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On Feb 4, join attorney Katie Garvey from the Environmental Law and Policy Center and Elle Gadient, Delaware County Farmer & Iowa Farmers Union Beginning Farmer Representative, for a discussion of a federal lawsuit aimed at abolishing Swampbuster provisions that protect wetlands on agricultural lands. This program, hosted by LWV Upper Mississippi River River Region, will look at this last bulwark of protection remaining after the Sackett decision gutted wetland protections in the Clean Water Act. This is a webinar so you must pre-register. Please click the button below to sign up for this session. The Chicago Tribune reported on Jan 15 2025 ... "a federal lawsuit brought before a district court in Iowa by a Chicago investor and two libertarian law firms based in Texas and California in April aims to abolish Swampbuster. It’s one of the federal government’s last mechanisms to safeguard wetlands, whose protections have been severely curtailed over the last decade by the first Trump administration and conservative Supreme Court justices just as climate change makes them more necessary. Thirty million acres of unprotected wetlands in the upper Midwest, including over 640,000 in Iowa and 1 million in Illinois, are at risk of being destroyed, according to a new study by the Union of Concerned Scientists. These same wetlands provide nearly $23 billion in annual flood mitigation benefits and have the potential to provide hundreds of billions of dollars of mitigation benefits as climate change increases precipitation across the region."  Retired Chicago lawyer James Conlan, owner of the 71-acre Iowa farm property seen here, has sued to overturn a voluntary federal wetland conservation program called Swampbuster. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Our speakers will be Katie Garvey, Staff Attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago, and Elle Gadient, Delaware County Farmer & Iowa Farmers Union Beginning Farmer Representative. Katie is representing members of the Iowa Farmers Union who formally entered the case as intervenors earlier this month. It marks the first time farmers directly implicated in the lawsuit will be involved. Elle and her husband, Steve Besler, are two of those farmers. In our session, we will hear about the case, their views of the merits of the case and what's at stake if the law is abolished. Katie will discuss how the Swampbuster lawsuit threatens federal wetlands protection as well as the foundations of American farm policy, and Elle will follow up with her experience as a first-time farmer trying to get a foothold in a landscape where corporate farms dominate. Elle believes that "Iowa farmland should be owned and managed by Iowa farmers and that our farmland and watersheds need to be protected for the future, for Iowans, for the environment, and for those downstream from us. These small streams and local watersheds eventually flow into the Mississippi River." Katie Garvey (photo ELPC) Besler-Gadient farm (photo Chicago Tribune) Elle Gadient (photo Forbes)
 Besler-Gadient Farm (photo Elle Gadient)
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Nickel is a mineral needed for electric cars and other green technologies, and there's a large deposit of nickel in northern Minnesota. Two previous attempts to permit a nickel mine in the Lake Superior and Boundary Waters failed due to water quality concerns; the Talon mine is smaller and in a different watershed - the Upper Mississippi.
Changes to the project:
Recently, Talon Metals proposed significant changes to the project that are detailed in an article in the Minnesota Star Tribune on December 20, 2025. Talon Metals, the company proposing an underground nickel mine near Tamarack, Minn., has backed away from a novel plan that would have used a subway-digging machine to carve an underground loop to reach the ore. Instead, Talon, which hopes to one day supply the materials for Tesla’s electric-vehicle batteries, will dig a straight path down to those minerals. The revised environmental assessment worksheet filed Dec. 12 incorporated public, state and tribal feedback, said Jessica Johnson, the vice president of external affairs for Talon. “We’re reducing the amount of ground disturbance and the amount of rock that we need to handle and manage,” Johnson said. By no longer using a tunnel-boring machine, Talon has sidestepped early concerns from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources about waste rock, potential contamination of water and an untested technology for mining. But building a single, diagonal shaft underground also means that Talon will be blasting rock closer to the surface, at 100 feet below as opposed to 300 feet below. Opposition to the project from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe: Among those with concerns about the project, the Mille Lacs Band is speaking out. Here is a December 29, 2025, Letter to the Editor from Virgin Wind, Chief Executive of the Band. Why Minnesota’s water future matters for everyone The Mille Lacs Band, in its concern about the proposed Tamarack nickel mine, is standing with all Minnesotans who understand that our fates are intertwined. As we look toward a new year, the wisdom of our ancestors feels particularly relevant. Indinawemaaganidog — this Ojibwe term, meaning “all my relatives,” captures a truth that runs as deep as the Mississippi’s waters: We are all connected — past to present, people to land, community to community. Raised by my grandparents, and now a grandparent myself, I’ve learned that our most profound responsibility is not to our immediate moment, but to the generations that will follow. My grandmother taught me the art of birchbark crafting as a child, passing down a traditional practice and a fundamental understanding of our relationship with the land. That first $2.40 I earned from crafting tiny canoes came with teachings about respecting our resources and our responsibility to each other. The birch trees that once flourished in our forests have become scarce — a reminder of how quickly we can lose what nature has taken centuries to create. This loss carries a powerful lesson: We don’t inherit the land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. This lesson is a guiding principle for me as the newly elected chief executive for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and I am particularly concerned about our clean waters being threatened. Once pristine waters are contaminated, they cannot be restored. Once underground aquifers are compromised, they cannot be replaced. What happens in this watershed flows downstream, touching every community along the river’s path across 40% of the continental U.S. — Native and non-Native alike. This interconnectedness is why the proposed Tamarack nickel mine isn’t just a Mille Lacs Band concern — it’s a watershed moment for all Minnesotans. The mine’s location threatens the Mississippi River and St. Croix River basins, putting critical drinking water sources, habitats and surrounding communities at risk. And for our people, this isn’t only about protecting resources — it’s about preserving our forever home. International polluters like Talon Metals/Rio Tinto have not proven their methods are safe for our interconnected ecosystem. That’s why the Mille Lacs Band has created Water Over Nickel, an initiative to protect Minnesota’s people, natural resources and cultural sites from the negative impact of nickel mining. We are not opposing progress — we’re advocating for progress that considers all our relations, including future generations. Why must this mine be placed in the Upper Mississippi River basin, where its impacts could flow through countless communities? There are alternatives. We get only one chance to protect these waters for our children, their children, and so forth. Our collective wisdom proves we’re stronger when we prioritize long-term community welfare over short-term environmental risks. The health of our water doesn’t recognize boundaries between tribal and state lands — its vitality or degradation affects us all equally. Protecting our waters is a Minnesota issue, a human issue and a national issue as the Mississippi River runs to the Gulf of Mexico. After the nickel is extracted and the company moves on, our communities — all of us — will live with the consequences for generations. Every glass of clean water drunk by a child in Minneapolis, every grain of Manoomin (wild rice) harvested from Sandy Lake, every walleye caught in Lake Mille Lacs, and every paddle dipped in the river’s flow depends on the choices we make today about projects like the Tamarack mine. The story of the Mille Lacs Band demonstrates both the strength and fragility of our connections. Our resilience through generations of challenges comes from understanding that our well-being is tied to the health of our environment and our relationships with neighboring communities. When short-term profits are prioritized over long-term community welfare, it threatens the heritage of the non-removable Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Indinawemaaganidog reminds us we are all relatives in this struggle to protect our shared waters. We can find a better way forward, one that respects the deep connections among our communities, our resources and our shared future. The Mille Lacs Band, through Water Over Nickel, is standing with all Minnesotans who understand that our fates are intertwined. We hope all Minnesotans will help us protect our waters with the knowledge that, in doing so, we are protecting each other and the generations to come. Virgil Wind is chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Two recent stories reported in the December Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources Snapshots newsletter focus on success: success in cleaning up lakes by working to reduce phosphorus inflows in their watersheds, and success in the growth of climate-smart agriculture practices.
Here's a special feature from the Ag & Water Desk Nov 20 newsletter, shared here on the LWV UMRR blog. As world leaders gather in Baku, Azerbaijan for the United Nations climate summit, COP29, mayors from the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) made the journey to share their perspectives and foster global connections. They've been discussing climate and ecological initiatives aimed at securing U.S. trade, protecting food-producing river basins, and cementing the work of mayors as a global example of 'transformational adaptation,' per MRCTI. Mayors Melisa Logan of Blytheville, Arkansas, and Hollies Winston of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, spoke with Desk reporter Elise Plunk of Louisiana Illuminator via video chat. The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. Desk: What are some impressions from the trip and ideas you can bring back to your cities to implement? Mayor Melisa Logan: Here at COP29, they thought the overarching theme would be finance, but actually it's continuity of climate action. One of the sayings throughout the COP has been ‘from ambition to action,’ which means that we're going to move from just talking about it, to boots-on-the-ground and multi-level action on all levels of government. Change is going to happen whether we participate in it or not. There are 105 mayors in the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, and these 105 mayors are all experiencing climate change. In my area of the country, the Mississippi River has been at its lowest point. We've experienced drought for three years. I'm here to advocate for that most precious commodity that we all share, which is water. Mayor Hollies Winston: MRCTI is very unique in that they're making the case for the Mississippi. When you meet a mayor in the Amazon Basin of Brazil, you realize the amount of commerce that they deal with, and how important it is not only to that region, to the Amazon and to Brazil, but the entire world. Well, that's not so different than what we're dealing with in the Mississippi, because the Mississippi is also this iconic river, and when it struggles, there are effects across the world. A big thing I'm taking away from this is how do we finance climate solutions so that people at the local level can have a voice, and they can have a say in terms of what some of these solutions look like.  Blytheville, AR, Mayor Melisa Logan and Brooklyn Park, MN, Mayor Hollies Winston in Baku, Azerbaijan at COP29. Image courtesy of MRCTI. Desk: Specifically, why is it important, and what does it mean to represent your cities and MRCTI at this global conference?
Logan: We just came out of a very heightened political season, and a winner has been declared, and we're soon to go on to the new presidency. We know that billions of dollars were deployed during the Biden administration with the Inflation Reduction Act. And so the world wants to know, how are we going to handle the new climate? Well, our answer through MRCTI been very consistent: We're going to continue to deploy the natural resources, we're going to continue to protect our natural infrastructure, and we're going to continue to do the work. Winston: For my city of Brooklyn Park, I think it's important that they understand they're connected to something much bigger, and that they have an important role to play when it comes to climate change. But it also is important that they understand the economic outcomes that could occur if we could go in the wrong direction. From both the national and international perspective, it's important for people to realize that this work is going to continue and not simply for altruistic reasons. Logan: We’ve been from Paris to Dubai over the last few COPs, and we have advocated on the global stage for our Mississippi River corridor at six United Nations climate meetings. That's a lot of exposure that would not have happened had MRCTI not been engaged. What that means for the Mississippi, is we're able to tell our story. Winston: The story of the Mississippi is important to our country and our world. That story has helped get mayors on board, and that's not easy. You know, mayors are just like herding cats, right? But I think that story is incredibly compelling, and it started not from the top down, but it started from the bottom up. It's a model that we can roll out to others. At a local level, helping people understand what's going on, and then building up to this leadership with mayors, that can really move the ball in a way that maybe we haven't seen with other organizations. (Disclosure: both the Desk and MRCTI receive funding from the Walton Family Foundation.) In this video, Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative Executive Director Colin Wellenkamp discusses the work that cities and towns are undertaking to use natural infrastructure to make their cities more flood-resistant and resilient. Waterloop Episode #247| Mississippi Mayors Mobilize For Resilience
One notable example is Horseshoe Lake in East St. Louis, a community historically impacted by recurrent flooding and economic disadvantage. Restoration efforts there aim to reduce flood risks by enhancing natural floodplains, providing critical protection for residents and supporting biodiversity.
This initiative is part of MRCTI’s broader push to implement projects across 100,000 acres in eight states by the end of the decade, creating sustainable landscapes that safeguard both people and ecosystems in the face of a changing climate. The Mississippi By Nature series is supported by the Walton Family Foundation and outfitted by Patagonia.
The Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMRBA) and several partner organizations are launching a project that will identify which basin watersheds have greater impacts on river flows that support the nine-foot navigation channel essential to commercial barge traffic on the river.
U.S. Geological Survey is providing $600,000 to support the project. The University of Minnesota will conduct the hydrologic analysis. UMRBA will facilitate interstate coordination. The states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin will provide technical expertise to the University of Minnesota. U.S. Geological Survey will also provide technical expertise to the states and the University of Minnesota, as they explore how the information can be used to support decision making. The objectives of this project are to:
In a related project, Illinois DNR secured a $282,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to build a database infrastructure that will store the water quantity data from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The database will allow the data to be readily accessible and available for basin-scale analyses. Beyond this initial partnership project, UMRBA hopes to expand assessments to examine future climate conditions and the implications of water availability to the river’s many different water uses. About the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association – The Upper Mississippi River Basin Association (UMRBA) is a five-state interstate organization formed by the Governors of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin to coordinate the states’ river-related programs and policies and work with federal agencies that have river responsibilities. The UMRBA is structured as a 501(c) non-profit association, with the Board of Directors composed of Governor-appointed representatives and alternatives. For more information about UMRBA, visit its website at www.umrba.org.
Our speakers in this webinar are John Stack, JD, author of a Note in the Minnesota Law Review examining the feasibility of a Mississippi River Compact; Mayor David Kleis of St. Cloud and Minnesota Senator John Hoffman. Viewers will learn about the legal basis for a potential compact and the recent call by a group of Mayors along the River for a compact. Finally, we look at the political situation and what it would take, at least in one state, to establish such a Compact.
The Mississippi River passes through ten states on its way to the Gulf. Each of these ten states has their own priorities for appropriation, pollution protection and clean ups. The Federal government has jurisdiction for enforcing the Clean Water Act, jurisdiction which was recently curtailed by the US Supreme Court’s Sackett decision. This governance structure is not effective for protecting the Mississippi from out of basin appropriations, non-point source pollution and other stresses. Climate change and population growth are exacerbating the problems. A Mississippi River Compact is a potential interstate agreement that would establish a unified management system across all states within the Mississippi River basin, aiming to address the critical environmental challenges facing the river by coordinating conservation efforts, water allocation, and pollution control under a single governing body, potentially providing a more comprehensive approach to protecting the river's ecosystem and future sustainability. This session lays out the groundwork for LWV UMRR as we work within the League of Women Voters and with other like-minded nonpartisan organizations to support the efforts of the Mayors and others working toward a Mississippi River Compact. This work is supported by the approved LWV UMRR 2024-25 Program for Action and the LWV US position on Inter-basin Transfers. Click "Read More" below to see these documents.  In his remarks to LWV UMRR on October 8, Steve Herrington, Associate Director of Water for the Minnesota-North Dakota-South Dakota Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, raised the possibility of LWV UMRR working with The Nature Conservancy to promote an interstate compact to protect the Mississippi River. (Minute 49 of the video.) This idea has been rumbling up and down the river for years without getting a real toe-hold. Is it time now for a Mississippi River Compact?  Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
River City Mayors Support a Compact (story from the Mississippi River Ag and Water Desk) A coalition of Mississippi River mayors wants a 10-state compact that would establish collective management of the waterway. At the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative’s (MRCTI) annual meeting this week in Bemidji, Minnesota, about 30 mayors unanimously voted in favor of pursuing a compact that would span more than 2,300 miles of river. It’s the first step of what could be a lengthy process. MRCTI’s executive director, Colin Wellenkamp, said a compact among the core states bordering the river would be a way to think about river management at the watershed scale, from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, and coordinate during events affecting the whole river, like drought and flooding. Lacking an overall management structure makes it difficult to address multi-state issues like reducing runoff into the river, which ultimately contributes to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. A compact could provide legal protections for Mississippi River resources, such as the vast amount of water the river drains from 31 states and two Canadian provinces. “Quite frankly, law and hydrology are not really on speaking terms,” said Mark Davis, director of Tulane University’s Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy in New Orleans. He and his team study Mississippi River management issues. Davis likened the water in the Mississippi River to a baton in a relay race; management changes with each of the 10 states it flows past, not including the other 21 states that feed into the river. “One of the first questions is going to be: if this water is essential to prosperity and growth, whose? Should it be those who dream about it in dry places, or those who are next to it?” Davis said. As parched states in the West grapple with drought and water scarcity, there have been renewed efforts to pump Mississippi River water west. But Wellenkamp said their concern lies with “anyone that wants to put a straw in the Mississippi,” not just western states. Old idea, new strategy. Mississippi River states, whether altogether or in regional groups, have taken multiple stabs — some short-lived and others long-standing — at collective management: an attempted compact in the 1980s that crumbled before it gained much momentum; a decades-old coalition of upper river states that confers on connected issues; and an ecological restoration program approved last year for the lower basin. MRCTI has even supported a slate of legislation called the Safeguarding the Mississippi River Together Act, which pushed for a unified river management plan and a national office. When it stalled, they turned to other policy avenues, like the Farm Bill and the Water Resources Development Act. Other recent efforts at collective river management, including one called the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative, stalled out in Congress. Wellenkamp said this compact could provide a legal mechanism to prevent water from the Mississippi from being shipped elsewhere. But passing such a compact is easier said than done. MRCTI’s vote Thursday was the first step in a lengthy process, and any compact with legal teeth would require approval from Congress. They’ll have to get buy-in from all 10 mainstem river states — Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana — and politics, economics and special interests all come into play. This time around, the mayors are looking to the Great Lakes Compact as a model. In that region, eight states and two Canadian provinces established principles for water management and a requirement to notify and consult other members before diverting large amounts of water. Over the course of more than three decades, the states and provinces updated the agreement until landing on a 2008 compact with specific protections against diversions and withdrawals. Unprecedented times Davis said the Great Lakes states didn’t necessarily share a common vision at the onset, but they agreed on something fundamental: they didn’t want their water sent to just anyone with a checkbook. “One way or another, water will find its way to a user, and there won’t be enough for everyone," Davis said. Wellenkamp said a Mississippi River compact would be similar to the Great Lakes agreement in terms of geographic scope, and he likes that it isn’t overly prescriptive. But he said there’s a key difference: they’re trying to develop a Mississippi River compact in the face of severe climate threats. “We are highly motivated by recent disasters and highly motivated by recent climate impacts that the Great Lakes did not have,” he said. The mayors’ vote of support is the first step in a process that Wellenkamp, who wouldn’t venture to guess how long this process might take, said will prevent the states from paying the price down the road. “For the first time in many years,” Davis said, “the cities and towns along the Mississippi are starting to understand that they are next to a gem, and if they don’t value it, someone else will.” This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, funded by the Walton Family Foundation. Sign up to republish stories like this one for free. Related LWV UMRR Blog Posts:
LWV UMRR hosts five-six talks like this every year; see other videos on our "Past Program Videos" page. Synopsis of the presentation: Encompassing 1,245 million square miles in 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, the Mississippi River and its tributaries nourish crops, transport goods, provide recreational opportunities and sustain robust fisheries. The river system brings food, fresh water, jobs, and economic security to millions of Americans. Today, the Mississippi River faces unprecedented challenges. Increasingly intense flooding, nutrient runoff that creates a Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, invasive species, and changing flows strain the river’s infrastructure and threaten homes, communities, and livelihoods. The Nature Conservancy has set ambitious goals to transform how they conduct and influence conservation across the whole basin to ensure its long-term resilience for nature and people alike. They are developing projects, partnerships, and policies that protect essential lands, habitats, and waters, while deepening our understanding of the connections between people and place. This presentation will provide an overview of TNC's Mississippi River Basin project and touch on select actions in Minnesota and elsewhere in the Upper Mississippi River that contribute to a vibrant future for the Mississippi River Basin as a whole. To learn more about this project, check out the TNC website - click here!
 Photo: https://experiencemississippiriver.com/chasing-fall-color-on-the-great-river-road/ Fall colors in the Missisippi River Valley are spectacular! It's a glorious drive, with sweeping views of the river illuminated with the reds and golds of autumn extending for miles. If you go leaf-peeping this fall, plan a stop to see some art along the way. In Winona, the Minnesota Maritime Art Museum's current exhibit is "A Nation Takes Place: Race and Water in Contemporary Art". The exhibition draws together a collection of artwork by 38 artists and from over 20 lending partners to help viewers comprehend the complexity of America’s formation, a project unthinkable without waterways, conquest, and slave ships. And the Pure Water Mississippi exhibit is appearing in La Crosse and Winona this fall. There will be a reception in La Crosse on September 18 and one in Winona on September 23, both with continuing exhibits and other events. Following is information on the Minnesota Maritime Art Museum's and the Pure Water exhibits.
Other venues hosting Pure Water exhibits this fall: Sunday, August 18- until further notice: Pure Iowa Water—“Save Keg Creek” Pop Art Exhibition at Milk & Honey Cafe, Serving delicious farm to table breakfast & lunch meals at 919 7th Street, Harlan, IA 51537 Exhibit remains on display until further notice. For more details, click here Summer 2024: Pure Iowa Water—“Save Bloody Run” Pop Art Exhibition at the Driftless Water Defenders public outreach events. For more details, click here Monday, September 9-11: Pure Iowa Water—“Save Mississippi River” Pop Art Exhibition at the Iowa Water Conference 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Conference Center, 300 East 9th Street, Coralville, IA 52241 For more details, click here Tuesday, October 8: Pure Iowa Water—“Raccoon River, Save Squirrel Hollow” Pop Art Exhibition at Iowa Water Summit. Tuesday, October 8th, at the Des Moines Izaak Walton League, 4343 George Flagg Parkway, Des Moines IA 50321. For more details, click here Wednesday, October 9-10: Pure Iowa Water—Pop Art Exhibition at Iowa Nature Summit, Drake University Olmsted Center, 2875 University Avenue, Des Moines IA 50311. For more details, click here  |
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