Northwest Partnership
www.regionalpartnerships.umn.edu/northwest

About the organization
The Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership will connect and enhance resources of the region and the University of Minnesota to develop a sustainable regional community by educating and empowering citizens to explore and act on their ideas.

Respondent: Linda Kingery, executive director

How important to you is the river or stream nearest your home, and why?
The nearby stream,a tributary to the Red River is provides hunting, hiking and berry picking opportunities for our family.

What are policymakers doing to enhance the current and future health of Minnesota's rivers? What should they be doing?
Policymakers should support policies that protect the ecological function of rivers and enhance the recreational potential and use. The rivers in the Red River Basin have long been viewed as a means to convey water and not for the full range of uses.

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?
The ecological services of rivers and floodplains cannot be replaced, so we need to value these services when considering uses that affect rivers.

How can we manage the conflict of private land use and the best management practices for our rivers?
Many private landowners see the logic—both ecologic and economic sense—in applying best management practices to their lands. As a society, we can support landowners' efforts to reduce soil erosion and maintain healthy rivers.

How important is the development of a land-use plan in the watersheds that feed our rivers? Do you have a land-use plan?
It is critically important to know what the cumulative effects of many individual decisions means for the watershed.