On December 3, 2018, LWV Upper Mississippi River Region held their bi-monthly Board meeting at the Coralville Public Library, in Johnson County, Iowa.   The educational event after the Board meeting featured speakers from the Woman, Food and Agriculture Network, and the Izaak Walton League.   These organizations, along with the LWV Upper Mississippi River Region, are reaching out to absentee landowners  - people who rent farmland for others to farm.  

Throughout the Midwest, absentee landownership of farm land is common.  In some places, more than half the farmland is rented.  The management of this land is critical - land owners must work with their renters to develop contracts that reward good stewardship and build soil health.    How should these discussions be framed?  How can the renter protect both the rented land and his bottom line?  What will be the farming legacy of these rented lands?

The Izaak Walton League (aka "the Ikes") received a grant from the McKnight Foundation and is developing workshops to provide landowners with this information.  The LWV UMRR is working with the Ikes in our four-state area, with a goal of finding member Leagues to work with local Ike chapters put on these workshops throughout the watershed.  ​

The goal is to provide these landowners with tools and support to help them work with their renters to build soil health and improve the environmental performance of their farms.   Here's the video from the presentation in Coralville.  ​Our speakers, left to right, are Chris Henning from the Women Food and Agriculture Network, Mike Delaney from the Izaak Walton League and Lonni McCauley from the LWV Upper Mississippi River Region Inter League Organization.

LWV UMRR is also working with the Land Stewardship Project in Minnesota.  Here, a series of three meetings will occur in January, with follow up meetings planned for February.    LWV'ers will be helping with these meetings, which will be be a good way to build LWV knowledge as well.  

Monday, December 3
​Coralville Public Library - Room A
1401 5th St, Coralville, IA 52241

Speakers:
  Mike Delaney, Izaak Walton League Upper Mississippi River Initiative Field Organizer
  Lonni McCauley, League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region Action Chair
 
Agenda
    1:00 - Gather at the Library for light refreshments
    1:25 – Introductions
    1:30 – Speakers
    2:15 – Audience questions and discussion
    2:30 – Adjourn

Throughout the Midwest, absentee landownership of farm land is common.  In some places, more than half the farmland is rented.  The management of this land is critical - land owners must work with their renters to develop contracts that reward good stewardship and build soil health.    How should these discussions be framed?  How can the renter protect both the rented land and his bottom line?  What will be the farming legacy of these rented lands?

The Izaak Walton League (aka "the Ikes") received a grant from the McKnight Foundation and is developing workshops to provide landowners with this information.  The LWV UMRR is working with the Ikes in our four-state area, with a goal of finding member Leagues to work with local Ike chapters put on these workshops throughout the watershed.  Both organizations extend the invitation to this meeting in Coralville so we can meet each other and set up the groundwork for local workshop planning.  

The Coralville Public Library is close to I-80 just northeast of Iowa City.  It offers free parking and a large, comfortable room for our use.  Click Upcoming Events for a printable flyer you can use to share the information with others.  We also have made this an event on Facebook - like us and help spread the word!  Here's a map - see you in Coralville!  

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.   -  Margaret Mead

VIDEO OF THIS EVENT CAN BE SEEN HERE - many thanks to Bonnie and Beth for making the trek to Onalaska! 

On October 1, LWV Upper Mississippi River Region will host a discussion with leaders from LWV Jo Daviess County.  We will talk about what they have accomplished in the Galena River watershed, and what we, as community leaders, can do throughout the Upper Mississippi Watershed.  The public is invited to join us - we will gather at the Upper Mississippi National Refuge Visitor Center at N 5727 Co Rd Z in Onalaska, Wisconsin (10 miles north of La Crosse) at 12:30 for light refreshments, the discussion will start at 1pm.   Additionally,  this post on the LWV UMRR blog has info on related events in the area.   Here's a link to our Facebook event - feel free to share it!

"Industrial Ag in the Driftless: How do we protect our communities?"  will be held at the Americinn Conference Center,  1700 Elm Street, on January 20 from 1pm to 5:30pm.   The grassroots forum will share information about the Driftless area’s sensitive karst hydrogeology and what has happened in places where industrialized agriculture operations have been permitted by the State.
Keynote speaker John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri, will discuss “Defending Rural Communities against Economic Colonization.”  Panelists, who will address how industrial agriculture can affect our health, economies, and environment, include a local hog farmer, a neighbor to an industrial hog facility, a geologist, an environmental attorney, and state and national level environmental advocates. Network and share struggles and successes, with a focus on solution-oriented discussion about what can be done to protect our land, water, and air in the Driftless region.  Click the link above or the poster below for more information.  LWV UMRR Board members will be tabling at this event, stop by and visit if you attend.

This two-day "Celebrate the Headwaters" event (described here) began on Sunday, October 1, with us taking the last cruise of the season with Coborn's Lake Itasca tours.  We visited and talked about water issues with LWV member and the public on the cruise, then met at the Headwaters for a group photo.  On Monday, we held our Board meeting in the morning and at noon were joined by speakers from the Minnesota Department of Health and the nonprofit "Toxic Taters" to talk about nitrate in drinking water.  You can watch the education part of the program here. - we recorded it and live-streamed through Facebook Live.    

Katie DeSchane was on hand to talk about the work that Toxic Taters is doing in the Park Rapids area.  Park Rapids, MN, is the city closest to the Headwaters.  Changes in land use, where former tree plantations are being cut and repurposed for irrigated potato farming, is a growing concern.  Kathie's group works to raise public awareness of the issue and to help people take action to protect their water supplies.  Here are some links:  Minnesota Department of Health Source Water Protection; Toxic Taters, and Friends of the Mississippi Headwaters.  This last group had a table at our meeting with information on their work on pipelines - read about it in this blog post on the LWV UMRR website.  

​The League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region, in cooperation with 13 other organizations, sponsored a Community Water Conversation at Anoka Ramsey Community College on Tuesday, August 29.  About 75 people attended, including members of the public, water professionals and elected officials.  This meeting was part of the Governor’s series of meetings with Minnesotans on how to reduce water pollution by 25% by the year 2025.
 
After opening remarks by Bruce Bomier from the Environmental Resources Council, small groups were asked to identify their top priorities for water quality improvement and how those priorities could be achieved.   Reducing pollution and improving storm water practices were top priorities, along with improving environmental literacy and water education.   Thoughtful discussions lead to recommendations for action such as increased installation of storm water ponds and rain gardens, and development of water education curriculum for school children. 
​One small group suggested that Minnesota must “Set firm goals:

• Improve quality of water gardens by at least 25%
• Reduce number of trouble wells by 25%
• Capture 25% more rain water to recharge aquifers
• Increase number of leak detection technology for water mine pipes
• Reduce phosphorus levels by 25%
• Increase funding for storm water ponds by 25% to clean water”

​Another recommendation in this vein,
“Analyze where, when and who, then increase training and education for water systems and human impact.  Example: 

• Bump up school water education required standards (K-12)
• Train local and government agencies plus business owners on water strategies
• Support collaborative efforts for training on innovative green technologies affecting homeowners, businesses, cities
• Teach economic benefits of water education”

 
Participants also listed barriers to achieving the pollution reduction goals through the actions they had specified.  One group listed barriers to taking individual actions to improve water quality:

• Lack of education
• Fear of non-conformity
• Loss of profits
• Refusal to adapt to new practices
• Social and cultural values
• Specialized groups and their influence over mass audiences
• Selective media consumption

 
Insufficient funding and problems with government regulation were also listed as barriers. 
 
All group suggestions and comments were recorded and sent to the Governor’s office for inclusion in the water meetings database.  Anna Henderson, Water Advisor to Governor Mark Dayton was at the meeting.  According to Henderson, “Governor Dayton wants to hear from every Minnesotan on what water quality goals they want the state to focus on in their region and what they think needs to happen to achieve those goals. The Governor and key members of his Cabinet are travelling all over the state to host town halls, but not everyone can make a town hall or wants to be in such a large setting. That is why it is so important that groups like the League of Women Voters organize their own community water meetings. The room was full and the conversation was energized – it was exciting to be there and clear that people are engaged and full of great ideas. Thank you to the League of Women Voters for hosting this important conversation. It is up to all of us to work to improve Minnesota’s water quality for future generations to come.”
 
The League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region is a non-partisan organization aimed at protecting and improving water quality in the Mississippi River basin, from the Headwaters at Lake Itasca to southern Illinois.  This group is made up of 50 local member Leagues from throughout the basin, plus the state Leagues of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.  Other sponsoring organizations for this meeting included the Anoka Conservation District, the Anoka County Water Task Force, Anoka Ramsey Community College, Izaak Walton League Breckenridge Chapter, Blaine Natural Resources Conservation Board, Conservation Minnesota, Coon Rapids Rotary, Coon Rapids Sustainability Roundtable, Environmental Resources Council, Fridley Environmental Quality and Energy Commission, League of Women Voters ABC, Lower Rum River Water Management Organization and Rice Creek Watershed.  

All events take place in Itasca State Park:   Google map showing park location and Park map showing features
 
Come and join the Board of LWV Upper Mississippi River Region for this event!
 
October 1 – Lake Itasca boat tour with naturalist followed by group photo at the Headwaters
 
Coborn’s Lake Itasca Boat tour: $16/person for a 1.5 hour tour of Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi, with narration by a naturalist.  We are hoping to have a group of more than 18 persons so we can make a reservation - please contact Gretchen Sabel (gpsabel@yahoo.com) if you are planning to come. Meet at the tour boat dock at 1:30pm; boat leaves at 2pm.
 
Group photo at the Headwaters: 
Gather at the marker at 4:30 pm.  All are welcome!  We will have someone with a camera on hand to take a group photo.  Walking across the rocks is an optional activity. 

October 2 – LWV UMRR Board meeting in the Joseph Brower visitor center and talk on nitrates in drinking water and their connection to land use
 
Board Meeting:  Gather in the Joseph Brower visitor center (near the east park entrance) at 9:00, meeting will take place from 9:15 to 11:30.  (Info on the visitor center here,  see #28/33.)  Coffee, tea and refreshments  will be provided for both events.
 
Educational Event:  We will have Chris Parthun, Principal Planner, from the Minnesota Department of Health and Katie DeSchane from Toxic Taters on hand to talk about nitrates in drinking water and how land use can tip the equation.  Park Rapids has had problems with high nitrates as forests are cleared and the land converted to potato farms.  We will have a discussion with our speakers and learn what it will take to protect the groundwater resources in this area.  Some background reading here and here and here and here.   Christopher Parthun, Principal Planner in the Minnesota Department of Health's Drinking Water Protection Section will speak on the state response to increasing nitrates in drinking water.  

Workshop led by the University of Minnesota in partnership with The Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation and the League of Women Voters (LWV) - Jo Daviess County, LWV- Upper Mississippi River Region Inter League Organization, LWV-  Lake Michigan Region Inter League Organization.  With grant funds from 1 Mississippi; an organization supported by The McKnight and Walton Family Foundations.

$20 per person.
Includes morning and afternoon coffee, juice and refreshments, and lunch.

​Who should attend?
League of Women Voter members and Rotary Club members from Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, staff from conservation land trust organizations, Extension and Sea Grant educators, teachers and informal science educators, and community members from the surrounding area that want to lead water and land conservation education efforts. 

About the Watershed Game
The Watershed Game is an interactive tool that helps individuals understand the connection between land use and water quality. Participants learn how a variety of land uses impact water and natural resources, increase their knowledge of best management practices (BMPs), and learn how their choices can prevent adverse impacts. Participants apply plans, practices, and policies that help them achieve a water quality goal for a stream, lake, or river. 

The Watershed Game is available in four versions. The Stream, Lake, and River Versions for Local Leaders are used with elected and appointed officials, community leaders, business leaders, and citizens and a Classroom Version for use with middle to high school youth audiences.  The Watershed Game is a curriculum and resource developed and published by the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program and University of Minnesota Extension. 
​
This training will feature:

• A showcase and demonstrations of the various versions of the WSG (Classroom Version and Stream, Lake, and River Versions for Local Leaders).
• Exercises where participants role-play and lead practice use.
• Discussions and presentations with game facilitators.
• Creating teams of League Members to implement the WSG in communities.

Objectives of the Train the Trainer Workshop:

• Participants will leave prepared and more confident to organize, facilitate, and use the Watershed Game (WSG) with a variety of audiences including with residents, local community leaders and youth.
• Participants will increase their knowledge and understanding of core water literacy concepts.
• Participants will be more enabled to engage and bring together citizens, business owners, and other community members often with differing opinions about water resources.
• Participants will increase their skills at developing and communicating learning objectives to target audiences and to use the WSG to teach to those objectives.
• Increase knowledge and understanding of local, regional, and national impacts of our actions and decisions to water resources.
• University of Minnesota faculty will share successful strategies and experiences with the WSG including best game facilitation practices and practices to avoid.
• Participants will be able to share their successful strategies with one another in a peer-to-peer atmosphere and begin to create a team of watershed education cohorts.

Registration Information
Participants can register online at  http://z.umn.edu/rockford.

Click here for a workshop flyer
For more information, please contact:

John Bilotta | 612-624-7708 | jbilotta@umn.edu

Bonnie Cox | 815-238-1725 |  bonniekaycox@gmail.com