Big River - November 1993

November 1993 the monthly newsletter for people who live, work or play on the Upper Mississippi River Vol. l, No. 11

Carp - Queen of Rivers or Pig With Fins?

Floods Next Spring Could Break Records

By Pamela Eyden

By Reggie McLeod

People call them "rough fish," and accuse them of eating walleye eggs and ruining ducks' food . Kids mutilate them and leave them to rot on the river bank. Bow hunters use them for target practice.

Is this any way to treat a fish that British and Russian anglers prize, a fish that is popular in European, Asian and southern U.S. cuisines? Carp is the most widely eaten fish in the world - why do Northerners despise it?

Is carp too common for us?

Do we distrust fish with mustaches?

Save those sand bags and keep an eye on the levee, next spring's floods may set new records.

Climatologists warn that in many parts of the Upper Mississippi River Basin the soils are more saturated than they have been in decades. Unless the next few months are unusually dry, there will probably be serious flooding next spring.

"As it stands today, this is the worst scenario we've seen in some time," said Gary McDevitt, hydrologist for the National Weather Service office at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

"The soils are very, very saturated, and the river levels are very high for this time of year. There's a very good potential for flooding next spring."

"Walleye tastes like tofu compared to carp ..."

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Tom Dixon, carp fishing enthusiast and staff writer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife Division said, "People up here have a prejudice against what they call 'rough fish' - carp, buffalo, gar and others. We don't even know why people call them 'rough.' It couldn't be their scales, because the scales on a walleye are rougher than those on a buffalo fish."

Dixon has been working on this problem for a number of years. In 1990 he co-wrote a book with Rob Duffler called Fishing for Buffalo: A Guide to the Pursuit, Lore and Cuisine of Buffalo, Carp, Moon-eye, Gar and Other "Rough" Fish, which sold well in Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri, where carp is the third most popular game fish, but it bombed in the North.

"Maybe in the North, we have so much other fishing we can pick and choose," Dixon speculated. "Maybe it's because people prefer walleye, which is a white, bland, boneless fillet

(Carp continued on page 2)

''There's a very good potential for flooding next spring."

Evaporation only dries the top few inches of soil. Plants draw the bulk of the moisture from the topsoil. After the initial killing frost in fall that process stops.

McDevitt admits that there is not much that can be done to prepare, except, perhaps, making certain that that dikes are in good repair.

The Midwest Climate Center, in Champaign, Illinois, Inside .•. issued a "Special Soil Moisture Update and Flood Update 5 Outlook for Fall and ¡Current Events 6 Winter Conditions" at the

What's

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(Wet continued on page 4)

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(Carp contmued from page 1) that is easier to eat. Walleye tastes like tofu, in a way, compared to carp, which has more oil, like salmon or trout, which gives it more flavor. Carp is also more trouble to clean."

The oil is what may give carp a bad taste, too, if it has grown up in polluted water. Carp can and do survive in extremely polluted water, but they won't taste good.

"If you catch a walleye in August in the Minnesota River, which is the most polluted river in the state, it's not going to taste good," said Dixon. "Carp from the Minnesota won't taste good, either."

Carp from the Upper Mississippi River are very good to eat, Dixon said. Two of his favorite carp-fishing spots are just below the Coon Rapids Dam, near Coon Rapids, Minn., and just below the Ford Dam near downtown St. Paul.

"During the summer of 1988, which was a low-water year, the carp were lined up below the dam - you could have walked across their backs from one shore to the other," he recalled. "Rob and I pulled ten pounders out of there until our arms were sore."

At the end of a fishing line, carp put up a good fight like a snapping turtle or smallmouth bass, some people say.

In the early 1600s, Izaak Walton, the granddaddy of thoughtful anglers, devoted a chapter of his book The Comp/eat Angler to carp:

November 1993

"The Carp is the Queen of Rivers: a stately, good and very subtle fish," he wrote.

"The Carp, if he have water-room and good feed, will grow to a very great bigness and length; I have heard, to be much above a yard long."

"He is a very subtle fish, and hard to be caught. If you will fish for a Carp, you must put on a very large measure of patience, especially to fish for a RiverCarp."

Dixon's book offers tips, diagrams and recipes for treating the carp well after catching it: 1) Cut out all the red meat, which contains the most oil and is responsible for what some people call the "muddy" taste of carp; 2) Score fillets deeply, three-quarters of the way through, so the heat or cooking oil can get in and disintegrate the floating bones inside; 3) Or, follow a diagram of where the floating bones are and either score through or remove that part of the fillet.

(For a copy of Fishing for Buffalo, send $17 to North American Rough Fish Institute, P.O. Box 14891, Minneapolis, MN 55414.)+

Pamela Eyden is assistant editor of Big River.

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"Just remember to keep your head out of the water. The carp wl11 do the rest."

Reprinted with permission from The World According to Carp,

by Richard Guindon (Andrews and McMeel, Inc., 1983).

November 1993

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"Pucker-Puss" History

Carp Markets Commercial fishermen haul in several million pounds of carp from the Upper Mississippi River each year.

Most is shipped east for processing.

But this may change soon. Stories have surfaced lately about entrepreneurs who want to build carp processing plants on the banks of the Mississippi River near La Crosse, or in the AdamsFriendship, Wis., area . According to articles in the Prairie du Chien Courier Press (9-29-93 and 10-13-93), the potential market for Mississippi River carp is worldwide and includes products such as specialty foods, animal feed, fertilizers and binding agents.

Meanwhile, Lake Pepin Fisheries ships a million to a million and a half pounds of carp each year to markets in New York and Chicago, according to Steve Smith in the La Crosse market.

Bud Ramer, a longtime carp advocate, also displays carp on beds of crushed ice in Ramer's Fish Market, in Winona. Customers can buy smoked carp, which is as tasty as any and better than most smoked fish found hereabouts; pickled carp, which easily passes for herring; or fresh fillets, which can be fried, baked, frozen or dried .

"Carp is the universal fish," said Ramer. "Carp have gotten very bad press for some reason . But they're not going to go away. We might as well start eating them ."+

Facts and Myths About "Ole Bugle-Mouth"

Carp are big-lipped, big-muscled members of the minnow family and • An old regulation said "rough fish" are native to Asia . They were brought caught by hook and line could not to Europe in 1227 and to America in be returned to the water, but this 1872, when a businessman named law was changed in 1981.

Poppe shipped 83 live carp from • There is no reason to remove such Germany to California . After nursing fish . There are too many carp for it the four survivors back to health, he to make a difference, and suckers, distributed their spawn to game red horse, buffalo and other native departments across the nation. Back in fish are absolutely benign, Dixon those days, carp was a possible said. "In fact, they're very solution to the public clamoring for sensitive. They cannot tolerate more fish to eat. In a sales letter to the polluted water."

Minnesota Game Department, Poppe • Carp will uproot vegetation and said: cloud the water in shallow areas, "There ought to be one person blocking light and thus contributin every county who would ing to algae problems. But they do raise choice carp as stock fish no harm to deep water, and they to sell to others to fatten for do not eat other fish or fish eggs, their own tables. It would be a as has been rumored. cheap, but sumptuous food • A Frenchman holds the world and at the same time very record for carp - a 74-pounder. + convenient, as they are ready to be eaten at all times of the year ."

The Bureau of Fisheries agreed with the carp farming scheme and in 1883 distributed 260,000 carp to all but two of the 300 U.S. Congressional Districts. During that same year, people began to notice a dramatic decrease in wild celery and wild rice in Lake Erie, which is shallower than the other Great Lakes. Naturalized carp were Big Ri~er (!SSNJ07()~834o) is "*lllisJze.a 11J()n~h.ly hy Big ) held responRiver, 267 E .SanbOrn, ·Winona, !VfN.5598h(507) 454~758 ; . sible for the Reggie McLeod editoi/#t).blisJ,er . .

• ) . : ·· · damage. They Pamela Eyden assiStanteditOr .. . .·.. never quite · SubscriptU,~~ are $wfoi;11t year, $36 for two years o·r $lp'lr . caught on as #ngle, is.SU.¢•••s~1 $•ll!~crjpJi1:his;. single .copy order~ a~d· sports fish in c1iang¢--.<fkM'!res~req1,1~t.$ to Big River; po Box 741; ·'.· the northern Win:ona;MNS5987. . . . . states, as they had in Europe, but today River, P6Bux 741 , w111ona~ MN55987: · · ·. · ·· · naturalized Big River,\(ol1t1!'e ( Nllbh;, U)~opyright ©,~orJt:nlPer 1993... ·· carp continue to Reprod1tctU!#. irunhole i1t part without written per11i,ission of thrive throughthe piiblisheT is pr·p~ibitcd~ · out most of the Printed On recycl~ paper.

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November 1993

Soil Moisture in the Midwest

Deviations from the late August, long-term average soil mositure in inches (5 = 5 inches above average). The moisture in the top five feet of soii was estimated with a computer model at the Midwestern Climate Center.

(Wet continued from page 1) end of September, which describes a precarious situation. Its computer model of soil moisture in the western part of the corn belt found that moisture in the top five feet of soil was four to seven inches above the seasonal normal. Normally six or seven inches of water is available, so many areas had twice the normal amount of water in the top five feet of soil, a record level.

"I think there is some potential for severe flooding, even with average rainfall," Kenneth Kunkel, director of the Climate Center, explained in a phone interview.

The report predicts that southern Minnesota, all of Iowa, northern Missouri and southern Wisconsin are at least 90percent likely to have excess soil moisture on March 1, 1993.

"Excess water," is water that cannot be absorbed by the soil,

so it flows into streams and rivers.

The projections show that excess water is likely to set new records, including those set during the flood of 1965. The excess water level is normally 1.5 inches in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, upstream from Quincy, Illinois, from the end of September to the end of April. Before the severe flooding on the northern part of the Upper Mississippi in 1965, excess moisture in the basin was 3.3 inches. Before the floods of 1973, which hit the southern reach of the Upper Mississippi, levels reached 4.1 inches, the highest level since the computer modeling began in 1948. That record could be buried next spring, according to the report: " ... There is a 50% probablity that the excess water will exceed 7.0 inches, which is greater than the highest previous

FLOOD UPDATE

1993 and Average Rainfall Over the Upper Mississippi River Basin Aug'93-It .•. ·---·..+......... . .......... :,.......... . .......... :.......... : .......... : -~-

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Flood Story Spreads

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November 1993

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3 4 5 Precipitation (inches)

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value of 4.1 inches. It is virtually certain that the average value of 1.5 inches will be exceeded. In the worst case scenario, the excess water across the basin could be as high as 13.1 inches, triple that of any previous year since 1948."

The report concludes by saying "However, at this point, it is safe to say that the potential for flooding during the next eight months is at its highest level in at least 40 years because the capacity for soil absorption of precipitation is at its lowest late-September value on record."

The governor of Illinois has ordered cities on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to keep their supplies of sandbags handy, Kunkel said.

There is not much more that can be done, he admitted .

People whose homes were damaged by this year's flood might want to until next summer before investing a lot of . time and money into repairs.

The situation could improve, if the weather is dry over a long period. However, as the fragile condition continues heavy rains could raise river levels quickly, even this fall and winter. We will just have to keep a close eye on things until warm weather and new leaves begin drawing moisture from the wet ground.

"It was by far the wettest summer we've ever experienced [in the Upper Mississippi River Basin]" Kunkel said.

"We can't get back to normal until next summer."+

Reggie McLeod is editor of Big River.

The Flood of 1993 reached the Atlantic Coast and has researchers watching the Pacific Ocean.

The Flood of 1993 created a river of less salty water that flows across the Gulf of Mexico, around the tip of Florida and north along the Atlantic Coast of the U.S. Off the coast of Miami the stream was 14 miles wide and 60 feet deep, according to an article in the Boston Globe (reprinted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, 10-25-93).

The cloudy green stream is visible in the the deep blue ocean. Though mixed with sea water, it is about 15-percent less salty and carries silt and chemicals not normally found in sea water. It may also be carrying large quantities of agricultural chemicals. Sampling along the Mississippi this summer showed that in one month the river carried a quantity of herbicides greater than what it normally carries during an entire year, according to the article.

Scientists speculate that the stream might affect sensitive sea life and weather in Europe.

Every few years part of the Pacific warms up a little bit to create big changes in weather patterns around the world . The event is called El Nino and usually lasts about 18 months.The current El Nino started in 1990 and appears to be gaining strength, according to an article in the Ft. Lauderdale SunSentine/ (reprinted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, 10-24-93).

The current El Nino started in 1990 and appears to be gaining strength.

Some researchers speculate that the warming is not another El Nino, but rather a long-term phenomena, either a normal cycle or a result of global warming.

Now that the top of the river has dropped, barges are having trouble with the bottom of the river. The flood left behind huge shoals of soil washed from the land. River pilots report numerous groundings and "bumpings," especially from river mile 220 to 240, downriver from Clarksville, Mo. Army Corps of Engineers dredges are working overtime and dredging firms from as far away as the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes have been called in to help, according to an article in The Waterways Journal (10-18-93).

Ticks, which thrive in w~t warm weather, are making a comeback after suffering through the droughts a few years ago. Both deer ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, and their larger cousins the wood ticks are reappearing in areas where they had become rare after the drought, according to an article in the Prairie du Chien Courier Press (10-11-93) .+

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November 1993

CURRENT EVENTS Model Bridge Large bridge projects often spark battles between competing interests. A bridge being built across the Mississippi at St. Cloud, Minn., promises to bridge the gap between transportation and environmental interests.

Planning for the $10-million project incorporates protection of herons, geese, fish and an archaeological site more than 8,000 years old, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

• About 200 great blue herons nest at the north end of an island that the bridge will cross. Construction noise will be limited from March 1 to May 30, during their nesting season.

• Siltation in the river will be minimized by sending sediment-bearing water to holding ponds. Activities that cause siltation will stop from April 1 to June 15, when fish are spawning.

• An archaeological site will be preserved beneath a filter fabric and fill.

• Trees will be cut only in the construction area. Large rocks placed around the bridge's five piers will provide fish habitat.

The Minnesota DNR worked closely with the the Minnesota Department of Transportation to finish the environmental planning before construction began this fall. The 1,200-foot bridge is scheduled to open by late 1995 or early 1996.+

Herring Honeymoon in Lake Pepin Floodwaters apparently carried a few fish upstream this year. Researchers found skipjack herrings in Lake Pepin, after a long absence.

Before the locks and dams were built skipjacks traveled from the lower Mississippi to the upper Mississippi in the summer to spawn, but Lock and Dam 19, at Keokuk, Ill., which has the highest head on the river, is probably what keeps them in the lower river now.

"1986 was the first time since 1928 that we found them up here. This is the second time," said Mark Stopyro, fisheries specialist at the Long Term Resource Monitoring field station at Lake City.

"It appears that just a handful are making it up to Lake Pepin to spawn," he said.

All the herrings collected so far have been less than a year old . They are too young to have made the trip, so some adults must be swimming up.

When the river is high all the dam gates are lifted out of the water, which allows the river to flow freely. The dams were open most of the summer this year. The river was high in the summer of 1986 as well.

Skipjacks used to be common in the upper river in the summer, though they headed south in the fall. They weren't themselves important commercially, but they played an im-

portant role in the button industry: The ebony shell mussel was the most important source of mother of pearl for the button factories that used to operate in many river towns. Beds of ebony shells stretched for miles along the river bottom. Skipjack herring are the only host for ebony shell glochidia, the juvenile form of the mussel, which must attach itself to the herring's gills during a period of its growth cy' le. When the skipjacks stopped corning, the ebony shells declined. Now only a few small beds of very old mussels remain, Stopyro explained.+

Duck Hunters Cautioned, Again It may sound like something your mom or dad would say as you fidgeted by the back door anxious to get going, but advice from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources could save your life during a duck hunting outing: " .. . Carry a life jacket and wear it to and from your blind; don't overload the boat; don't use alcohol; tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return; keep an eye on the weather, particularly late in the season; hypothermia, or lowering of the body temperature, is caused by exposure to cold weather, wind or moisture."

And be back by eleven or you're grounded, sport.

Also, bismuth shot has not been approved for hunting waterfowl or coots in the U.S. Only s teel shot is legal.

Also, don't shoot at trumpeter swans. These birds are protected and wildlife programs in several states are helping them make a comeback. They are five feet long with wingspreads of up to seven feet. They do not migrate in large flocks as do snow geese and Canada geese. People who shoot swans face stiff fines, possible confiscation of their shotguns and restitution charges of up to $3,000 per swan.

Anyone who witnesses a trumpeter swan being shot at, injured or killed should immediately call the Turn-In-Poachers program at 1-800-625-9093 or local officials.

How CouldYou Miss a Big River?

Every issue ofBig River contains maps, features about river critters, river history and other useful and interesting information. If you started your subscription after the first issue, January 1993, you might want to complete you Big River collection.

Back issues are available for $2 each. If you order three or more they cost only $1.50 each.

Send your order to Big River, PO Box 741 , Winona, MN 55987.

BIG RlvER

November 1993

Buoys mark a "voluntary waterfowl avoidance area" in Lake Onalaska, in Pool 7. The program, in effect until midNovember, provides a protected area where waterfowl, especially canvasbacks, can rest and feed during their migration.

Hunters, anglers and other boaters are asked to avoid the area.

They should also avoid startling resting groups of waterfowl, wherever they encounter them .+

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Wisconsin Department of Transportation to restore the mounds and build a parking Jot, foot path and signs to explain the site to visitors.

The grant will also be used to protect and enhance other historical and archaeological sites in the area, including the Nichols Burial Mound, which was built nearly 2,000 years ago by the Hopewell Culture.+

Interior Department Rearranged Snow Goose

Research activities of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service are now part of the newly created National Biological Survey (NBS).

The service's Environmental Management Technical Center, which is based in Onalaska and studies the Upper Mississippi, is becoming part of the NBS along with other service programs, including: the National Wetlands Inventory; Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends program; and the Breeding Bird Survey, according to River Almanac (Sept. 1993).

The NBS will gather biological data to share with other government bureaus and departments and with other scientists and resource managers. It is patterned after the U.S. Geological Survey, which was created in 1879.+

Maps and More Maps Trumpeter Swan

Swans Arrive If you prefer to shoot waterfowl with a camera, don't forget to bring your tripod and telephoto lens to Rieck's Lake Park, upriver from Alma, Wis., or to Weaver Bottoms, downriver from Weaver, Minn. Migrating tundra swans have already settled into both places to eat, rest their wings and gossip until the water starts to freeze.

Volunteers will be handing out brochures and helping human visitors at Rieck's Lake Park on weekends and some weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. To arrange for tour assistance call Harry or Katie Buck, (608) 685-4249.

(See Calendar on page 8 for information on the Winona Swan Watch, Nov. 6-7.)+

Grant to Protect Ancient Mounds Nearly a thousand years ago the Mississippian Culture built flattened-pyramid mounds in an area that stretched from Red Wing to the Gulf of Mexico and from Oklahoma to the Atlantic. The center of the culture was a walled city, Cahokia, across the Mississippi from what is now St. Louis.

One of the Mississippian outposts was located where Trempealeau, Wis., is now. These people left behind three weathered platform mounds on the ridge overlooking the city.

The Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse received a $124,590 grant from the

Traditionally we have used maps to get us from point A to point B, but new generations of maps guide us through time, through rare plant habitats and fromonegoodfishingspot to the next.

Geography students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are creating the Cultural Map of Wisconsin., which will chart features of historical, archaeological and cultural significance across the state. The two-year project received a $35,000 grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Commission. Suggestions can be sent to the Cultural Map of Wisconsin, UW-Madison, Department of Geography, 550 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706.

Biological Survey maps published by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources show locations of rare plant communities. For instance, mesic oak forests are characterized by straight oak trees taller than 20 meters. Southern flying squirrels, white footed mice, gray foxes and tiger salamanders live in these forests. Most of the mesic forests remaining in the state grow along the steep slopes of the St. Croix River.

These maps, which are being produced on a county-bycounty basis as the survey progresses, are available free by calling (612) 296-3344.

Public Recreation Information Maps (PRIM) show federal, state and county lands and their recreational facilities in Minnesota . They include campgrounds; wildlife management areas; parks; state trails; waterfowl areas; boat and canoe accesses; forest and nature areas; trout streams and more. All of the state will be covered by 51 maps, 45 of which are completed. The maps, which cost $3.95 each, are available at many stores or by calling the Minnesota DNR at 1-800-657-3757 or (612) 297(Current Events continued on page 8)

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November 1993

RIVER CALENDAR NOVEMBER 1-3 National Pesticide Conference: New Directions in Pesticide Research, Development, Management and Policy, Richmond, Vir. Call Dr. Diana Weigmann, (703) 231-5624.

4 Minnesota Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan public meeting to discuss plans for state parks from 1995 to 1999. Riverland Technical College, Rm. B-117, Rochester.

Walk-in meeting 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m .. Group meeting 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call Steve Kirch, (507) 285-7432.

4-7 The Future of America's Rivers, American Rivers, Inc., Stouffer Concourse Hotel, Arlington, Vir. Call Jennifer Paugh, (202) 833-3380.

9 Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission meeting. Call (612) 436-7131 or (715) 386-9444.

11-15 Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference - New Agendas in Fish and Wildlife Management: Approaching the Next Millennium, St. Louis. Call Wayne Porath, Mo . Dept. of Conservation, (314) 882-9880.

Mississippi River Environmental Training School training h0rkshops sponsered by The Minnesota Project. All workshops are from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call 1-800-366-4793.

Dec. 1 Guttenberg, Iowa, DNR Fish Hatchery.

Dec. 3 Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge.

Dec. 10 Hackensack, Minn., Deep Portage Center.+

6-7 Annual Swan Watch, lecture Saturday, 7 p .m. to 8 p.m., field trip to Weaver Bottoms, Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m ., Riverport Inn, Winona. Call Winona Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1-800-657-4972 or (507) 452-2272.

8 Mississippi River Coordinating Commission meeting, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Holiday Inn, Bloomington, Minn. Call Joann Kyra! or Mike Madell, (612) 290-4160.

9 Federal trapping permits for the Upper Mississippi Wildlife and Fish Refuge are available for $15 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the refuge office on the second floor of the Post Office Building, 425 State St., Rm. 226, La Crosse. Call (608) 784-3910.

11 Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board meeting, 5 p.m., Community Building, Blue River, Wis. Call 1-800-221-3792 or (608) 739-3188.

13 Flood of 1993, guided tour of Pike's Island to examine effects, Ft. Snelling State Park, St. Paul. Call Mark Cleveland, (612) 726-9247.

16 Oregon Model of Land Use and Growth Management, Henry Richmond, executive director of 1,000 Friends of Oregon, Landmark Center, St. Paul, forum 4 p.m., reception 5:30 p.m. Call Lee Ronning, (612) 433-2770.

20-21 Hidatsa Garden Harvest, Pike Island, Ft. Snelling State Park, St. Paul, 11 a .m. to 3 p.m. Call Mark Cleveland, (612) 726-9247.

18 Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Commission committee meetings. Call (612) 436-7131 or (715) 386-9444.

DECEMBER 1-3 Mississippi River Corridor Study Commission meeting, Vicksburg, Miss., Army Corps of Engineers meeting room.

Call National Park Service, (402) 221-3431.

6-8 Marina and Boating Enviroment Conference and Trade Show, Atlanta, Ga. Call Susan Santoro, (401) 294-9558.

(Curre11t Eve11ts

continued from page 7)

Will They Axe the Acts?

As Congress considers reauthorizing both the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, an array of special interest groups are arguing to strengthen or weaken parts of both of them.

The new Clean Water Act will probably put new emphasis on non point sources of pollution and watershed management.

This would affect agricultural practices that cause soil erosion, agricultural chemical runoff and animal waste runoff.

The new bill could also include tough deadlines for replacing city sewer systems that combine sanitary and storm sewers.

Congress should vote on the Endangered Species Act next year. Some bills would change the act to emphasize protecting habitat and ecosystems more. Other proposals would make cost a more important factor in determining whether a species is worth protecting.

Watch for local hearings on the acts or write your legislators to tell them what you think.+

Do you have riv,finformation to.share?

Let Big River help. Send press releases, lettersto the editor, newfclippings and meeting notices to Big River, PO Box 741, Winona, MN 5598 7.

And remember, the deadline for calendar information is the 15th of the month before the meeting of event.