Whitney Clark and Friends of the Mississippi River in Star Trib Article

Click hereto link to the Star Trib's March 28 (print date) article on Whitney Clark, Executive Director of Friends of the Mississippi River.

The premier event for Friends of the Mississippi River is The Mississippi River Challenge - a 2-day, 44-mile paddling event to raise money for a cleaner, healthier river.  The dates for the 2012 event are July 28 and 29, and all funds raised go toward aiding the organization’s work on the Mississippi River in and around the Twin Cities.  

SAFL and NCED Co-Host Premier Regional Stream Restoration Event

 

From St. Anthony Falls Laboratory - SAFL on Facebook:

 

February 14, 2012

Contact: Julie Bodurtha, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, 612-626-6166

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (2/14/2012)—The University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) and the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED) will host the 3rd Annual Upper Midwest Stream Restoration Symposium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 4-7, 2012. The event which draws more than one hundred stream restoration practitioners, researchers and scientists, and policy and regulatory advocates, is a signature program of the Partnership for River Restoration and Science in the Upper Midwest, a joint SAFL and NCED endeavor. A range of stream restoration topics will be explored during the symposium including design and related analyses, alternatives analysis, implementation and monitoring, as well as the planning, regulatory and funding context for stream restoration.

Now in its third year, the Upper Midwest Stream Restoration Symposium has grown both in program scope and participation into the leading stream restoration forum in the region. “This symposium provides an important forum for developing innovative solutions for the complex issues facing stream restoration efforts in the Midwest region,” said Barbara Burkholder, SAFL/NCED research scientist and symposium coordinator. “Participants from diverse backgrounds come together to share knowledge, and explore new approaches and best practices.”

Highlights of this year’s event include the following keynote presentations by nationally recognized speakers:

• “Valuing Nature: Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Decision Making” by Stephen Polasky, University of Minnesota
• “A Sand Country Almanac: Where we’ve been, where we’re headed, and the role of citizens with Michigan Stream Restoration Practices” by Bryan Burroughs, Michigan Trout Unlimited
• “Deluge Dilemma: What is the role of restoration practitioners, advocates and the conservation community in the challenge of flooding?” by Sara Strassman, American Rivers
• “A Story of River Redemption - How science is working to restore lost features and creatures in the urban Mississippi River” by Mike Davis, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• “St. Louis River Area Estuary - Area of Concern to Area of Recovery - A Framework for Delisting” by Nelson French, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

The symposium will be held at the Holiday Inn Metrodome in Minneapolis, with related evening events and networking opportunities arranged at nearby establishments. Several short courses on a range of topics precede the opening keynote presentation on Sunday, March 4. On Monday and Tuesday, the symposium features keynote presentations, followed by selected oral and poster presentations in a single track. The half-day session on Wednesday, March 7, will focus on considerations and approaches for stream restoration standards and certification. The event concludes with a tour of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory.

Individuals interested in attending may contact symposium coordinator, Barbara Burkholder, at bkb0811@umn.edu or 612-624-3931. For additional information, visit the Stream Restoration Symposium website.

Dennis Anderson Asian Carp Article in Star Trib

Dennis Anderson weighed in on the Asian Carp issue in todays Star Trib Outdoors section.

  

Sunday, February 12 - 'Wild Mississippi' Series on Nat Geo WILD

We have our recorder set up to catch this great 3-part Wild Mississippi series Sunday night (February 12) on Nat Geo WILD (local channel 108):

7:00pm:  Wild Mississippi: Deep Freeze
Nat Geo WILD travels to the starting point of the mighty Mississippi River Lake Itasca in Minnesota, where the 2,350-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico begins. Harsh cannot begin to describe the winter in this region, where temperatures reach 33 below zero. Survival strategies are as numerous as the creatures that live here, such as beavers, bobcats and gray wolves.

8:00pm:  Wild Mississippi: Raging Waters
The Mississippi River reached extreme low temperatures, causing an unprecedented deep freeze. Now, spring is in bloom, with all the snow and ice from across the watershed melting, triggering a massive flood of biblical proportions. Well see how the inhabitants adjust and fight to survive.

9:00pm:  Wild Mississippi: Delta Blues
Our romance with the Mississippi River heats up as we head south. The river joins with an even more flooded Ohio River to form a union of destruction that challenges man and wildlife. The water rises at a rate of two inches every hour. Those creatures that can flee, do as fast as they can. Wide waters force turtles to look beyond their normal sandy nesting grounds for places to lay their eggs, which become vulnerable to predators.

Telling River Stories: People and Places Along the Mississippi River

Telling River Stories is a project of the University of Minnesota's River Life Program.

This project populates a map with stories of how people shape, and are shaped by, the Mississippi River. If we are to continue to live richly on this River, we’ll need to design, plan, and build so that we enhance instead of degrade it. Stories of people improving lives along the River are told here too.

Virtual Tours of the Mississippi River with Ranger on Call

You can have a national park experience 24 hours a day with Ranger on Call, a virtual tour of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area from the National Park Service.

Ranger on Call is an audio guide to exploring some of the park’s most special places. The guide features a series of 20 stops designed to expand users’ knowledge of the Mississippi River and provoke exploration.

Users can listen to stories from all along the 72-mile corridor of the national park, and download podcasts and maps online.  For an all-encompassing park experience, users can visit the featured sites along the river in person and dial 1-877-727-1172 (toll free) for the cell phone tour.

Ranger on Call features narration by Don Shelby, who brings to life the stories from diverse communities along the river. Tour stops feature the Minneapolis Riverfront, Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary and Lock and Dam #2 in Hastings.

Ranger on Call was created by the National Park Service and the Mississippi River Fund. The national park’s 72-mile boundary stretches along the Mississippi River from Dayton/Ramsey, through Minneapolis and Saint Paul, to just south of Hastings. It includes a range of cultural, economic and natural resources — from historic sites like Fort Snelling to unique features including the river’s only waterfall and gorge, to public parks and wildlife refuges.

In addition to protecting the river’s ecosystems and water quality and providing access points for recreation, the park offers a range of volunteer and educational activities, including ranger-led canoe, fishing, biking and hiking programs and school programs.

The Mississippi River Fund is the official charitable partner of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. The fund supports stewardship and community engagement programs that support the park and its mission. These programs include water quality protection, habitat restoration, formal education, and interpretive programs that share with the public the significant role our National Park plays in American history and culture.