For more information,
visit the online brochure/agenda at
http://www.curemnriver.org/summer-conference.htm
or call the MRBJPB at 952-361-6590 email: dovrebo@co.carver.mn.us
CURE office at 320-269-2984 or email at cure@info-link.net
$80 registration fee includes 2-day conference
(meals, tours, snacks and optional CURE membership)
It's Not Too Late!  Register today

Sign up now! for one of six tours on Thursday Aug. 2.
     Canoe a stretch of river, fish with the commish,
or take an eco tour on a coach bus.   

Conference sessions will focus on cleanup tasks and results so far. "I like the focus on the good work being done locally by a wide array of partners. People need to hear, see and talk about the efforts to restore the river," said Steve Hansen, Executive Director of the Joint Powers Board.  "This conference will present information on the river from several perspectives in easy to understand common terms.  This should be one of the best conferences we've ever had," adds Hansen. "We are at a turning point in the future of the Minnesota River environment," said Lynn Lokken, CURE Executive Director.   "We have worked hard to get to this point, but there are many financial and organizational challenges ahead.  We need to bring everyone together - communities, agriculture, business, government, citizens, sports groups - and create a plan that ensures clean water in our lifetime."  In an effort to increase citizen participation, a limited number of scholarships are
available. To offer your volunteer efforts, donations, and/or apply for a citizen scholarship, contact the CURE office at 320-269-2984 or email at cure@infolink.net
Under the Federal Clean Water Act, the ultimate goal is to protect and restore the Minnesota River so that its waters are "fishable and swimmable."   In recent years citizen groups and public agencies have been working hard toward that goal. But much work remains.  Much of the work is being done by 13 local watershed projects, their local Soil and Water Conservation Districts and other partners in the Minnesota River Basin.  They are supported in part by 37 counties that make up the Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers Board and State and Federal agencies. Citizen groups such as CURE have been active on many fronts by not only creating
awareness of the problems facing the river, but also by involving a wide assortment of communities in the effort to restore the river.  For 10 years CURE has focused on increasing awareness of how land uses impact the river and most recently, have sponsored a series of farmer input meetings in the Minnesota River Basin. This respectful approach has led to the inclusion of conservation-incentive payments into the proposed Conservation Security Act that is being considered as part of the 2002 Farm Bill.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Please RSVP to reserve your space on a tour - contact Diane Ovrebo at 952-361-6590 or email dovrebo@co.carver.mn.us if you wish to
attend all or a portion of the conference. For more information about water quality and the Minnesota River on the web, log on to www.pca.state.mn.us and select Water.