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  LWV Upper Mississippi River Region

UMRR blog

Using League Principles to Guide Water Work

5/18/2022

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Search on this website for "LWV Jo Daviess" and you'll see we've covered their work and successes at protecting, restoring and preserving the water resources in the Galena, Illinois area.   What's interesting to us as LWV members, is how they did it.  They applied League principles of nonpartisanship, study and grassroots consensus to build coalitions in their county that span diverse walks of life.
In this video, Bonnie Cox and Beth Baransky of LWV Jo Daviess County provide an excellent primer on how Leagues can get involved in water work and create a lasting impact in their area.  

The video is less than 15 minutes long, and quite engaging.    It was first shown at the LWV UMRR Annual Meeting on May 21.  
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Why the Farm Bill matters for the environment

4/28/2022

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Agriculture affects our environment in significant ways, but farms are largely exempt from US environmental laws. The Farm Bill guides US farm policy, and it has a major impact on the business choices farmers make.  The Farm Bill is the largest source of federal funding for the conservation of private land in the United States. Its benefits span much further than any single program or resource concern. The bill gives farmers, ranchers and forest landowners the tools to protect and conserve their land and their way of life.  (source)
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In the Upper Mississippi basin states, the USDA projects that 34,800 acres of corn and 31,700 acres of soybeans will be planted in 2022.  Much of this goes to feed hogs, turkeys, chickens and cattle.  Ethanol is also an important market for corn in the Midwest.
(Source)
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The 2023 Farm Bill will set the framework for land conservation for the next five years.   It's important for those of us who are working to support laws and programs aimed at pollution reduction to understand the Farm Bill.   ​The excellent video discussion linked here features Peter Lehner, Managing Attorney for EarthJustice and Michael Drysdale, OF Counsel with Dorsey & Whitney LLP, moderated by Susan Schneider, William H Enfield Professor of Law, Director of the LL.M. Program in Agricultural and Food Law/ University of Arkansas.  It is part of the Law and Nature series of videos.  (Source)
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LWV UMRR's annual meeting on May 21, we will look at the Farm Bill and other major federal bills and programs that will affect the Upper Mississippi Basin - read more about it in this post on the UMRR blog.   
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Stream TEAM Science is (slowly) shifting policy!

4/26/2022

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How E. coli & DNA data changed Mower Co. septic system practices:  A discussion with leaders Larry Dolphin, Bill Buckley, Mark Owens, lifelong members of the Izaak Walton League (IWLA), and Josh Balk, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR)  - May 3 at 7pm via Zoom.  Click here to register for this free event.

500 water samples, a specialty lab, and 40 volunteers confirmed in 2017 that untreated human effluent, as well as hog and cattle manure are contributing to E. coli health threats in the headwaters of the Cedar River watershed in south central Minnesota. One outcome is a slow but steady septic system ordinance re-write in Mower County.  Three IWLA members who led both the discovery and the push for change will catch us up on their ongoing work with county staff and discuss the power of data wherever you live. They will be joined by an Iowa DNR colleague with his own fecal data points, collected last summer during a cross-state Cedar River Watershed project.

This monthly series is a project of the Upper Mississippi River Initiative (UMRI) of the Izaak Walton League of America, with co-hosts Chris Henning of the Panora Conservation Chapter and Des Moines Chapter Communication Director, Bud Hartley. We feature guests for 30-40 minute presentations that shed daylight on good works done in the name of the Mississippi and its uplands. In this way we uplift our shared goals for a cleaner river, a cared for environment, and kinder communities. Recorded programs are available shortly after they air live.

If you missed the April "Thinking like a Watershed" presentation, here is the link:  The 2023 Farm Bill after 100 Years of Conservation!  with Duane Hovorka, Agriculture Program Director, Izaak Walton League of America

Post by 
​
Christine A. Curry
Iowa Outreach Coordinator 
Izaak Walton League’s 
Upper Mississippi River Initiative 
umri.org
207.460.7532
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Does it take an act of Congress to protect the Mississippi?

3/23/2022

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The answer is that Congress is one piece – an important one – of the solution to the Mississippi’s woes.  In the UMRR Annual Meeting, we will have an exciting panel of speakers to talk about bills currently in the US Congress that have the potential to greatly affect our river.  We will also explore the idea of a “compact” between river states to protect the river from water diversions.  This session will set the stage for the work that LWV UMRR will tackle in the years to come.  

Join LWV UMRR for this session on May 21 at 10:30.  This meeting will be held in Webinar format on Zoom - pre-registration is required.  
Click this link to pre-register!  You will receive the link to the meeting by return email; we will send reminders in May, including on the 21st.   Registration is open until the meeting starts on May 21 at 10:30.  

​We have a great slate of panelists for this session - representatives from other organizations working for the river and leading work on federal bills and big ideas.    We will cover the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience initiative (MRRRI), the Safeguarding the Mississippi River Together initiative (SMRT), the Farm Bill reauthorization and a big idea - the notion of an Upper Midwest Compact to protect the waters of the Mississippi from diversion.  Our speakers represent organizations that are working to protect the Mississippi.  ​
MRRRI Update
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Alicia Vasto, Water Program Associate Director,  Iowa Environmental Council

​Alicia joined the Council in 2019. She grew up in Adel, Iowa. She previously worked as the director of the Iowa
Conservation Education Coalition, where she supported environmental educators and advanced environmental literacy. Alicia holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University with a focus on land conservation and management, and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from the University of Notre Dame. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, travel, and yoga.

SMRT Update
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Brandt Thorington,
Policy Director,  Mississippi River Cities and Town Initiative

Brandt serves as the Policy Director for the MRCTI, specializing  in analyzing legislation affects, building coalitions and advancing legislation. His primary areas of expertise are  appropriations,
tax policy, budget, energy, health care, immigration reform, homeland security, public safety, transportation, water infrastructure, and community development. Brandt has extensive experience working with various levels of government including Congress, federal officials, state legislators, mayors, and other local officials.
Farm Bill Update
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Lara Bryant, Deputy Director, Water and Agriculture, Natural Resources Defence Council

Lara Bryant promotes soil health practices and policies that protect water quality, use water more efficiently, and help farms to be more resilient to climate change. Prior to joining NRDC, she worked on sustainable agricultural policy at the National Wildlife Federation and World Resources Institute and was a chemist at a private environmental laboratory. Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in public administration in environmental science and policy from Columbia University. She works out of NRDC’s Washington, D.C., office.
Upper Midwest Charter
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 Kirsten Wallace, Executive Director, Upper Mississippi River Basin Association

Kirsten Wallace was appointed executive director of UMRBA in 2017, following over 10 years focusing on the Association's ecosystem, navigation, and flood initiatives.  Kirsten works with UMRBA's member states to develop  regional positions, advocate the states' collective interests before Congress and the federal agencies, and facilitate and foster interagency coordination, cooperation, and communication.
Kirsten serves on the Board of the Interstate Council on Water Policy, America's Watershed Initiative, and the National Waterways Foundation.
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Environmental outcomes of the US Renewable Fuel Standard - the impacts of corn ethanol on carbon levels

3/2/2022

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PictureEthanol plant - photo from DTN
On Feb 14, 2022, a group of researchers from the Universities of Wisconsin, Kansas, Kentucky and California published a paper that examines the overall impact of the US Renewable Fuel Standard on carbon in our atmosphere.  Here's a link to that article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Based on  their analysis, the researchers showed that ethanol from corn and other biofuels actually add to green house gases.  

The researchers conclude that when considerations such as land use changes, increased fertilizer use, impacts of ethanol production and more, corn ethanol can actually be increasing green house gases.  Corn ethanol is the current cornerstone of renewable fuels. 

Corn ethanol was found to be worse for the environment than gasoline in this paper.  Researchers from other institutions will add their analyses as they test the hypotheses of this paper.  That is how science works, through testing and data, and rigorous discussion based on facts. 

Science has become politicized, and it is likely that there will be much bluster and ballyhoo about this research, too.  Depending on where you get your news, the interpretation will change.  It's good to look at the data that the conclusions are based on and keep an open mind when the research is discussed.   


This article, on the Civil Eats website, provides a good summary of the paper for non-scientific audiences from an environmental perspective.  Limited reading of the article is allowed before the paywall closes.   This article is from one of the authors of the paper, is a statement of findings in his own words on the UC Davis website.  It is also a good summary of the findings.
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Thinking Like a Watershed hosts LWV UMRR Chair Mary Ellen Miller - Recording now available!

3/1/2022

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Championing the Upper Mississippi River Region  
Mary Ellen Miller, President, League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region
How a life-long conservationist became an advocate for the Mississippi…an LWV president discusses conservation & change
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Conservation activist and self-proclaimed tree-hugger, LWV UMRR Chair Mary Ellen Miller shared the League’s connection between advocacy, voting and the state of the river.  She discussed the work that members are involved with to improve soil health and water quality and how they are working with others in the Upper Mississippi River network to take action for change.  Here's the link see a recording of her talk.

This monthly series is a project of the Upper Mississippi River Initiative (UMRI) of the Izaak Walton League of America/MN Division, with co-hosts Chris Henning of the Panora Conservation Chapter and Des Moines Chapter Communication Director, Bud Hartley.  This program feature guests for 30-40 minute presentations that shed daylight on good works done in the name of the Mississippi and its uplands. In this way we uplift our shared goals for a cleaner river, a cared for environment, and kinder communities. Recorded  programs are available shortly after they air live.

February's program featured Kelly McGinnis of the Mississippi River Network.  You can see the .
“The POWER of 1 Mississippi & 20,000 River Citizens” Thinking Like a Watershed ~ Kelly McGinnis— February 22nd, 2022   How 58 organizations team up to drive policy—“Can the river count on you?” A call to action…

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Managing for Water Sustainability - talk from April 4, 2022

2/28/2022

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Minnesota is a state famous for its water resources, yet there are problems.  Conflicting demands are lowering groundwater levels, impacting wetlands and trout streams.  The Minnesota DNR is using an approach that brings together local interests to find solutions that fit for the area.   On  April 4, 2022, Jason Moeckel, Manager of the Inventory, Monitoring and Analysis Section of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources spoke to LWV UMRR on managing for water sustainability.  ​
“In the urgency room you get a little bit more time to analyze the situation, you do a little bit of triage, try to figure out where to focus your resources,”  Moeckel says.  Minnesota is at the 'urgency' stage of water use conflicts.  Our concern as LWV UMRR is water sustainability and what policy choices can be made to better manage the resources we have.  These problems face all the states in the Upper Mississippi basin, and are compounded by contamination that makes the water unusable. 

In this meeting we examined Minnesota's approaches to sustainable water management, the successes and areas where more work is needed.  Water diversions  are another concern, such as the proposed "Water Train" that was averted in Minnesota.  Jaon's talk address these outside threats as well as the everyday threats to water sustainability.
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Minnesota is using a combination of approaches in the areas where water conflicts occur.  These are documented on the DNR website at this link.  The report, "Definitions and Thresholds for Negative Impacts to Surface Waters", set the basis and makes excellent reading!    This report examines the hydrologic linkages between surface and ground water, and how both must be managed together to achieve water sustainability.    
Water Scarcity in the News: 
Here are some recent articles from around our region:

Even in water-rich Michigan, no guarantee of water for all:  

https://www.startribune.com/even-in-water-rich-michigan-no-guarantee-of-enough-for-all/600150817/

Iowa sand mining company abandons appeal to export Iowa groundwater:
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2021/11/24/fracking-sand-mining-company-abandons-appeal-export-iowa-groundwater/8747390002/

Just 50 miles from Lake Michigan, groundwater is running out:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/environment/ct-illinois-water-supply-lake-michigan-aquifers-20210226-27j6lwnyjndjhg4ux5ek42qcxu-story.html​  (This is an excellent article with a lot of information on groundwater in Chicagoland.)

Citing drought, US won't give water to California farmers:
​https://www.startribune.com/citing-drought-us-wont-give-water-to-california-farmers/600149788/

Drastic water use changes proposed to steady White Bear Lake levels:
​https://www.startribune.com/drastic-water-use-changes-proposed-to-steady-white-bear-lake-levels/600148582/

State leaders have the power to help families with polluted wells:
​stevenspoint.news/2021/10/23/state-leaders-have-the-power-to-help-families-with-polluted-wells/

You pray for rain...
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https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/08/03/you-pray-for-rain-low-rivers-stressing-irrigators-recreationists-and-potentially-critters
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Plastics: A Threat to our Climate

1/29/2022

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This is the second blog post by guest author and LWV UMRR Board member Kay Slama*.  Kay's previous article was on climate change anxiety, and is found here.  This article also appeared in the Jan 29 issue of the New London (MN) Lakes Area Review.
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​Plastics are pervasive in our lives. They pollute our waters, land, and oceans, and much  microplastic is getting into our food and bodies. BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT PLASTICS ARE ALSO A MAJOR THREAT TO OUR CLIMATE?
 
Plastic production and use currently emit at least 232 million metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) every year, the equivalent of 116 average sized coal-fired power plants. At current rates, plastic emissions are predicted to double by 2050. According to Plastic and Climate, that’s a significant

proportion of the total remaining carbon budget, if we are to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C to avoid the worst of climate change. (See the footnote for sources of this information.)
 
GHGs are emitted at each of each stage of the plastic lifecycle. First is fossil fuel extraction and transport. This includes methane leakage and flaring, energy consumption in the process of drilling for oil or gas and transporting it, and clearing land for wellpads and pipelines.
 
Second is plastic refining and manufacture. This puts plastics among the most GHG-intensive industries in the manufacturing sector—and the fastest growing. The manufacture of plastic is producing significant emissions through many steps in the chemical refining processes.
 
Third is the GHG from managing plastic waste. Plastic is primarily landfilled, recycled, or incinerated. Landfilling emits the least greenhouse gases on an absolute level, although it presents significant other problems. Recycling also produces moderate emissions, but at least it displaces new virgin plastic on the market. Incineration leads to very high emissions.
 
Last is plastic’s ongoing climate impact once it reaches our oceans, waterways, and landscape. Plastics in the ocean continually release methane and other GHGs. Plastics on our coastlines, riverbanks, and landscapes release GHG at an even higher rate. Microplastic in the oceans may also interfere with the ocean’s capacity to absorb and sequester carbon dioxide, and this is cause for serious concern.

 
Plastic production is subsidized by US government, just like oil production. The plastic industry’s misnamed Alliance to End Plastic Waste will do little to end plastic waste. 
High-priority actions to reduce GHGs from the plastic lifecycle include:
  • ending the production and use of single-use, disposable plastic, like grocery bags, bottled beverages, and packaging of most groceries and small manufactured items;
  • stopping development of new oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure;
  • making plastic producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of plastics;
  • fostering the transition to zero-waste communities;
  • adopting and enforcing ambitious targets to reduce GHG from all sectors, including plastic production. For example, a price on carbon at the source would increase the price of producing plastics, as well as other fossil fuels.
The Plastic and Climate report concludes that “Nothing short of stopping the expansion of petrochemical and plastic production and keeping fossil fuels in the ground will create the surest and most effective reductions in the climate impacts from the plastic lifecycle.” All of us need to support these solutions. This includes action by the plastics industry, policymakers, philanthropic funders, and global grassroots movements.
 
“Plastic is the new coal,” said an author of New Coal. “We’ve got to reduce the use of plastic if we have any chance of hitting climate change goals.”
 
Footnote from Kay: 
Much of the information in this column is from two reports. Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, published by the Center for International Environmental Law in 2019, and a newer 2021 report, New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change. Take a look at these reports—they are truly eye-opening!

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*Kay Slama, from the Willmar MN chapter of LWV, grew up on a family farm in ND.  She is a clinical psychologist who is retired from practice and from adjunct faculty positions with the UM Medical School Dept. of Psychiatry and St. Mary’s University’s doctoral counseling program.  She is active with the Sierra Club and the Willmar Area Climate Action Group, and she serves as her church Social Justice Co-Chair.  Kay’s most recent professional submission is “Women and the Existential Climate Crisis”, provisionally accepted by The Humanistic Psychologist.  She says, “I volunteer for climate and other environmental issues because so much is at stake:  Our water, land, soil, health, and the future of our children and the Earth.”  She enjoys racket sports, biking, canoeing, reading, music, and gardening, and she spends several months each year in outdoor travel, birding, and photography.

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States' Progress in Nutrient Loss Reduction

12/20/2021

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On December 14, 2021, the Hypoxia Task Force (HTF) met.  This group, with representatives from 12 states, one tribe and an impressive array of federal agencies, coordinates the activities of the participating groups in attempting to move forward the Nutrient Reduction Strategy with a goal of 45% lower levels of nutrient loss from the land to the Mississippi River and the Gulf.  The HTF was formed in 1997.  The deadline for achieving the nutrient reduction goal keeps moving back.  

Each state has developed its own nutrient reduction strategy to meet its needed share of the nutrient loss reduction.  The map to the right shows the priority watersheds that have been designated in each state as a focus of work.   Progress on the goal is reported every five years, with the last one in 2018 and the next one due in 2023.  

This process has not been universally successful at reducing nutrient losses.  There has been significant success at reducing losses from point sources, but nonpoint sources (i.e. agriculture) are not showing the same level of success.
 Areas of improvement that could be pursued by the Hypoxia Task Force:
1.  States should move to reporting tools that are helpful in understanding the scale of change needed.  This article by the Iowa Environmental Council does a good job of explaining how just recording the number of projects doesn't help really measure progress unless the total number of projects that need to be undertaken is actually known.  They site the website that Kentucky is now using to track progress as a positive example.  


2.  The Hypoxia Task Force should be expanded to include one or more non-governmental entities, for example a non-profit organization like the Mississippi River Network, to represent this sector.  This will increase public participation in the work of the Task Force as well.  

To really make a dent in the nutrient loss that is washing into the Mississippi will require significant change in behavior of people throughout the basin.  This can't be accomplished by agency actions alone.  Public engagement and buy-in is necessary.  


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In a December 20 article "Illinois — a major feeder to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone — falls behind federal goal to reduce phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into its waterways", Morgan Greene wrote for the Chicago Tribune:    By 2025, Illinois aims to reduce nitrogen and nitrate by 15% and phosphorus by 25%, with a goal of greater long-term reductions.  Instead, averaged from 2015 to 2019, nitrogen loads increased by 13% compared with a baseline period from 1980 to 1996, and phosphorus loads increased by 35%, according to the latest biennial report on the state’s reduction strategy, released this fall.

The LWV UMRR Blog has covered many aspects of nutrient loss strategies and the Dead Zone in the Gulf.  You can read more about them at the links below:
  •  Nutrient pollution
  • Farm Bill
  • Government policy
  • Outreach and engagement
Nutrient loss reduction is a major goal of the LWV UMRR, and we work through education and advocacy to promote policies and practices in this direction.

Here is a quote from comments that the Mississippi River Network's Masiah Kahn made at the December 14 HTF virtual public meeting:

 This annual public meeting is the only opportunity that the public, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders get to engage the Task Force as a whole – and we think the Task Force can do much better to encourage and enable robust public participation in a meeting like this.

I echo the concerns raised about the fact that despite incremental progress in reduction strategies and the increased adoption of innovative conservation practices, we are nowhere near the interim target of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus loading by 20 percent by 2025. We can no longer keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. It’s also hard to see the forest for the trees when the Task Force’s overarching goals are not front and center in meetings like this. 


You can find the presentations and comments from Dec 14 Hypoxia Task Force meeting at this link.  
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En-Roads Climate Change Workshop - February 7

12/1/2021

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Our Monday, February 7th program was the "En-Roads Climate Change Workshop" with Jackie Armstrong giving us a live demo on how that software program works. This was a fascinating presentation that clearly features the En-Roads Climate Simulator model and how it can be used to stimulate factual discussions on climate.   Watch the video and learn more! 

Climate activist Jackie Armstrong demonstrated the En-ROADS simulation model exploring key technology and policy solutions for addressing global warming. En-Roads is a cutting-edge climate simulation model developed by MIT Sloan, Climate Interactive and other partners. The simulator educates about strategies to address climate change via interactive testing, and looks at the many roles global citizens have to play on the path to a sustainable future. The resulting experience is hopeful, scientifically grounded, action-oriented, and eye-opening. The En-ROADS workshop has been run for the U.S. Congress, businesses, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and international organizations.

The #EnROADS climate solutions simulator helps you:

✅ Figure out what climate policy solutions will actually work in real-time
✅ Lead scientifically-grounded, meaningful conversations 
✅ Engage people and spark change

Links to resources for the presentation:
  • Yale Climate Maps: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/
  •  En-Roads Simulator: https://en-roads.climateinteractive.org/scenario.html?v=22.1.1
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