Friends of the Mississippi River - Working to protect the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities area

Over 230 million pounds of toxics discharged into American waterways

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:42:46 -0500

According to a recent report by Environment Minnesota, industrial facilities dumped over 2 million pounds of toxic chemicals into Minnesota’s waterways in 2007.

The report: “Wasting Our Waterways: Industrial Toxic Pollution and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act”, documents 232 millions pounds of chemicals released into 1900 waterways across all 50 states.

The Mississippi River received 24,418 pounds of toxins that impact the human reproductive system – the third highest amount in the nation. The Mississippi River also received the 3rd highest levels of developmental toxins and the 4th highest levels of cancer-causing toxins in the nation.

King Corn & Big River Double Feature

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:45:36 -0500

Following up on their Peabody Award winning documentary, the King Corn boys are back! Join filmmaker Curt Ellis, star of King Corn, for the Minnesota premiere of Big River. In their new documentary, Curt and Ian return to Iowa on a new mission: to investigate the environmental impact their acre of corn had on the people and places downstream.

Program:

7:00 p.m. King Corn
8:00 p.m. Big River
8:30 p.m. Discussion

All proceeds from this event benefit the Mississippi River Gorge Stewards Program.

Hosted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Friends of the Mississippi River, Land Stewardship Project, and Birchwood Café.

Tickets sold at the door. Advance sales at IATP and the Birchwood Café.

For information or for a student group-rate, contact Abby at or 612-870-3433.

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October — Trout Intimacies

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:29:03 -0500

While most animals are caching food and preparing to hibernate, brook trout are getting amorous in chilly Minnesota streams. Found only in cold, clear, spring-fed streams, brook trout get “hot” when temperatures get cold. In water temperatures of 40 to 49° F, mature males and females pair up and select a comfy gravel bed with good water flow. The female swishes her body and tail over the gravel to scrape out a 4 to 12 inch-deep saucer, called a redd, which the male defends until the female is ready to lay eggs. When she is ready, she moves into the nest and the male follows her. As she drops her eggs, the male simultaneously fertilizes them. The female then covers the eggs with gravel. The eggs will hatch in 50 to 150 days, depending on the water temperature.

Impacts from agricultural and urban development have degraded streams and surface waters, with a resulting loss in trout populations statewide. Remarkably, however, we are fortunate to still have numerous healthy trout streams right in the Twin Cites area. Self-reproducing populations of brook trout can still be found in several tributaries to the St. Croix River in Washington County – Falls Creek, Gilbertson Creek, Willow Creek, Pine Creek, and Old Mill Creek. In Dakota County, brook trout can be found in Pine Creek and Trout Brook, tributaries to the Cannon River, while a healthy population of brown trout lives in the Vermillion River. Brown trout is an introduced species that is somewhat more tolerant of increased temperature and some pollutants than brook trout, though a healthy polulation of brown trout is still an indicator of very good water quality. Brown trout also tend to out-compete brook trout, so they have replaced brook trout in some streams. Brown trout have a similar life cycle to brook trout, though they are longer-lived and larger in size. Regulations to protect trout streams from further degradation include bans on stream disturbances (such as bridge work) during spawning season and other regulations governing water appropriation, storm water runoff, and stream buffers.

For more information on the life history of brook and brown trout, visit the following websites:

Whose view? From where? — October 2009

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:54:08 -0500

You could receive a small prize if you are the first to correctly identify the photo above, or if we use what you write in an upcoming issue of Mississippi Messages.

Each month in this section, we feature a photo somewhere along the river corridor in the Twin Cities that is in some way significant or important or just plain scenic. Individuals may then e-mail us and identify the view and explain why they believe it is significant to the community or important to them personally. We'll publish some of your responses in the next issue of Mississippi Messages, where we will also reveal the correct answer.

To submit your guess and response, e-mail Bob Spaulding, River Advocate, through our contact form. The respondent to provide the first correct identification of the view and hopefully some interesting thoughts about its significance will receive a valuable prize for their effort. All entries must be received by the first day of the following month for consideration.

Storm water management system helps earn TCF Bank Stadium LEED certification

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:47:03 -0500

The new stadium on the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, campus features a storm water management system that allows rain water to be captured into a comprehensive underground filtering system outside the stadium, where it is harvested, filtered and drained into the Mississippi River.

Federal government commits $320 million to Mississippi River water quality

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:43:27 -0500

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative will attempt to reduce excessive nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from farms that enter the river.

Historic Grain Belt Beer sign up for sale

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:34:17 -0500

The iconic Grain Belt Beer sign on Nicolet Island is up for sale, with hopes of being restored, MPR reports.

Mississippi River: An urban wilderness

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:31:19 -0500

Minnesota Public Radio profiles the newest of Minnesota's five national parks, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

Washington County Open Space Program Still Not On Line

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:28:30 -0500

A $20 million land and water protection program in Washington County that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2006 still has not been initiated by the County Board. Three years later voters, landowners and conservation professionals are getting frustrated.

Call for interns

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:23:03 -0500

Friends of the Mississippi River is currently taking applications for two January/February-May 2010 internships, one with the Mississippi River Challenge and another assisting with conservation and restoration events and outreach. Each is 8-12 hours per week, unpaid, and an excellent opportunity to gain real-world experience in the environmental arena in a supportive, yet challenging atmosphere.

Learn more.

Welcome, Marjean!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:20:26 -0500

Marjean has her work cut out for her in improving FMR's photo database.

Helping injured wildlife, preserving 200 acres of wilderness in northwest Wisconsin - longtime FMR member Marjean Hoeft already has an impressive list of volunteer experiences and conservation accomplishments, but she's ready to add yet another. An active Mississippi River Gorge Stewards and Mississippi River Challenge volunteer since 2005, Marjean recently decided to donate her time and talents inside the FMR office as well. For the next two months, she'll be taking on the FMR photo database, updating it with thousands of river, wildlife, volunteer and event images, and developing a manageable access system. It's a daunting task, but with over two decades of project management under her belt, including building and streamlining complex databases and office systems, we know she's up to the challenge.

Thank you, Marjean, and welcome to the FMR team!

FMR's Evening Celebrating the River a success again this year!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:59:57 -0500

by Heather Haynes

Every fall, FMR hosts "An Evening Celebrating the River" — a fundraiser to support our river conservation work, and a popular way to get together with other river lovers. This year, on a chilly and rainy October 1st, over 90 guests enjoyed spectacular views of the river, great food and beverages, and excellent company in a beautiful space on the 39th floor of The Carlyle in downtown Minneapolis. Host Karen Sternal and FMR Board Chair Peter Gove kicked off the program, and FMR Executive Director Whitney Clark gave a brief presentation about FMR's water quality and local advocacy achievements in 2009 and highlighted some important upcoming initiatives. Thanks to our generous host, and host committee, attendees, and in-kind support from Jay's Cafe, East Lake Liquors and Summit Brewing Company, the evening raised over $22,000 for FMR's work.

If you are interested in being on the mailing list for future fundraisers, please contact Heather via our contact form or at 651-222-2193 x20.

Thirty stories over Hastings

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:19:10 -0500

by Bob Spaulding

The existing US 61 bridge in Hastings.

A tied arch design.

A cable stay design.

The iconic Hastings Sprial Bridge.

As design for the US 61 Bridge in Hastings continues, new concerns are arising about the proposed height of the bridge.

Three bridge types were considered during an environmental review of the proposed project. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has decided the contractor will have the opportunity to decide between two of those bridge types – what are known as a "tied arch" or the "cable stay" (see photo inset).

The tied arch mirrors the format of the last two bridges at the location, and is of similar size and height. Initial plans for the cable stay alternative suggested a bridge of about 220 feet above the river. As designs have moved forward, the range of bridge heights has increased dramatically, and now the cable stay option would likely require a bridge 314 feet or about 30 stories above the river - which is over 120 feet higher than the blufftops just upriver.

Concerns over height on the bridge are unique, in that the height in question is around a structure that is not just next to the river, but in the middle of the river.

Presumably, the contractor will choose the design they believe to be least expensive. Part of the reason the cable stay design has increased in height is that it is believed a shorter cable stay bridge may not be cost-competitive with a tied arch bridge.

In other locations around the state, MnDOT has utilized a practice that in the traffic engineering field is referred to as “context sensitive design”. Such design ensures that the scale of proposed improvements is not substantially at odds with its surroundings. In this case, the height of the bridge tower would dwarf historic downtown Hastings, as well as nearby bluffs. The height of the bridge also increases the odds of impacts on the migratory birds who use the river corridor colliding with the bridge cables.

An initial analysis of the area suggests that the bridge could be seen from many miles away. In some of these more distant views, the bridge top would likely not be significant in the daytime – just a dot on the horizon. But even there, as night fell, the concern is that the bridge is a likely candidate for accent lighting, and the top of the bridge would be brightly illuminated. Further study of the bridge height and its impacts may be undertaken.

As FMR's letter to MnDOT indicates, FMR continues to strongly prefer the tied arch alternative, due to height concerns. FMR is working with the National Park Service to reduce the height of the bridge within the project design standards.

Stone Arch II at 600 SE Main denied

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:08:44 -0500

by Irene Jones

The site in question is visually at the northern end of the Stone Arch Bridge. The proposed development would put a 70-foot wall of apartments at the end of the bridge, where the cars are parked in this photo.

After weeks of review, the Minneapolis City Council denied an appeal by Bluff Street Development to build a 6-story, 79-unit residential development next to the Stone Arch Bridge. After deadlocking on a compromise, the council voted 8 to 4 in favor of upholding the city staff recommendation to deny the project.

Denied twice by the city's Planning Commission and unsuccessfully appealed twice to the City Council, the project has been embroiled in controversy since March of this year. FMR, the National Park Service, Sierra Club, the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association, local citizens and others opposed the project because of its inconsistency with city, neighborhood and park plans, and the potential for the project to impact key trail connections planned for Central Riverfront Regional Park. Situated at the northeast corner of the Stone Arch Bridge, the proposed development threatened to wall off a key gateway to the Stone Arch Bridge from the neighborhood and diminish the scenic and historical significance of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District.

The second round of the process was complicated by the threat of a lawsuit by the developer if the city did not grant the appeal, and it was delayed by a citizen's petition for an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW). At the city's Zoning and Planning Committee, council members deadlocked on the appeal, leaving it to the full council to grapple with. The final discussion and vote had some surprising twists and turns.

At Friday's city council meeting, Council Member Hofstede offered a compromise in which the appeal would be denied in part, but a conditional use permit for 56 units would be granted. Before the council could discuss the motion, Council President Johnson offered substitute motion to grant the appeal for 79-units, with a caveat that permits would not be granted for one year in order to allow the developer to enter negotiations with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) about sale of the land for park. After some discussion and amendments, the council voted the motion down 7 to 4. The council then took up the Hofstede motion and deadlocked in a dramatic 6 to 6 vote. Those opposing the Hofstede compromise were of two camps. Goodman, Johnson, Remington and Samuels supported granting the appeal; Gordon and Hodges wanted to see full denial.

Seeing no possibility of a compromise and a 60-day clock that was about to run out, Council Member Schiff made a motion to adopt the staff report and deny the appeal, which passed 8-4 with minimal discussion. Voting to support Schiff's motion were Benson, Colvin Roy, Glidden, Gordon, Hodges, Hofstede, Ostrow and Schiff.

It was a long haul with some bumps along the road and a somewhat surprising finale. But in the end, the City Council did the right thing. They upheld the city's extensive and careful planning for a place of significance along the historic Minneapolis riverfront, and a place of great importance to the city's future growth in the surrounding neighborhood. It was clear that council members had spent a great deal of time poring over the extensive record of information submitted by both sides. After careful study, the City Council made an informed and thoughtful decision to stand up for riverfront protections and city plans. FMR would like to thank Councilmember Schiff, Gordon, Hodges and others that supported denying this appeal. We also thank the many groups, agencies and citizens that worked alongside us to protect the river from the negative impacts that would have resulted from approving this proposal.

Next steps are unclear, but it is hoped that the door to negotiation for acquiring the property will remain open. FMR hopes to play a constructive role in efforts to raise funds so MPRB can purchase the property for parkland.

For more on the project, please visit FMR's 600 Main Fact Sheet page.

MAC acts to evict prolific St. Paul eagle family

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:40:34 -0500

by Bob Spauling

The eagle’s nest in question now stands alone and exposed after the MAC removed the older mature surrounding trees.

(Photo: Steve Johnson)

A key nest of eagles in St. Paul may not have technically been evicted, but the landlord has effectively turned off the heat, and left their home open and exposed to the elements.

For years, an eagle’s nest in a mature stand of cottonwood trees on Pig’s Eye Island has been among the most fertile eagle breeding grounds on the Mississippi. But that may come to a rapid end, after the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) removed every major tree around the nest, leaving their nest exposed and unprotected.

Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, it is illegal to remove an active eagle’s nest. If the actions in question result in the abandonment of this eagle’s nest, that may also constitute an illegal conflict with the Act.

The nesting site is on an island owned by the Met Council, and located adjacent to the Twin Cities wastewater treatment plant. The Met Council permitted the removal of the long-standing cottonwood trees at the request of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC).

As longtime river steward Steve Johnson notes in his personal blog, MAC has long sought to reduce the number of birds in the vicinity of airport. On the one hand, the MAC has some reasonable expectations of safety - an eagle that was sucked into an airplane engine earlier this year shows a potential for conflict.

But it seems unreasonable to expect to substantially eliminate birds from the immediate area. The Mississippi River valley is the central migratory spine through central North America. Much of the surrounding land is dedicated to a state Scientific and Natural Area and Nature Sanctuary.

The MAC’s recent draft zoning regulations for the Holman Field Airport contemplates prohibiting any natural features that would prove attractive to birds. Depending on interpretation, the river itself could be understood as an attractor for birds, and be prohibited under this overly-broad definition.

The MAC’s prior efforts at relocation – including the use of fireworks to get the birds to move from their nest, and the relocations of birds to northern Minnesota – have not worked. The birds keep returning to the nest, year after year. But the MAC’s approach in this case raises serious legal questions.

The net effect of the removal may be to cause the birds left in the net to move to another nest, due to increased exposure to the elements. That’s deeply unfortunate because the nest was among the most productive on the Mississippi. Because the tree removal seems intended to undermine the viability of the nest, the removal may have been not just been inadvisable, but illegal.

FMR will update the issue with any future updates in future editions of Mississippi Messages.

USGS study finds highest rates of intersex fish in the Mississippi River

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:45:57 -0500

by Trevor Russell

A recent U.S. Geological Survey study looked at the rate of intersex fish in nine river systems around the nation. In the Mississippi River, near Lake City Minnesota, 73 percent of the smallmouth bass had characteristics of both sexes – the highest recorded rate in the study.

USGS scientists are primarily concerned with male fish with female sex organs. Such feminization is generally thought to be caused by hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment. These can include endocrine-disrupting pesticides such as Atrazine, PCBs, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and even household compounds such as shampoos and detergents.

Jo Ellen Hinck, the lead author of the paper and a biologist at the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, notes that “...proper diagnosis of this condition in wild fish is essential because if the primary causes are compounds that disrupt the endocrine system, then the widespread occurrence of intersex in fish would be a critical environmental concern.”

The study shows that large and smallmouth bass seem to be particularly vulnerable to the chemicals. Scientists found intersex fish in about 33 percent of all sites examined from the Apalachicola, Colorado, Columbia, Mobile, Mississippi, Pee Dee, Rio Grande, Savannah, and Yukon River basins. The Yukon River basin was the only one where researchers did not find at least one intersex fish.

Special Note: On March 20th, 2007 - Friends of the Mississippi River, in partnership with the University of Minnesota & the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, hosted renowned University of California biologist Dr. Tyrone Hayes.

At this event, Dr. Hayes presented his research demonstrating that Atrazine, the second most widely used herbicide in the world, is a potent endocrine disrupter that can feminize male amphibians at very low concentrations — far below the level considered “safe” by the US Environmental Protection.

A video of Dr. Hayes' presentation can be found here.

Road salt endangering aquatic life in Twin Cities

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:37:44 -0500

A new U.S. Geological Survey study reinforces a University of MN report published last year that estimated that 70 percent of the salt used on metro roads gushes into wetlands, lakes and groundwater. The Star Tribune reported on the study's alarming findings earlier this month.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area to be featured in new documentary

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:10:26 -0500

"Minnesota's National Park Legacy", a 30-minute television special set to air on Twin Cities Public Television (tpt2) on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m., explores the natural and cultural legacy of Minnesota's six national park sites: Grand Portage National Monument, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, North Country National Scenic Trail, Pipestone National Monument, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Voyageurs National Park, as well as projects completed by the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. The film, produced by tpt and the national park sites, will also air on tpt's statewide Minnesota Channel (tptMN in the Twin Cities) on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m.

Clean water laws are neglected

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:36:22 -0500

Across the nation, the system that Congress created to protect the nation’s waters under the Clean Water Act of 1972 today often fails to prevent pollution. The New York times reported on the poor enforcement of these laws and the resulting impact on our health.

River otter's return a sign of healthier Mississippi

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:31:32 -0500

Reports of river otter living in the Mississippi river in downtown Minneapolis giving hope the once polluted section of the river is on the mend. Minnesota Public Radio recently reported on the otter's return.