Freshwater Society

Chemicals in lakes and streams and sometimes in the water we drink will be the focus of a symposium Saturday, March 6, at the University of Minnesota.

The symposium – sponsored by a nine groups, including the Freshwater Society --will examine the growing body of research documenting the presence of chemicals from prescription and

Agriculture and water are vital to all of us on a most basic level.  They are also inseparably linked.

The Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League of America -- in partnership with the Freshwater Society -- has scheduled  the 2010 Wetlands Summit, Agriculture and Water Summit 2010: Keeping Water on the Land for Conservation and Production.

The conference will be Saturday, March 27, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Normandale Community College in Bloomington.

The goal of the conference is to connect farmers, researchers, conservationists, students, and anyone interested in working together to protect  water resources while ensuring productive farms.

The morning session will feature Bruce Wilson and Gary Sands from the University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering discussing the history of agricultural drainage in Minnesota and current strategies for conserving water in the soil and reducing the flow of nitrogen to surface waters. A panel discussion will feature Warren Formo from the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resources Coalition; Tim Larson from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Tony Thompson, a corn, soybean and native plant farmer from Windom; and Martin Jaus, an organic milk producer.

The keynote speech will be given by Jon Foley, Director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment titled "The Other Inconvenient Truth: A Global Challenge for Agriculture and the Environment" addressing the challenges of feeding our growing world population while protecting the land and water resources necessary to sustain the planet.

Forget cloud seeding. Forget building more dams. Forget piping Great Lakes water to the Southwest. Figure out how to save most of the 6 billion or so gallons of drinking water-quality water that Americans flush down their toilets each day. And, most important of all, put a price on water that reflects its importance and will persuade individuals and businesses to buy and sell the right to use water.

Robert Glennon and Deborah Swackhamer

That was the message author Robert Glennon delivered to about 250 people who attended his lecture Feb. 22 at the University of Minnesota.

Glennon, whose most recent book is Unquenchable: America's Water crisis and What to Do About It, delivered a lecture sponsored by the Freshwater Society and the university's College of Biological Sciences.

His talk was the first in what will be a four-part lecture series - the Moos Family Speaker Series - that is part of 2010 - The Year of Water, a yearlong celebration of water organized by the Freshwater Society.

To view a video of Glennon's presentation, click here. To read an interview with Glennon from the Freshwater newsletter, click here. To view a panel discussion featuring Glennon and three Minnesota water experts, click here. To view a KARE TV interview with Glennon, click here. And to read a Minnesota Daily report on his lecture, click here.

Three longtime citizens groups in the Minnesota River Basin - Friends of the Minnesota Valley, Coalition for a Clean Minnesota River and Clean Up the River Environment - are collaborating on "Working Together for the Minnesota River," a project designed to accelerate the clean-up of the Minnesota River. Subtitled "Collaboration Through Communication," the project has two major components:

• A video documentary about the history of the river from Glacial Lake Agassiz to the present, including an overview of current pollution problems and restoration activities. Produced in collaboration with Ron Schara Productions, the documentary will be presented statewide on commercial television, and it will be distributed on DVD to schools and other organizations throughout the basin.
• A "Web 2.0" website that will enable academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, businesses, and the general public to access and contribute information about the Minnesota River Basin. The centerpiece of the site will be an interactive map providing information about all public lands and restoration activities throughout the basin. An iPhone version of the map will be produced so that people can use it while on the road.

The project was endorsed by acclamation at the January meeting of the Minnesota River Watershed Alliance and is also supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which awarded the project a $10,000 challenge grant; the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; the Water Resource Center at Minnesota State University Mankato; the U.S. Geological Survey's Minnesota Water Science Center; the Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter; and the High Island Creek & Rush River Watershed Implementation Projects.

Visit http://mnriver.org to see a 3-minute video describing the project. For more information, contact Friends of the Minnesota Valley board member John Hickman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .