STOP ASIAN CARP! Website

We learned about this websitefrom a recent edition of the Minneapolis RiverCurrent.  Scads of information on all things Asian Carp related.

To subscribe to The RiverCurrent, email your request to mplsrivercurrent@gmail.com.

Mississippi Messgaes - July, 2012

The latest news from Friends of the Mississippi River:

How to Identify Silver and Bighead Carp

The Great Lakes & Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) shared this video on their Facebook page. It's from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region, and shows how to identify silver and bighead carp, using grass and common carp as points of comparison. 

Bighead and silver carp are only two of 39 aquatic nuisance species of concern for potential transfer between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.

Star Trib Article Tells How Swollen River Affects Twin Cities River Rats

The Twin Cities River Rats were originally scheduled for Thursday nights, May 31 through August 30.  However, the heavy rains that made St. Anthony Falls so mesmerizing to watch from the Stone Arch Bridge have altered the River Rats show schedule. See Maria Elena Baca's June 13 article in the Star Trib for the story.

Raging Waters Stop the River Rats

From KARE 11:

The raging waters of the Mississippi River have forced the cancellation of the season's first Twin Cities River Rats Waterski Show on Thursday night.

Earlier this week, the Army Corp of Engineers closed the Mississippi River to commercial and recreational traffic due to high water flow.

The 'Twin Cities River Rats' perform every Thursday night during the spring and summer for free near Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis.

Dave Tombers, the President of the Twin Cities River Rats, said this is the first time he can remember that they had to cancel the show for high water.

The next show is scheduled for June 7th. 

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/977879/396/High-water-sinks-River-Rats-waterski-show

Camden Dock Along Mississippi River Temporarily Closed

Via a May 30 email from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board:

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has temporarily closed the Camden Dock due to high water and rapid current on the Mississippi River, making the dock unsafe for use. The popular fishing dock, which opened for the season three weeks ago, is located at the south end of North Mississippi Regional Park in north Minneapolis. As of Wednesday morning, the river had quickly risen more than five feet over Memorial Day weekend.

Park Police Recover Large Quantity of Bronze Vases at the Camden Boat Launch - Match Those Stolen from Local Cemeteries

Via a May 25 email from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board:

Park Police Recover Large Quantity of Bronze Vases Matching Those Stolen from Local Cemeteries

At approximately 8:45 p.m. Thursday, two park users reported a number of large suspicious containers at the Camden boat launch in North Mississippi Regional Park.

Minneapolis Park Police Officers responded to the scene and identified the contents of the containers as a large quantity of bronze vases matching the description of the vases recently stolen from Washburn-McReavy’s Glen Haven Cemetery in Crystal and Crystal Lake Cemetery in north Minneapolis, as well as from Gethsemane Cemetery in New Hope. The containers and their contents have been sent to the Minneapolis Crime Lab for identification and processing.

Mississippi & Minnesota River Clean Up Plans

Help clean up our river:

Minneapolis Park Board Purchases Key Riverfront Property

Via a May 4 email from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board:

At its May 2, 2012 meeting, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) voted to pursue purchase of a $1.37 million piece of key riverfront property in Northeast Minneapolis. The 1.74-acre parcel at 1720 Marshall Street NE will provide 354 linear feet of Mississippi riverfront and continues the MPRB’s long-standing work to create green corridors and provide public access to waterfront in Minneapolis. The acquisition process is expected to take up to four months.
 
“We are very excited. Revitalizing the Mississippi Riverfront with new parks, trails and green spaces is one of this Board's highest priorities.  Previous Park Board development of the Chain of Lakes and the Central Riverfront has been an incredible success for our city,” said John Erwin, president of the MPRB Board of Commissioners. “This purchase is the first step in making the Upper Riverfront such a success story as well, and represents the first purchase since adopting the RiverFirst plan.”
 
RiverFirst – A Design Proposal and Implementation Framework for the Minneapolis Upper Riverfront, was adopted by the Park Board in March, 2012, following almost two years of input, collaboration and support from the public, business community and local, regional and state agencies. RiverFirst encompasses the 5.5 miles of Mississippi River from the Stone Arch Bridge to the northern City limits, and builds upon the Above the Falls Master Plan to develop the land along the Mississippi River.

“I am so excited to add another piece of quilt to the upper riverfront ribbon of green,” said Liz Wielinski, Park District 1 Commissioner, in which the property is located.
 
This leadership in preserving land along the city’s lakes, rivers and streams has earned the MPRB national recognition for its exceptional parks and trails. By the early 1900s visionary Park Board leaders had acquired most of the east and west riverfront of the river stretching from St. Paul to St. Anthony Falls for public parkland. Since the 1993 the MPRB has led the charge to expand parkland to provide a connection from the downtown area north of the Falls area.

The signing of a purchase agreement is the first step in the acquisition of the parcel. Over the next sixty days the acquisition process will include conducting an appraisal of the property to confirm fair market value and working with potential funding partners to obtain satisfactory commitments. At the same time, the MPRB will conduct environmental due diligence processes to understand any environmental concerns for the property. If all aspects of the agreement are satisfactorily met, the acquisition will be finalized in approximately four months.
 
Acquisition funds will come from a combination of regional park funding, MPRB funds approved in the 2012 budget for riverfront land acquisition and possible other sources.

Video - Minneapolis and the Mississippi River

Awesome documentary on the Mississippi River and Minneapolis...