East Metro WaterTips and tales about keeping water clean

A young girl squats to gather water from the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

On March 1, Sharon Day started walking and she didn’t stop for a long time. Every day for two months, she and four other “Water Walkers” – Deon Kirby, Ira Johnson, Beth Brent, and Barb Baker-Iarush – walked beside the Mississippi River, all the way from Minnesota to Louisiana. Several hundred people joined the walkers here and there throughout their journey. Strangers would put them up at night, and tribes provided lodging. The group walked to draw attention to the peril the Mississippi River faces due to pollution. Just as importantly, they walked to remember their connection to this great river and giver of life.

I’ve been following the progress of the Mississippi Water Walk through their Facebook group and each day I am inspired. I come from the world of marathons and triathlons where four hour events are marked with water stops and finish line goodies, sheriff patrols to guard busy intersections, and volunteers shouting encouragement along the way. Yet, Sharon Day is a grandmother, and her companions, ordinary people. They walked every day, through snow, rain, wind and sun in everyday clothes, without corporate sponsors. At times, they followed scenic roads, surrounded by nature and beauty, but more often than that, they traversed busy highways through industrial wastelands, a few small figures moving slowing along the shoulder of the road.

The Water Walkers began their journey at Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. During a traditional Ojibwe ceremony, they filled a copper kettle with clear, clean water from the river and then they carried this kettle and a sacred staff with them every step of the way. “We want the walk to be a prayer,” Day said before they began. “Every step we take we will be praying for and thinking of the water. The water has given us life and now, we will support the water.”

The Mississippi River is such a different creature here in Minnesota than down in Louisiana. In the northern forests, the river is still pure. Children laugh as they leap over the Mississippi in Itasca State Park, where the river is barely more than a stream. Even here in the Twin Cities, the river is still relatively clean. Canoeists paddle through the Minneapolis gorge, and endangered mussels bed down near Fort Snelling. By the time the Mississippi reaches the Gulf of Mexico, however, the water is foul and polluted. No one laughs about the Mississippi River in Louisiana, where the water is so depleted of oxygen that not even fish and shrimp can survive. All that’s left are the byproducts of our modern civilization: fertilizers, chemicals, wastewater and garbage.

As I’ve followed this effort to save a river that connects so many of us, I have also been inspired by the heartfelt messages of support posted by people around the country.

“I just learned of the riverwalk. I wish I had known and been able to offer prayers as you went and even walk a little of the way alongside you. I am grateful to the walkers and supporters–thank you all. Even though that journey is completed, the river still needs our care, so I’ll continue to pray with you for the healing of our waters.” – Debbie Renard, Memphis, May 11.

“On behalf of the Two-Spirit community, we are so proud of our Two-Spirit sister Sharon Day and her amazing leadership!” – Harlan Pruden, New York City, May 7.

“Good morning. The Walkers were on my mind strong this morning. Everything I did today involved water. I am so grateful you are bringing awareness to our sacred water to keep it clean for our children. Chi miigwech. Prayers to all of you.” – Gail Saice, Ramsey, MN, May 4.

On May 3 at 12:40pm, two months and 1700 miles from Lake Itasca, Minnesota, the Water Walkers reached the end of their journey where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. Joined by family, friends and supporters, they praised, celebrated, and then gave the great Mississippi River a drink of herself. Morningdove Verret, a member of the local Houma Nation captured the sentiments of many. “Sharon Day, if someone would have told me that one day I would drink water from the Mississippi, I would have said ‘no way’. Not only to see crystal clear Mississippi water, but to drink it. That was awesome.”

To join the conversation, find the Mississippi River Water Walk 2013 on Facebook.

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. ~ Greek Proverb

Trees wait for pick-up during the WCD annual tree sale.

Washington Conservation District (WCD) first began its tree program 35 years ago in 1978. One can imagine farmers and homeowners across the county tucking spindly, bare-root seedlings into the soil and wondering when, and if, the trees would grow large enough to shade the ground and block the wind. It was an awful lot of work to do for trees that would take years to grow.Over the years, trees purchased through the Conservation District tree sale have been used to create field windbreaks, stabilize ravines, shade homes and provide habitat for birds and wildlife. Tens of thousands of trees have been sold each year. Due to a change in regulations, however, the WCD will no longer be able to purchase and resell bundles of saplings from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources tree nurseries and so this April’s sale will be its last.

To truly appreciate the degree to which the WCD tree sale has shaped the landscape of Washington County, consider that this spring alone, the WCD sold 23,000 trees to local residents for conservation projects and habitat plantings. This includes 3500 white pine, the Minnesota state tree which once blanketed the northern half of the state until it was logged almost to extirpation, more than 1000 white oaks, towering sentinels of the prairie savanna that support more over 500 species of larval insects for birds to eat, 1200 sugar and red maples, which provide dappled shade for woodland wildflowers and sturdy limbs for backyard swings, and more than 6000 shrubs – highbush cranberry, choke cherry, redosier dogwood and others that provide food and habitat for wildlife.

This spring, as landowners across the county prepare to plant trees acquired through the WCD tree sale, community Arbor Day events, and local nurseries, a few simple steps will help to give these newly planted trees long life. The first step is to dig holes that are deep enough for the trees’ roots to spread out. A hole should be twice as wide as the roots and slightly deeper so that the taproot hangs straight down without curving. The soil should be firmly packed in around the roots so that there are no air pockets.

The second step is to add mulch, two to four inches deep, around the base of newly planted trees to help the soil retain moisture and prevent grass and weeds from competing with the trees for nutrients (this mulch should not touch the base of the tree). Mulch volcanoes are a common but misguided practice that often kills trees within a few years. Where the mulch touches the tree bark, moisture can cause cracks in the bark, which serve as entry points for fungus and insects. Excessive mulch can also keep oxygen from reaching the roots of the tree or lead the roots to eventually rot from excess moisture.

A final step to protect new trees as they grow is to add cages or netting to ward off hungry deer and rabbits. New seedlings should be watered well after planting and then soaked once a week with about five gallons of water for the first three growing seasons. After that, established trees should only need supplemental watering during drought times.

As the Conservation District completes its final tree sale, the board and staff are grateful to the citizens of Washington County, without whom no trees would be planted and no conservation projects built. This year 23,000 scraggly seedlings will put down roots. Thirty-five years from now, these trees will blanket the hills and hollows of our county, a gift to future generations.

Somewhere around mile 15, it all fell away. I quit grumbling about the flat tire I’d had to change before even leaving the house, and stopped worrying about whether or not I would catch up to the pack of yellow-jerseyed guys who were disappearing into the distance. Suddenly, I noticed the frogs trilling from the wetlands, the ducks floating on a shallow lake. A warm wind was gusting out of the south bringing with it buds on trees, green blades of grass and the promise of new life.

Now, we peddled the rolling hills of the Kelley Farm, gnarled oaks standing tall along the east like ambassadors for the savanna. Further north along Manning, Big Marine Park sat patiently, secure in her hope that we will return to visit later this summer once the ice is gone. We turned east at Hwy 97 and the smell of the northwoods was strong. Farm fields alternated with clusters of pines. Three little kids sat at the bottom of their driveway with a red flyer wagon, watching the bikes go by. “Wildflowers planted here,” proclaimed a sign along the roadside, “Do not mow or spray.”

Bikers rest on a rock near the Scandia Community Center.

Onward I traveled, occasionally passing other cyclists, sometimes riding alone, and every cell in my body rejoicing with the song of spring. Then “Välkommen Till Scandia,” a sign marked the edge of town and one mile further down, the Community Center was awash in the colors of people and bicycles sprawled every which way. “Welcome to Scandia,” boomed a man from the Lion’s Club greeting people at the door, and inside  folks from the Gammelgarden Museum and St. Croix River Association smiled as the riders poured in to find food and drink.Back on the road again, we continued on toward the St. Croix River. By now, my bike was nothing more than an extension of my body and I had a sense of unbounded joy at rediscovering this part of me that had been long hidden during pregnancy, new motherhood and a long winter’s snow. Now my long lost friend and I found a steep and winding road, like a tunnel through the woods, and we raced downhill to reach the river.

A rest stop at Pine Point Park, entrance to the Gateway Trail.

Days before the Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride, 4000 people held their breath and waited to see if snow would melt and wind would warm. Then, Sunday came and suddenly it was a day for riding like no other day. For some riders, like me, it was an opportunity to get out on the roads we already know and love. For others, this ride was their first introduction to Washington County and the experience they got was better than any tourism brochure could offer. On showcase were parks and trails, lakes and woods, scenic vistas and small town charm. I’m sure I’m not the only one who silently compiled a summer to-do list as I went. To do: Swim at Square Lake, take the Burley bike trailer out on the Gateway Trail, and eat ice cream in Marine on St. Croix.There’s no predicting weather in Minnesota. Many years I’ve watched intrepid Ironman riders hunched low against sleet or driving rain. It was pure luck that warm air bathed the region for the first time this year on the weekend of the ride. Even so, it takes more than good weather to make a memorable journey. We can’t predict whether next year’s ride will be warm or cold, wet or dry. We do know, however, that there will be parks and trails, woods and lakes, scenic vistas and small town charm. That part of the experience isn’t by chance.

My yard on April 19, 2013. Ready for gardening!

This morning I woke up, got ready for work and looked at the snow-covered driveway in distain. “I am not going to shovel,” my husband announced defiantly. While our son Charlie finished his breakfast, Gary and I debated whether or not my Prius would be able to make it out of the driveway without getting stuck. It did not. So in the end, we grabbed our Papa, Mama and baby sized snow-shovels and headed out the door to shovel the driveway after all. Charlie thought it was fun, but Gary and I knew better. If I’m shoveling in April, it better be to plant a garden.Normally late April is an ideal time to plan landscaping projects in Minnesota. The conventional advice is to wait until Mother’s Day to start planting, and local community plant sales are in full swing from mid-May through early June. Usually, April is the perfect time to assess the yard, make note of any problems areas, and plot out locations for new gardens, trees and shrubs.

When planning landscaping projects for your yard, it helps to have an idea in mind of how you would like to use the space available. Consider how much lawn you need for kids’ activities and lawn chair lounging, and think about where you spend the most time in your yard. You should also take into consideration how much time you want, or are able, to spend maintaining your yard. If you work full-time and spend evenings and weekends running, biking, swimming, chasing a toddler, visiting friends, going camping and hanging out in downtown Stillwater like I do, then you might want to consider a smaller lawn with native or perennial gardens that require little regular maintenance. If you have more time on your hands and enjoy spending summer days in the garden, then you can be a bit more indulgent with what and how much you plant.

My yard on June 9, 2012 – a scene from brighter days.

Once you have an idea of what you would like to have in your yard, it is time to look at drainage pathways, contours of the land, and existing vegetation. When we bought our home in Stillwater, we noted that both the driveway and one of the rooftop downspouts drained to the same part of our backyard. Though the area was grassy and close to the house, it quickly became apparent that it would be too wet there for playing ball or lounging. So, we converted the wet spot into a raingarden and decided to use the lawn in the middle of the yard where it is sunnier for recreational space instead. Our last home had a hilly front yard, so we stopped mowing half of it and let the woods take over in its place.  I’ve found that it is easier to work with the yard you’ve got than to grow grass in a wet spot or daylilies in the shade.If you’re looking for advice and ideas on how to create an outdoor living space that is attractive and family friendly, provides wildlife habitat, and helps to protect nearby water resources, check out one of two free workshops in Stillwater, upcoming the second week of May. The first workshop, to be held Tuesday, May 7 from 6-7:30pm at Community Thread, will focus on raingardens. Learn how to map drainage pathways in your yard and manage runoff and erosion issues using raingardens, swales, dry creeks, and other techniques that add visual interest and help to protect local water resources. Visit www.tinyurl.com/StillwaterRaingarden2013 for more information or to RSVP. The second workshop, to be held Saturday, May 11 from 10:30-11:30am at St. Peter’s UCC on 111 Orleans St. E, will cover a variety of topics related to sustainable yard care, including low-impact lawn care and low-mow lawns, rainbarrels, native plants for shade and sun, raingardens, and local resources for assistance. The church will be holding an Environmental Fair that day from 10am-2pm, so stick around for native plant giveaways, children’s activities and information about composting, natural cleaners and more.

As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” Then again, if spring keeps going like this, I guess we’ll soon be gardening in the snow!

Do you have a well? How long has it been since you had your well water tested for nitrates? You might not think that you are at risk, but nitrates, which are found in fertilizers and also formed during the decay of sewage and animal wastes, are the most common contaminants in Minnesota’s groundwater. Though most private wells in Washington County are safe, previous studies have found several with elevated levels of nitrates in the Cottage Grove and Denmark Twp. area where limestone bedrock makes it easier for pollutants to leach into groundwater supplies. In other parts of the county, shallow, poorly constructed, or improperly located wells are also susceptible to nitrates and other pollutants.

The biggest risk associated with elevated levels of nitrates in drinking water (at or above 10 mg/L) is a disorder called “blue-baby” syndrome, or methemoglobinemia. It affects infants younger than six months old that drink formula mixed with the water and can pose a risk for pregnant women as well. Blue-baby syndrome reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of blood and babies suffering from the illness might turn bluish in color, develop long-term digestive or respiratory problems, or even die. Counter intuitively, solutions to other common water pollution problems – boiling, softening and filtration – do nothing to reduce nitrate levels and, in fact, boiling can actually increase nitrate concentrations.

Blue-baby syndrome is most common in rural areas where nitrates from fertilizers and barnyard runoff leach into the groundwater. Unlike other contaminants, nitrates are not diluted and filtered out as water travels through soil, so it is critical that wells are sited at least 100 ft. away from septic systems, feedlots and agricultural drainage areas.

Even if you don’t have a baby and aren’t planning to get pregnant, Washington County’s Department of Public Health and the Environment recommends that you have your well water tested annually for total coliform bacteria and nitrates. Though nitrates don’t pose a risk for adults, finding elevated levels in your drinking water might be a sign that other contaminants such as disease-causing organisms or pesticides are in the water as well.

This May, Washington County and the Washington Conservation District will be offering two free well water testing clinics on Monday, May 6, 2-6:30pm at Denmark Town Hall and Wednesday, May 8, 3-7pm at the Scandia Community Center. During the clinics, staff will analyze water samples for nitrate levels and give people their results within about five minutes.

To participate in one of the free testing clinics, bring at least ½ cup of water in a clean plastic or glass container. To get a good sample, allow the tap to run five to ten minutes before filling the container. If you have a distillation unit, reverse osmosis or other nitrate removal system, take two water samples – one before and one after the treatment process – to determine if your system is working properly. If you only have a water softener, you only need to take one sample.

Samples should be taken no more than 24 hours before the testing clinic and must be kept refrigerated prior to testing. To ensure accurate results, mark the container with your name, phone number and a well identification number if more than one well is sampled. It is not necessary to provide information about the well or well location.

Washington County also offers other well water tests for residents throughout the year for a fee. The basic test for drinking water quality, which includes coliform bacteria and nitrates, is $44. Tests are also available for hardness and other common minerals. Water samples can be dropped off at the Cottage Grove, Stillwater or Forest Lake Government Centers on Tuesday mornings. To order a test kit, call 651-430-6655. Learn more at www.co.washington.mn.us/index.aspx?nid=637.

For questions about the free nitrates water testing clinics on May 6 and May 8 or how to take a sample, contact Wendy Griffin at 651-275-1136 x.24.

Macy – the scat machine

Let’s be honest here. This spring hasn’t really been the greatest so far and I think that many of us Minnesotans are finally starting to see the allure in packing it all up and moving to California. The snow in my yard has melted just enough to expose an ugly mix of wilted brown grass, mud and soggy leaves that have been buried all winter, though not enough yet to get rid of the miniature glaciers that still line our driveway and the edge of our street. The only one who seems immune to the dreary weather is our one-year old, who can entertain himself for several hours picking up sticks and splashing in 32.5° puddles. For this reason, I’ve been spending a lot of time outside in the yard lately.Early last week, I began picking up all of the dog poop that has accumulated in our backyard over the course of the winter. This is a necessary but seriously gross job. I filled three plastic shopping bags to brimming with dog poop and still continue to find more piles that I missed along the way. Yes, it is a glamorous life I lead.

No matter what you choose to call it – excrement, feces, poop, scat or dung – there is nothing fun about picking it up from your yard or the side of the street. Consider the alternative, however, and it’s clear that the dirty deed must be done. Besides looking and smelling gross, dog poop can harbor dangerous pathogens and it’s not just a risk to toddlers and people walking barefoot in their yards.

Rain and melting snow wash all sorts of things into our lakes and streams, and if we aren’t careful, dog poop can be one of them. A study in Seattle found that 20% of water born bacteria in the area could be traced to dog droppings, and it has been estimated that in a watershed of up to 20 square miles, a mere 100 dogs would contribute enough waste to contaminate a small lake within only two to three days.

In developed communities, storm sewers carry snow melt and rain off the street and into nearby waterways. If you don’t pick up after your dog while you are out on a walk, the poop can quickly end up in a neighborhood lake or the St. Croix River. The same is true for poop in your yard if your yard drains to the street. If you live in the country, dog poop is usually less of a concern due to the lower density of people (and dogs), but it is still a good idea to pick up dog poop in areas of your yard that drain to ditches or streams. It might go without saying, but horse and cow manure can easily be washed into lakes and streams as well, and out in the country that is usually a bigger problem than dog poop. (Note that the Washington Conservation District can connect rural landowners with funding and technical assistance for better manure management – 651-275-1136).

Studies have shown that the biggest determining factor in whether or not a person picks up dog poop while out on a walk is whether they have plastic bags on hand and a garbage can easily accessible. In our home, we hang plastic bags from a hook near the dog leash to remind ourselves to bring bags along on every walk. I also have a few dozen bags stashed in the stroller. Some communities post dispensers for dog poop bags near popular parks and trails and I know of neighborhood groups that have installed these dispensers along popular pathways as well. Simple actions like these help to keep our lakes and streams clean for fishing and swimming in the summer.

Uvita, Costa Rica

Most parents of young children avoid international travel, particularly to locations where treacherous unpaved roads, tarantulas, and rodents of unusual size are common. We are different. When my husband Gary and I began discussing vacation destinations for this winter, the conversation quickly moved from, “nothing involving long car rides,” to “preferably some place warm,” before eventually sliding down a long slippery slope and landing on “Costa Rica – of course!”

So there we were in Costa Rica, just me, Gary, and 16 month old Charlie, plus my mom, who had come down with us from Minnesota, and my dad, who had flown in from Palm Springs to meet us as well. I spent three months in Costa Rica during graduate school and was eager to visit the families I had stayed with, in addition to introducing Charlie and my parents to the wonders of a country where everything is alive. We made a loop from San Jose south to the Panamanian border before coming back along the Pacific coast. Along the way, we toured a coffee plantation and processing cooperative, stopped in to visit a small farm near San Isidro where I stayed for a month in 2003, and followed the world’s steepest rocky road down a mountainside near Agua Buena to explore a rainforest cave where bats flew thick. Eventually, we made it out to the ocean, where we looked forward to several days of rest and relaxation on the beach. Pura vida, right?

Upon arriving in Uvita, a small town on the southern Pacific coast, I was shocked to see how much the area had developed in only ten years. This was the town where I had once slept on the beach because there were no hotels in sight and the only bus out of town was the one I had just come in on. In 2010, however, a paved road was built from Quepos south, and as a result, dozens and dozens of small hotels and restaurants have sprung up all along this stretch of coastline. The Marina Ballena National Park still protects a swath of land along the ocean near Uvita, and the town itself remains nothing more than a couple of dirt roads, but as Bob Dylan would say, “The times, they are a changin’.”

We checked into a hotel on the main highway after the owner assured us that the beach could be accessed via a short ten minute walk through the jungle. “There is one place where you need to cross a river,” he added, “but the water is only knee high. It shouldn’t be a problem.” He also apologized for how muddy the river was that day, saying, “Usually the water is clear but earlier this week there was someone doing something with a bulldozer.”

Ten minutes later, we had changed into suits and I loaded Charlie into a backpack for our hike down to the ocean. When we reached the river crossing, I entered gingerly, testing my footing as I went. “Oh gee, it’s up to my knee,” I called out as I took another step. “Oh my, now it’s up to my thigh!” I turned and eyed a fallen tree that lay across the river, just as my mother nervously wondered, “Are there crocodiles in this river?” Feeling motivated by the thought, I heaved myself up onto the log, baby and all, and began creeping across the river on my hands and knees. For once in his life, Charlie, a child of perpetual motion and noise, sat motionless and silent as I narrated our progress, “Look at silly mommy crawling across a river!”

Charlie the explorer

Thankfully, we reached the beach without incident and the view was worth the journey. We arrived just as the sun was starting to set and layers of pink and orange folded from the sky down to the sand. Down at the beach, the river was only inches deep, perfect for Charlie to play in, and the ocean, meanwhile, was warm and inviting. Looking inland, there were neither gaudy hotels, nor imposing mansions, just a wall of rainforest and palm trees. In the coming years, Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast will undoubtedly change as the new road brings tourists and development to the area. The optimist in me hopes for a tourism-based economy, built on locally owned businesses, that protects the forest and ocean and benefits the people who live there.

Here in the St. Croix Basin, we deal with similar challenges when new bridges are built and country roads are paved or widened. With improved transportation infrastructure

Now, there is a bridge.

comes new homes and businesses and additional tourism revenue. Careful planning is needed, however, to ensure that new development protects the St. Croix River, woodlands and lakes that attract people to our region in the first place. For this reason, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and local units of government like the Washington Conservation District work hand in hand with local communities to ensure than policies and plans are established to protect natural resources during development and redevelopment. A recently developed Community Assistance Package will give cities guidance on ordinances and codes for erosion control, stormwater management, and protection of trees and vegetation. Establishing protections now will allow communities to control development instead of letting development control them.

If you’re looking for a tropical paradise, I know of a great Costa Rican beach at the end of a jungle trail. It’s easy to get there, even with a baby, because the day after I crawled across the river, a man came and built a bridge.

In recent years, Asian carp have been hogging the limelight as they steadily push further north in the Mississippi and other rivers. It’s easy to see why the fish steal headlines. Bighead carp, which have been caught in the Mississippi River near Winona and in the St. Croix River near Bayport, are behemoths that can easily weigh more than 100 pounds. Silver carp meanwhile, mercifully still south of St. Louis, leap out of the river several feet in the air, injuring boaters and skiers. Even as we nervously hold our breath and assemble inter-agency task forces to keep Asian carp at bay, however, common carp have already infested many of our local lakes.

Though the name implies otherwise, common carp are not native to the United States. During the 1880s, they were brought in from lakes in Europe and Asia and intentionally introduced into Midwest waters as game fish. Today, they are found throughout the lower 48 states in hundreds of lakes, including many in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Masquerading as minnows, young carp are often inadvertently introduced to new lakes when fishermen dump their bait in the water. (In a similar fashion, non-native earthworms have infested many northern woodlands due to fishermen dumping their worms on land. For this reason, the Department of Natural Resources asks that all unwanted bait be dumped in the garbage.)

Common carp are a major problem for shallow lakes and wetlands in Minnesota because they destroy shallowly rooted aquatic plants and stir up sediment on the lake bottoms. As aquatic plant species decline, so do the desirable fish and waterfowl that depend on these plants for food. Without the plant roots in place, waves and schools of carp swimming by churn up muck from the bottoms of the lakes, making the water murky and releasing phosphorus and other nutrients back into the water. The phosphorus, in turn, feeds algal blooms that result in even worse water quality, as well as fish and waterfowl declines. It can be a vicious cycle.

CLFLWD carp harvest in Bone Lake 2010.

Several local watershed districts, including Comfort Lake – Forest Lake and Ramsey-Washington Metro, have begun contracting with commercial fishermen to harvest carp during the winter from infested lakes. Because carp tend to school-up during the winter, a single harvest can capture 90% or more of the adult carp population in a lake. Equally important to capturing the adult carp, however, is to prevent the young carp from surviving the winter in wetlands where they are safe from sunfish. To address this issue in Bone and Moody Lakes, the Comfort Lake – Forest Lake Watershed District recently built low-flow fish barriers to prevent carp from swimming into connected wetlands and spawning.Yet another successful strategy for ridding our local lakes of carp comes from the Chisago Lake Lions Club, who began holding a Carp Fishing Tournament a few years ago. During a seven hour tournament last year, competitors caught 1.5 tons of carp in North and South Center Lakes. Steve Levey, the Lions Club member who started the tournament, likes to remind folks that “when you take out a female carp, you take out 1 million eggs.” Competition rules allow fish to be caught by any legal means, including bow fishing (the preferred method), spear fishing, rod and reel, and landing net. In addition to doling out prizes for the biggest carp caught and the most carp caught, the Lions Club crowns a Carp King and Carp Queen on tournament day and organizes several other fun activities. This year’s Carp Tournament will be held sometime in May. Levey hopes that more area Lion’s Clubs will be inspired to start carp tournaments of their own. “It’s fun with a purpose,” he says. I say, if you can’t beat them, eat them!

The Adopt-a-River garbage boat, on display outside the Minnesota DNR office on Warner Ave. in St. Paul.

Come sail away and we will see the muddy river that leads to the sea. Across the water, we’ll slowly float on the one and only garbage boat.Hidden beneath the opaque waters of the Mississippi River a silent junkyard rests. Each year, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources mobilizes thousands of volunteers through the Adopt-a-River Program to clean up garbage in and along the shorelines of the Mississippi and other rivers. During the first clean-up event, held in 1988 at Lilydale Regional Park in St. Paul, volunteers collected over 80 tons of debris. Since 1994, the Adopt-a-River Program has commissioned artists to create sculptures from the refuse collected during each year’s river cleanups and these sculptures are exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair each summer, causing passersby to wonder, “Who would ever put that in a river?”

The problem with a watershed is that things don’t stay put. Put simply, water flows downhill, and on its way, it carries many things in its path. A watershed is a one-way street, directing water from the high points on the land to the low points. In developed areas, storm sewer pipes beneath the streets carry water from rain and melting snow directly to nearby lakes and rivers. Anything on the land at the top of a watershed – dirt, sand, salt, fertilizer, pesticide, oil, bacteria and garbage – can eventually travel downstream to pollute lakes, streams and rivers lower in the watershed.

Undoubtedly, some of the larger pieces of garbage that have been hauled from the Mississippi River arrived there in a dramatic fashion, but most litter takes a more mundane route to the water’s edge. A cigarette butt is thrown from a car window and lands on the road. From there it washes into the storm sewer when it rains and travels quickly to the river, where it eventually nestles down into the soft muck of the river bottom. Wind blows plastic bottles off the tops of overflowing garbage cans and carries away newspapers left on the ground

Take a tour of the Mississippi River sometime after a rainstorm and you’ll likely find floating bottles, cans, cigarette butts and more. Washed off of parking lots, roads and sidewalks and into city storm drains, the garbage is in the Mississippi today and in the Gulf of Mexico next week. During beach clean-ups organized by the Ocean Conservancy last year, volunteers collected 72 barbeque grills, 64 umbrellas, 139 televisions, 195 cell phones, 155 toilet seats, 203 bicycles, 271 shopping carts, 9,531 fireworks, and 1,879 band-aids. They also found “enough food packaging to get takeout for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for the next 858 years.” (www.oceanconservancy.org/2012data)

The 2012 Adopt-a-River trash sculpture is currently on display outside the Minnesota DNR office on Warner Ave. near the Mississippi River. The sailboat of garbage rests gently on the lawn like so many other Minnesota boats hauled onto dry land for the winter. The green and clear plastic bottles that form the sail glisten in the sun, while a string of rubber flip-flops dangles from the mast. The figure is grotesque, yet beautiful all at once.

You can help to make this summer’s Adopt-a-River sculpture smaller by picking up garbage from your sidewalk, street and yard when the snow starts to melt this spring. Spend an extra five minutes to scoop up and throw away all the salt, sand and gunk that has accumulated along the curb line during the winter to keep that dirty mix out of our rivers and lakes as well.

Without your help to clear the roads of littered trash and soil’s decay, the rains will come and wash them clean and the garbage boat will sail away.

Volunteers building the raingarden at Community Thread.

Two years ago, Community Thread, a Stillwater area volunteer center that serves 17,000 people each year, was faced with a problem. The grass behind their building on Orleans Street in Stillwater was constantly soggy from rain flowing off the parking lot, making the space unusable and unsightly. Drainage in the area was a concern for the Brown’s Creek Watershed District (BCWD) as well because the Community Thread property sits uphill of a nearby wetland that eventually feeds into Long Lake, a local wildlife mecca surrounded by Stillwater neighborhoods. The popular lake suffers from occasional algae blooms during the summer, in large part due to runoff from parking lots, driveways, roads and  rooftops in the surrounding watershed that sends excess nutrients and sediment into the lake.Early in 2011, Karen Kill, BCWD Administrator, and Valerie Jones, Executive Director for Community Thread, put their heads together and began working on a mutually beneficial solution. Kill suggested some type of raingarden system to capture and clean water from the parking lot that would otherwise carry nutrients and pollutants downstream to Long Lake. Jones immediately recognized the opportunity to improve the aesthetics of their property, and she suggested using their upcoming “Spring into Service” event in May to connect volunteers with the planting project.

The two organizations turned next to Washington Conservation District (WCD) for advice and assistance in designing the raingarden. Tara Kline, a landscape designer with the WCD, put together a design that included a long, wavy planted area with several shallow depressions to slow down the runoff and allow it time to evaporate and soak into the ground. Viewed from above, the garden looks rather like a river of plants with ripples and pools, a fitting design for an area that functions almost like a seasonal stream. Because the project would capture pollutants and help to clean-up Long Lake, BCWD contributed a little over $5000 for installation and planting materials. Meanwhile, Community Thread rounded up a few dozen local volunteers on planting day to roll up their sleeves, get dirty and garden.

Community Thread raingarden and swale, one year after planting.

This May 7, Community Thread and the Brown’s Creek Watershed District will invite area residents to learn more about the 2011 clean water planting project at a special raingarden workshop. During the workshop, participants will learn about raingardens in general – what they are, how they work, and how to plant one – in addition to getting the most recent water quality data for Long Lake, Brown’s Creek and the St. Croix River.Over the past five years, more than 150 Stillwater homeowners and businesses have added raingardens to their existing landscaping. People plant raingardens not only to help protect their local water resources, but also to beautify their yards, attract birds and pollinating insects, and manage drainage issues. In Stillwater, Brown’s Creek Watershed District and the Middle St. Croix Watershed Management Organization offer cost-share grants for raingardens in high priority locations. This year, BCWD is particularly interested in working with people living in the Orleans and Croixwood neighborhoods, both of which drain to Long Lake.

The May 7 Raingarden Workshop will be held at Community Thread (2300 W. Orleans Street). The workshop runs 6-7:30pm and is free. Pre-register at http://tinyurl.com/StillwaterRaingarden2013.

Call or email me for more information about grants for raingardens in Stillwater.