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An Editorial Focus on Minnesota Rivers
Check out all the Rivers Week radio reports.


What's your favorite river in Minnesota?
Listen to participants of the April 29 Civic Journalism gathering tell us in these two audio clips:
Listen (part 1)
Listen (part 2)

River Groups Respond
We asked river advocacy groups across the region to answer, from their perspectives, 13 questions that are important for citizens and policymakers to think about. Read their responses here.


Join the conversation: River Management
"To me it seems completely unacceptable that we knowingly poison the water we drink and the air we breathe, especially when in many cases there are non-toxic alternatives available. This is exactly the sort of pervasive heath issue that cannot easily be dealt with by the individual and does require strong government leadership."
Submit a commentary ...

MPR's Rivers Activities Picnic
May 11, 2002

Benson and WurzerOn the Banks of the Mississippi
About 100 picnickers braved the overcast sky and soggy (but beautiful) grounds of the new Spring Lake Park Reserve in Hastings for MPR's Rivers Activities Picnic on May 11, 2002. From 10 a.m. until about 2 p.m., Lorna Benson, of MPR's All Things Considered, and Cathy Wurzer, of MPR's Morning Edition, hosted the picnic's mix of food, live music, presentations, and educational activities.

The Day in Sound
Lorna and Cathy interviewed representatives from several river advocacy organizations.

 • John Anfinson, Mississippi River historian:
Listen
 • Jerry Murrow, University of Minnesota Raptor Center:
Listen
 • Clint Miller, Minnesota Land Trust:
Listen
 • John Weinberg, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway:
Listen
 • Larry Long, Mississippi River activist and musician:
Listen
 • Deborah Karasov, Great River Greening:
Listen
 • Bruce Hankinson, Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee:
Listen
 • Jim Cuff, Univeristy of Minnesota Raptor Center:
Listen

For more details see the schedule of events page.

The Day in Pictures
Charlie Maguire, the "Singing Ranger" of the National Park Service, and Twin Cities singer Ruth MacKenzie took the stage, as well as river troubador Larry Long, to warm up the crowd with some river tunes.

Visitors from the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota kept children entertained. And some picnickers even tried their hands at river-related quiz matches conducted periodically by Lorna and Cathy.

How many gallons of water are in the world? Ever see a great horned owl or a peregrine falcon up close? See it all here in this slideshow of images from the picnic.



Thanks to MPR's partners for the activities picnic: the Dakota County Parks Department and the National Park Service, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

Blandin FoundationRivers Week programming and activities are supported by the Blandin Foundation.

cpbMajor funding for Minnesota Public Radio's regional Internet activities is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.