Minneapolis RiverCurrent 9-26-13

*****Events and Activities*****

Mill City Farmers Market – Mill City Oktoberfest

Saturday, September 28, 8 am – 1 pm

Chicago Avenue between Second Street South and West River Parkway

Celebrate Minnesota's brewing past and present as Mill City Museum and the Mill City Farmers Market team up for Mill City Oktoberfest! You'll swear you're in Munich with the tastes, smells, sights and sounds around you at the Farmers Market, inside the museum and outside in the Ruin Courtyard. At this week’s 10 am Cooking Demo, Chef Heather...

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St. Anthony Falls Lock & Dam Getting Closer to Closure

From the Star Tribune:

WASHINGTON – More than 50 years after the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam established Minneapolis as the head of commercial navigation on the Mississippi River, momentum is building in Congress to close the lock to protect Minnesota’s northern waters from invasive Asian carp.

Environmentalists and sportsmen are cheering a House panel’s decision Thursday to incorporate the lock closure into legislation funding ports and water projects across the nation — the first bill of its kind in six years. Despite a budget standoff that could shut down the government in two weeks, the water resources bill is widely expected to pass with rare, bipartisan consensus.

Read the full article...

Update on the Fight Against Asian Carp [Audio]

From MPR:

Paul Labovitz, superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, and Peter Sorensen, scientific director of the University of Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Center, join The Daily Circuit to discuss the latest on the fight against Asian carp.

Lock Closure Within Reach in Fight Against Asian Carp

From Star Tribune:

This was no ordinary dead fish found perched atop a concrete dam abutment on the Mississippi River near Winona last month.

The 30-inch carcass was that of a voracious Asian carp, an invasive species threatening Minnesota’s waterways. More alarmingly, it was a type of Asian carp known for its spectacular leaping ability. This piscine athleticism may help the silver carp hurdle barriers on its journey up the river — the carcass on the dam abutment underscores this — but it also creates a serious hazard to boaters, who may be injured when motor-startled fish jump out of the water.

Read the full editorial...

Mississippi Messages - September 2013

Good news and bad news on invasive carp

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Canoeing the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca to Louisiana

Mill District neighbors, Lee and Colette Goderstad, brought to our attention the story of two young adults from Minnesota, Linnea and Dave, who spent this summer canoeing the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca to Louisiana, arriving in mid-August.  The expedition is documented on their Traveling Riverside Blog and on Facebook.

Lee and Colette got a few pictures of Linnea and Dave as they passed thru Minneapolis.  Below, the couple waits for a barge to pass before they enter the lock and dam. (Look in the lower left corner - they are up against the rail.)

Linnea and Dave exiting the lock and dam:

Planning the next leg of their journey from the U of M rowing team ramp:

Thank you to Lee and Colette for sharing this Mississippi River adventure with us! :)

Mississippi Messages September 2013

Calendar of Events

Woodland Wildflower Rescue Part II: The Planting!

Saturday, September 21 — 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Hastings Scientific and Natural Area, Hastings

This spring, Vermillion Stewards volunteers dug up hundreds of ferns, heaptica and other native plants that would have otherwise been destroyed by road construction. After being tended for the summer construction season, we now need volunteers to help us replant the woodland natives in the Hastings Scientific and Natural Area. Capacity is limited and registration required. Learn more on the event page, or sign up now with Lindsay at lhefferan@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x24.

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Minneapolis RiverCurrent 9-5-13

*****Events and Activities*****

Mill City Farmers Market – Preserving the Harvest Day

Saturday, September 7, 8 am – 1 pm

Chicago Avenue between Second Street South and West River Parkway

Come to the Market today and relish in the season's bounty! Stock up on the freshest produce around, and spend some time in the coming weeks with friends and loved ones canning, pickling and preserving. You'll thank yourself this winter. At this week’s 10 am Cooking Demo, join Market Chef Heather Hartman and special guest Charlie Wagner. The duo will be making Grilled and Smashed Potato Salad

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