Minnesota Conservation Federation (MCF)
www.mncf.org

About the organization
The Minnesota Conservation Federation (MCF) is an organization of private citizens promoting the wise use of natural resources. It is a non-governmental, non-profit conservation education organization, governed by an all-volunteer board of directors. The Federation is composed of affiliated organizations accross Minnesota, and individual members.

Respondent: Leigh Currie, program director

How important to you is the river or stream nearest your home, and why?
I live on the Mississippi River corridor in Minneapolis, near Minnehaha Creek. Both of these bodies of water are extremely important to me in terms of recreation. We canoe on Minnehaha, and take our dog to swim in the Mississippi during the summer. It is important to me to know that we are not putting ourselves or our dog at risk by utilizing these areas for recreation.

What can homeowners do to make their land and property more river friendly? What can farmers do? Business owners?
Using phosphorous-free fertilizer, homeowners and farmers will help curb the eutrophication of the rivers. We do not use any chemicals on our lawn, and we are converting some of our turf to native plants to reduce the pollution from our lawnmower. Planting hearty gardens that do not require excessive watering is also helpful.

What are the most important actions citizens can take to help clean up Minnesota's rivers?
Be informed! The more information citizens have regarding practices that either help or hurt our rivers, the more apt they will be to change their behavior accordingly.

What are policymakers doing to enhance the current and future health of Minnesota's rivers? What should they be doing?
The bill that passed this session to further regulate the use of phosphorous-free fertilizer will help the health of our rivers. Policymakers should be even more focused on non-point source pollution in our waterways, particularly from feedlots, pesticides, and agricultural fertilizer.

River policymakers must address diverse and often competing elements such as the environment, commerce, flood control, recreation, and land use—but from your point of view, what overarching values should guide how we use, treat, and manage rivers?
We should use, treat, and manage our rivers for future generations. If that requires some sacrifices in the short-term, people need to be willing to act for the sake of the long-term health, not only the short-term benefits.

How can we manage the conflict of private land use and the best management practices for our rivers?
Private land needs to be managed in such a way that it is not detrimental to the rest of society. While Americans fiercely defend their right to own land and manage that land as they see fit, most would still agree that private citizens should not be allowed to act in ways that harm the rest of society. Whether that means prosecuting armed robbers or regulating the use of carcinogenic pesticides, people need to understand that the long term effects of some practices, knowingly or not, can be just as detrimental to society as intentionally harming another person, and should be regulated in a similar manner.

How important is the development of a land-use plan in the watersheds that feed our rivers? Do you have a land-use plan?
Land use planning is essential to promote sound conservation practices.

What programs are available—and are more needed—to educate and inform citizens, river users, river property owners, and policymakers about river issues?:
While there are several programs and organizations in Minnestoa dedicated to the health of our rivers (Clean Up our River Environment; Mississippi River Gorge Stewards; etc.), the overall awareness level needs to be increased through programs such as this, that bring the issue to a broader audience.

How does Mississippi River quality change as it flows from the headwaters to the Twin Cities and beyond? What is Minnesota's accountability to the states that have to treat, filter, and use the water after it leaves Minnesota?
Polluted runoff from our conventional tilled farm fields is adding to the hypoxia (dead zone) problem in the Gulf of Mexico; The Upper Midwest corn belt has been found to be the major contributor to the problem; and the pollution of the Mississippi River has caused an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 square mile dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, which is getting larger each year; and agricultural and urban runoff are believed to be the leading contributors of fertilizer to the Mississippi River, which is the main cause of of this dead zone; and the Minnesota and Illinois rivers are two of the major contributors to the pollution problems of the Mississippi River. Minnesota bears a great deal of responsibility to the health of the Mississippi as it flows out of our state.

How does air pollution affect our rivers?
The taconite industry is a source of mercury emissions in the state of Minnesota, and the largest source of mercury emissions in the Lake Superior Basin. Mercury from air emissions is the primary cause of fish consumption advisories for fish from Minnesota lakes and rivers.

What joint efforts (other than testing) have begun statewide to improve the quality of our rivers for drinking and fishing?
The Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP) has initiated its Healthy Waters campaign this past year by working to pass its Protect Our Water initiative at the Minnesota State Legislature. This program will continue for the next several years, focusing on issues of water quality in Minnesota, and will hopefully continue to be as successful as it was this past year.

What measures, if any, are being taken to alert the wide range of cultures living along our rivers not to swim in, drink, or eat fish from the waters of the Mississippi River?
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is making a concerted effort to reach out to southeast Asian communities with the "eat smaller fish" campaign. However, this has led to some resentment among other Minnesota anglers due to the perception that the southeast Asian anglers are now taking too many smaller fish.