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www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, December 5, 2023 | Vol. 5 Issue 49
Clean water organizations say ‘No’ to NO3 “Holiday Train” to make Fillmore County Water Quality Forum draws more than 200 to discuss hazards of elevated levels of nitrates in water sources By Denise Lana
Nitrates, a combination of nitrogen and oxygen, are a common compound found in green leafy vegetables, meats and water, and are found naturally in human sewage and livestock manure. In small doses, nitrates have a variety of benefits, ranging from preventing bacteria growth in meats to improving blood pressure, increasing heart function and boosting athletic performance in humans. Nitrates can act as antimicrobials in the human body, helping kill bacteria like salmonella. Many people take nitrate-rich nitroglycerin to prevent chest pains. Nitrates are also necessary nutrients for plants, aiding in growth, development and survival. Nitrates are highly mobile in soil and reach plant roots quickly, so they are often a key ingredient in fertilizers. Using nitrate-rich fertilizer isn’t nec-
The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will return this holiday season with multiple stops in the Driftless region. The holiday train program, which began in 1999, raises money, food and awareness for local food banks in communities along the Canadian Pacific network. This year, for the train’s 25th annual holiday tour, the musical artists include Seaforth, Kiesza, Tenille, Townes, Breland, Dallas Smith and MacKenzie Porter. The local schedule includes: Ossian – 11 a.m. on Dec. 8 – West Mechanic Street – between Becker Avenue and North West Street Marquette – 1:45 p.m. on
Dec. 8 – Marina parking lot, north off Casino Queen Marquette at Water Street and Highway 76 Lansing – 3:50 p.m. on Dec. 8 – Ball field on South Front Street between North 2nd and Dodge Street New Albin – 5:15 p.m. on Dec. 8 – Parking lot adjacent CPKC tracks on Railroad Avenue between Ross Avenue and Oak Street Holiday Train shows are free to attend. Canadian Pacific asks anyone who attends to bring a cash or non-perishable food donation if they are able. Local food banks will be accepting the donations along the route.
Dr. Aleta Borrud (left) highlighted the dangers of pesticides used by many farmers, specifically the pesticide Atrazine. In 1995, middle school children visiting Henderson, Minn., found deformed frogs in the area. Research determined 50 percent of the frogs had deformities. After years of studies and testing, it was determined that the popular herbicide, Atrazine, was linked to the wide-spread deformities. Additionally, it has been linked to cancers, premature births and birth defects. Atrazine, which is banned in Europe, is still used widely in America, with 75 percent of corn cropland receiving treatment.
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essarily bad, as nitrates protect plants against heat and cold stress and improve plants’ water-use efficiency. Nitrogen is a major component of chlorophyl and is vital for plant photosynthesis. Plants need nitrogen to grow and thrive. But what happens when high levels of nitrate fertilizer are captured in runoff water? Soil is a natural water filter. It contains a negative chemical charge that naturally attracts and captures positively charged pollutants from water and holds onto them, naturally filtering the water in the process. Liken this to two magnets being drawn together, the negative pole of one magnet is attracted to the positive pole of the second magnet. But two negative
Get out and support the community food shelf in the form of a little friendly competition this December. The Lion’s Pub in Spring Grove, Minn., and Elsie’s Bar and Grill in Caledonia, Minn., are holding a food donation competition this month, and all are urged to bring non-perishable items to either location to benefit the local food shelf. The competition takes the place of two community events: the annual Thanksgiving meal at Elsie’s and the annual Festi-
poles or two positive poles do not attract. Nitrates are negatively charged chemicals and are not attracted to the negatively charged soil, so the nitrates remain in the water. Karst under the soil Compounding the soil filter/water pollution issue in the Driftless area is the vast karst landscape that spans across northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. Karst is made up primarily of porous, swiss cheese-like rock that crumbled and dissolved, creating sinkholes, sinking streams, caves and springs. Because karst soil is so porous, water flows through it quickly and receives very little natural filtering. Karst areas are usual-
ly linked together underground like a conduit flowing with water, that seeps through the soil and collects in large cracks and crevices in rocks. These large crevices full of water are known as aquifers. A private well is created by drilling down into an aquifer and pumping the water out as needed. The well water is replenished over time with stormwater or melting snow as the process repeats. Some of the water in the aquifers gets pushed into cracks and tunnels and flows to the surface naturally, creating springs. Some springs feed into streams which, in turn, can feed rivers. In the karst regions of the
Nitrates
continued on page 4
Two-city food donation contest replaces annual holiday events
One pan, weeknight dinner By Jessica Woodward I love me a good lasagna, just like the rest of you… but I can’t stand all of the prep that goes into it. Precooking the noodles… the layering… the added time… the bits of noodles and cooked beef my kid steals off the counter before it makes it into the 9x13 pan. This recipe will cure the lasagna blues and give you all the feels without sacrificing any flavor. I’m not lasagna partial either… to a white lasagna or red lasagna. As long as it has carbs and cheese, count me in! However, there is one debate between the Midwest folk, like most of you, and the east coast folk, like myself. And that is, which cheese do you use in your lasagna? Ricotta cheese or cottage cheese? While the answer should be ricotta, I have found that most people in the Midwest use cottage cheese. This was something that was hard for me to wrap my brain around. Kind of like the cinnamon rolls in chili!? So, if you’re team cottage cheese, I am going to encourage you to put it down, step away from the container, and use the ricotta for this skillet lasagna. Again, a non-negotiable for this recipe. This skillet, one pan meal is the perfect weeknight alternative to this winter favorite dish.
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Spurred by information presented at the Lanesboro, Minn., water forum Nov. 16, this is the first in a series of three articles exploring the issue, with further detail from each of the presenters. The first article includes an introduction to the principles of what impacts the watersheds of the region. Further articles in the series will run in the Driftless Journal over the next few weeks. A video of the entire water forum was recently uploaded on YouTube (search “Fillmore County Water Quality Forum 2023”) and is available to the public.
stops in the area Dec. 8
val of Trees in Spring Grove. While there is no official “prize” per se, whichever location receives the most amount of food donations wins – while also bringing in much-needed food shelf donations. Donations can be dropped off at the Lion’s Pub (100 E. Main St., Spring Grove), Elsie’s (226 E. Main St., Caledonia), or directly to the Houston County Food Shelf in Caledonia – just indicate if the donation benefits Spring Grove or Caledonia.
Ingredients 1 pound of ground beef 1 box of bow tie noodles 2 cups of water 1 jar of pasta sauce 2 cups of fresh spinach 1.5 cups of ricotta cheese 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 cup mozzarella, shredded 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped Salt and pepper
In an oven-safe skillet brown the meat with half of the onion and garlic powder and 1/2 a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Add the dry noodles, water, and pasta sauce, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Stir halfway through. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, remaining garlic and onion powder, and basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove the lid, and stir in the spinach and mozzarella cheese. Add dollops of the ricotta on top and put the lid back on to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Top with extra basil.
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