Big River - March 1994

March 1994

the monthly newsletter for people who live, work or play on the Upper Mississippi River

$2

The Flood of 6 5

Biologists and river managers warn of ecosystem collapse

-

By Reggie McLeod

Part 1

By Marc Hequet

~n Miss~ssippi

An organization of professionals who flood lore, the icy inunda-

tion of 1965 is unrivaled. A continent conspired against river dwellers that year. Only one thing is worse than wrestling with a beserk river: wrestling with a freezing cold, icechocked beserk river.

Very heavy snowfall piled up in early 1965 as prolonged deep cold delayed the melt. Even March was extreme: It was the coldest March since the Red Wing (Minn.) Daily Republican Eagle began keeping records; the most snow of any March since 1951; the most moisture of any March since 1956. It was the first time in Red Wing's recorded history that temperatures in March hadn't made it out of the 30s.

The ice giant locked the Upper Midwest in its embrace. r:-1innesota and Wisconsin prepared for a glacial deluge. The firs~ tow ~oats of the season didn't make a run at Lake Pepin until Apnl 4. Each dash into the ice pack netted less than a

Broken ice jams mean instant flooding downstream.

,_/

Vol. 2, No. 3

barge length of open water. The tows gave up, except to hunt down and bust up stray floes broken off from the main pack, lest the renegade ice crash into marinas. Pepin's ice cover was three miles wide, 20 miles long, 20 to 40 inches thick, "hard and blue ... the greatest hazard recognized here," warned the Wabasha County (Minn.) Herald.

The big river was to be taken very, very seriously.

"Anyone slipping into the raging current, wouldn't have a chance in the cold water," the Herald warned. Would Lake Pepin's ice move downstream en masse? That could give (Flood continued on page 2)

work on the upper Mississippi River has published a report warning "that ecological collapse of one of the world's great rivers may be just around the corner unless there a:re dramatic steps to change the way the river is managed."

The Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee (UMRCC), whose members are largely professional biologists and river managers from the five states bordering the upper Mississippi, recently issued the 16-page report, "Facing The Threat: An Ecosystem Management Strategy for the Upper Mississippi River."

"Three significant recent events have caused professional biologists and resource manager on the river to realize that ecosystem management of the Upper Mississippi River Ecosystem is critically needed: the great flood of 1993, the systemic navigation study being conducted by the Corps of (UMRCC continued on page 4)

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(Flood continued from page 1)

little Wabasha a bashing. As rising waters crept around the hamlet, residents stuck to business - including swearing in a new mayor. "I would like to leave you with a little more money and a little less water," quipped the outgoing mayor, "but I find that hard to do."

On the Mississippi SO miles upstream from Minneapolis an ice jam rising 24 feet over the river broke up when it rammed a series of ice breakers above the Sartell Dam. Broken ice jams mean instant flooding downstream. Residents of Fridley, a northern Twin Cities suburb, fled their homes after one such ice dam gave way.

Dynamite on the Minnesota Dynamite broke up an ice jam at Granite Falls near the headwaters of the Minnesota River. On the Blue Earth, a tributary of the Minnesota, water backed up by ice stood six feet deep on the Blue Earth High School athletic field.

Demolition crews dynamited the pack, sending water downstream to Mankato.

When winter finally moderated, spring came with a vengeance. Early April rains in the upper Minnesota Valley measured an inch and a half in some places. "This," said Minneapolis Weather Bureau meteorologist Joseph Strub, "is what we were afraid of." Water poured into streams until they climbed out of their banks. Travelers on U.S. 169 between Mankato and St. Peter, along the Minnesota River, reported water seeping into car doors as they sprayed through low spots in the road . Far to the west, an eight-yearold farm boy drowned when he fell into a swollen creek near Marshall, Minn. At Jackson, near the Iowa border, a riveter working on a new bridge plunged into the swollen, frigid Des Moines River. Workers watched helplessly as ice chunks closed around him.

11

No power can control this

river," lamented Mayor Rex Hill.

Where the Mississippi and Minnesota thundered together, below St. Paul's confining bluffs, the torrent spread to nearly a mile wide. Dozens of industrial buildings and hundreds of homes stood in six feet of water. Hastings evacuated 2SO families, and the Vermillion River boiled freely past suburban-style ramblers.

"Bob Brown hasn't seen anything of his car since he parked it on the low road just north of the Kellogg bridge," the Wabasha County Herald reported. It became mired as he tried to back it out. Another car tried unsuccessfully to tow it. By the time a tow truck a rrived the stuck vehicle was under water.

More was on the way. At the big bend of the Minnesota, Mankato was besieged. More than 7,000 people out of a population of 2S,OOO fled their homes. "No power can

March 1994

control this river," lamented Mayor Rex Hill. He pleaded for more sandbaggers. Thirty miles downstream half of Henderson's 700 residents fled. The town was trapped by backed-up water. Building a dike was useless. "We have decided to let nature take its course," said Henderson newspaper editor Leonard Blashko. "It's a hopeless task."

Sandbags on the Mississippi The rain stopped - but warm and sunny weather hastened the snow melt . The big thaw started in earnest, and winter's leavings mingled with the destruction of spring.

Floodwater black with eroded topsoil churned over the Vermillion River Falls alongside the Peavey Co. mill in south Hastings. The black water roared into the Mississippi, where clashing ice floes shot geysers of splashwater tens of feet into the air.

Up and down the Mississippi and its tributaries, college and high school students left classrooms to toss sandbags.

Red Wing reported a volunteer shortage. At Central High in Red Wing, boys 16 and older were let out to sandbag.

Another SO doughty lads from the State Training School were welcomed into sandbagging service at the Red Wing lock and dam. At Stillwater, Minn., the state prison sent SO convict volunteers to join the sandbag battle against the St. Croix River. "Most of us have families, too," said a con.

On the ice pack, he lit five-minute fuses on three charges and was hauled, dangling, back up.

It was hard work and dangerous. A young St. Paul flood worker on the dike toppled into the icy Mississippi. Exhausted volunteers stumbled along the banks after him. A lifeline landed close but he was too numb to seize it. Another worker hauled on a life vest and plunged in. The kid yelled for help as the rescuer paddled to within 30 feet. The kid went under. Nobody knew who he was.

At Red Wing, a Navy helicopter lowered a veteran local dynamiter, Fred Kunde, in a life vest to a huge ice sheet threatening the city's Industrial Harbor. Kunde had never been off the ground - not in a plane, certainly not in a chopper. He had met the pilot just moments before. "I hope he's good," Kunde muttered . On the ice pack, he lit fiveminute fuses on three charges and was hauled, dangling, back up.

The blast apparently weakened the ice. Next day, the sheet moved out into the main channel, driven by winds and high wa ter. Leftover floes snagged power poles, knocking them at angles. Bay City, Wis., hunkered behind a huge gravel dike to protect riverside homes from ice chunks.

At Lake Pepin, ice was beginning to move out. "A large pressure area seemed to explode near the center of the lake during the night, pushing d ebris onto the surface of the ice,"

March 1994

BIG RlvER

reported the Red Wing Daily Republican Eagle. Ice, winds and water smashed riverside cottages.

By April 15, the Red Wing crest forecast was upgraded to 20.5 feet. "I think we could live with it a few days," said Howard Moore, head of Red Wing Milling Co., "if it would just quit rising."

The 1881and1952 high water marks still showed, but they were both under water.

When the Mississippi finally crested around Easter Sunday, April 19, river towns breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Easter strollers marveled at the broad torrent from the vantage point of Red Wing's Hiawatha Bridge, only five years old but closed to motor traffic for fear its pilings would be scoured out or mangled by ice. In Hastings, E.G. Pinke took a boat to his machine shop to carve the high-water mark in the old stone building erected in 1864. The 1881 and 1952 high water marks still showed, but they were both under water.

At Stillwater, grateful residents erected a sign with an Easter lily in their 5,000-foot sandbag heap, naming the lifesaving structure "Teen-agers' Dike." Someone quickly revised that to read "Teen-agers' and Convicts' Dike" to commemorate help from the city's young people as well as from its prison inmates.

Marc Hequet is a freelance journalist based in St . Paul and a regular contributor to Time.

Next month "The Flood of 65 - Part 2" will continue downriver from Lake Pepin.

3

FLOOD UPDATE Dry Autumn May Save the Day

By Reggie McLeod

A very dry autumn greatly reduced the likelihood of flooding on the Mississippi River, but the Minnesota River basin is very wet, according to a recent report.

Cities on the Minnesota River, which joins the Mississippi at St. Paul, may suffer fl ooding for the second year in a row. The February 1, 1994 , "Special Soil Moisture Update and Outlook for Winter and Spring 1994 Conditions" has bad news for the Minnesota River basin, soil moisture in western Minnesota and northwestern Iowa is between two and four inches above average. Most of Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri had near normal soil moisture.

The Midwestern Climate Center, in Champaign, Illinois, uses d a ta from stations around the Midwest to run a computer model of soil moisture levels. Its report at the end of la st September warned that very high soil moisture levels could contribute to serious flooding in the spring if precipitation in the meantime was at or above normal levels (see Rig River November 1993).

"We interpret these data to indicate that flood potential continues to be above average for the upcoming spring."

Don't dump the sump pump and sandbags yet. We can still get a lot of rain and snow before summer. The report warns, "We interpret these data to indicate that flood potential continues to be above average for the upcoming spring." It predicts a 60-percent probability that soil moisture will be above normal on May 1 in western Missouri, northern Illinois, Iowa, western and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. In western Minnesota and northwestern Iowa that probability is greater than 95 percent.

The Army Corps of Engineers has begun an 18-month assessment of floodplain areas affected by the flood of 1993.

The study, which was mandated by Congress, covers the upper Mississippi, lower Missouri and their tributaries. It will seek the views of interested individuals, and will evaluate policies to determine whether any sho uld be changed.

Several Corps districts will work on the assessment, which will be managed by the St. Paul District.

Reggie McLeod is editor of Big River.

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(UMRCC continued from page 1)

Engineers, and evidence the ecosystem is beginning to decline rapidly."

The Value The report notes that the Mississippi serves as a migration corridor for 40 percent of North America's waterfowl and shorebirds and supports at least 118 species of fish and nearly 50 species of mussels.

A new study of recreation on the Illinois and upper Mississippi rivers estimated that boating, fishing and sightseeing create 18,000 jobs and $1.2 billion of economic activity annually. More than 12 million visitor-days are recorded annually, not including the millions of people drawn to the rivers' edge for festivals, fairs, urban corridor use and other activities.

The Threats Sedimentation, which is worsened by the dams, is filling up the river's backwaters and pools.

"The situation is even more dramatic in Pool 19, near Keokuk, Iowa . The oldest man-made river pool, Pool 19 has lost 58 percent of its volume since the dam was completed in 1913. Sediment accumulates in Pool 19 at an average rate of 15 centimeters [about six inches) per year. It is projected this pool will lose 80 percent of its volume by 2050; by then, half of what was originally water will have become dry land ."

It is projected this pool will lose

80 percent of its volume by 2050; by then, half of what was originally water will have become dry land.

The draining and diking of wetlands have also subtracted from the capacity of the river system and increased the threat of floods, which, ironically, damage the very developments that the dikes and drains were built to create.

Both point and non-point pollution are a threat to humans and wildlife. Non-native species, such as zebra mussels and purple loosestrife, are crowding out native species. Tow boat and recreational boat traffic damages shorelines and encourages the movement of sediment.

Similar sets of problems appear to have contributed to the rapid collapse of other river ecosystems.

"Many UMRCC biologists believe that the sudden collapse scenario is likely to occur on the UMRS. An example of such a collapse that is well documented by multiple scientific investigations is the Illinois River ecosystem."

The Solution The report offers a four-point approach to develop

March 1994

better ecosystem management: ITJ Establish a unified cooperative approach.

Often the management objectives of the many agencies working on the river conflict, cancelling each other out.

Developing comprehensive strategies in partnerships between agencies will provide more effective management. [g] Establish goals and objectives to maintain the ecosystem.

Ecosystem management involves gathering information, establishing goals, developing alternatives and implementing management actions.

CID Develop future management strategies.

Commercial and public needs must be considered along with scientific information in developing management strategies. Then the consequences of the management techniques must be monitored . @] Revise the current institutional framework.

The structure of the management systems should be revised to create a more comprehensive system that includes federal, state and local agencies as well as private and business interests.

"While the Upper Mississippi River ecosystem is in trouble, it is not doomed . Given new tools, river managers can develop a framework to restore and maintain the health of America's greatest river. We must begin to redirect our resources and management philosophies/policies toward an ecosystem consciousness. This is the least we must do if we expect the river to provide us the benefits of the past, for the foreseeable future." _ For copies of the report contact the UMRCC Coordinator, 4469 48th Ave. Crt, Rock lsland, IL 61201; (309) 793-5800, fax (309) 793-5804.

March 1994

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5

CURRENT EVENTS Paddlefish in Polander Lake

No New Taxes, No New Projects Last year the inland shipping industry fought hard to sink a dollar-a-gallon tax on tow boat diesel fuel that was part of the proposed federal budget. They won, and it's not in this year's proposed budget from the Clinton administration, either. Also absent are new navigation projects, according to articles in The Waterways Journal (2-14-94).

The dollar-a-gallon tax was supposed to pay for the cost of maintaining the inland shipping system.

The Army Corps of Engineers proposed construction budget includes spending for projects that are already underway, but would not fund any new projects or large maintenance projects that the industry requested._

Hawks, Eagles and Wood Ducks Many rough-legged hawks visited our area this winter.

The dark hawk with broad wings is often mistaken for an immature bald eagle. It spends the summer in the tundra and coastal areas of the Arctic and winters in balmy upper Midwestern fields, plains and marshes.

Migrating bald eagles have returned to the upper Mississippi. The peak of their migration through the La Crosse and Prairie du Chien areas usually takes place during first two weeks of March. Watch for them perched in trees near open water and at locks and dams.

March also brings wood ducks back to their nesting sites, thanks in part, to groups like the Brice Prairie Conservation Association and the La Crescent (Wis.) Ducks Unlimited Greenwing Program. These two groups work with other groups and individuals to maintain more than 200 wood duck houses within Pools 7 and 8 of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Market hunting, unimpeded by seasons and limits, almost wiped out the species by the beginning of this century. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act between the U.S. and Canada, in 1918, prohibited hunting of some ducks and set seasons and limits for others. It took 23 years for wood duck populations to recover enough for them to be hunted again.

Nesting boxes for wood ducks simulate tree cavities. Volunteers typically clean them out in the winter and put two to four inches of wood shavings on the bottom. The wood duck hen mixes her down with the shavings to provice a warm blanket for her eggs. A drain hole on the bottom of the box keeps the interior dry.

Squirrels and a variety of birds also nest in the boxes. If wood ducks occupy a third of the boxes, the nesting season is considered a success.

Twelve researchers netted and tagged a 50-inch paddlefish above the spillway of Dam SA in early February, confirming the presence of the rare fish in Polander Lqke .

Paddlefish are listed as a "species of special concern" in Minnesota and "threatened" in Wisconsin. Researchers wanted to find out if they are in the lake, before the proposed construction of new islands begins there, according to an article in the Winona Daily News (2-9-94).

Employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin and Minnesota DNRs worked for several hours in frigid weather to net the fish. They estimated that it was 4 or 5 years old and weighed 16or17 pounds. They did not take time to weigh it because they wanted to return it to the water as quickly as possible.

More Access for Boaters Six new river access points between St. Paul and the Iowa border should open before the summer is over.

The Minnesota DNR worked with three cities in the metro area to build river access sites: at Lilydale Regional Park in St. Paul; at the I-494 bridge in South St. Paul; and in St. Paul Park.

Each site includes double-wide launch ramps and excellent parking, according to the DNR. This summer the DNR will work with Lake City to build an access site on Lake Pepin and will build new access sites near Homer and Dakota._

Tremp Refuge Will Close Temporarily The Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge was closed most of last spring and summer because the entrance road was under water. This year construction of a new bridge and dikes may close it for much of the summer. _

Watermilfoil Weapons Tested The Minnesota DNR may enlist insects and herbicides for its battle against Eurasian watermilfoil.

The invasive exotic water plant fills up lakes, destroying their recreational value. However, after about 10 years the plants usually decline, perhaps as a result of insects dining on them.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found three insect species that may take to a diet of watermilfoil.

Of course, the DNR is also evaluating two herbicides.

Sonar has been used to control watermilfoil in Michigan and several other states, but the DNR wants to test it to see whether it will also kill desirable native plants. This summer it plans to

(Current Events continued on page 6)

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(Current Events

continued from page 5)

apply Sonar in two lakes in Hennepin County.

Another herbicide, Carlon, which is not yet registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in lakes and wetlands, is being studied by its manufacturer, DowElanco, and the Corps of Engineers for use against watermilfoil. -

Grad School for Anglers If you're ready for post graduate work on your fishing education you'll want to check out this four-day course on the pursuit of walleye and musky.

"Scientific Fishing Tactics and Techniques" is sponsored jointly by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin School of Natural Resources. The class is held twice each June at the Kemp Environmental Center on Lake Tomahawk, near Woodruff and Minocqua.

Instructors will explain how ecology, limnology and hydrology affect fish. Anglers will put in 16-hour days filled with lectures, demonstrations and morning and evening fishing trips on Lake Tomahawk.

Sessions start June 16 and June 23. Admission is limited to the first 20 to apply. The $225-per-person fee includes instruction, lodging and meals, but participants must supply their own boats and gear. To register call (608) 263-1672 or write the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Conference Office, Jorns Hall, 620 Babcock Dr., Madison, WI 53706. .

Toxic Inventory Released In 1992 more than 800 companies and other facilities filed 2,600 forms with the Wisconsin DNR to report releases of 37 million pounds of 148 toxic substances into the state's air, water and land.

"Data from Wisconsin's inventory paints a limited picture of the release of toxic substances in a particular locale. The inventory does not list all toxic chemicals released by all sources in the state, nor does it take into account whether anyone is exposed to these chemicals or for how long," explained Russ Dunst, a department toxic and hazardous materials coordinator.

Citizens can learn more about toxic releases in their area from the annual Toxics Release Inventorybycalling orvisiting the department's Office of Technical Services at 101 S. Webster, Madison, (608) 266-9225.

Fishing Tournament News Soon competitive fishing in Wisconsin may join the ranks of other competitive sports, with uniform rules and standards.

A council of Wisconsin fishing organizations is hammering out a program to sanction fishing tournaments.

The Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations

March 1994

would establish rules for tournaments and a review board for disciplinary actions, and provide a liaison to the state Natural Resources Board. The council includes the Wisconsin Bass Federation, Great Lakes Sport Fishing Clubs, Wisconsin Musky Alliance and other groups.

The programs may lead to coordinated tournament publicity, an official publication, a tournament registry, and a record fish category for tournament anglers in Wisconsin.

The organization may also make it easier to comply with Wisconsin's new permitting process for fishing tournaments.

The permits will be required, beginning in May, for tournaments that meet seven criteria: 1. The event is organized as a fishing activity; 2. It takes place on any water of the state at any time; 3. Competition is the primary intent; 4. Prizes are awarded in total value of more than $500; 5. Participants include more than 40 people in 20 boats; 6. The sponsor names the waters to be fished ; and 7. All participants are required to fish the same dates.

In related news, a Minnesota study of bass tournaments discovered good news and advice.

The study, funded through the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources in cooperation with the Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Sportfishing Congress and the Minnesota Bass Federation, implanted radio transmitters in bass collected near weigh-in sites and fish caught during the tournament.

It found that bass only disperse well in the spring, whether caught in the fall or spring, suggesting that dispersal is associated with spawning. So if fish are all returned to the lake in at the same spot they tend to stay there, except in spring.

Bass mortality averaged only 4.7 percent for the fish brought to weigh-in sites. Mortality at walleye tournaments is usually 10 to 20 times greater than that.

The report recommends point incentives for live release, weigh-ins in shaded areas, scheduling contests in shifts so smaller groups arrive at one time, adding fresh lake water to livewells frequently and providing large tanks at holding stations before and after weighing. _

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March 1994

River Traffic Way Down in 1993 Last season's lockages compared with the 1992 season

Lower St. Anthony Falls tows 76% recreational 44%

St. Croix R.

Upper St.

Wisconsin

recreational 41 %

Lock tows 73% Minnesota R. recreational 46%

Lock 3 tows 79%

tows 66% recreational 61 % recreational 53%

Minnesota

Lock 6 tows64% recreational 53%

Lock 5 tows 69% recreational 55% Lock Sa tows 73% recreational 51 % Lock tows 64% recreational 59%

¡ La Crosse

*Genoa

Lock 8 tows63% recreational 49%

Lansing* Wisconsin R .

Lock 9 tows64% recreational 36%

Iowa

Lock 1 0 . tows66% recreational 32%

H igh water closed locks for two months or longer last summer. By the time water levels dropped many recreational boaters had put their boats away. Barges struggled with new shoals in the Main Channel and raced against the ice to make up for lost time .

Compiled with information from the St. Pa4l District and the Rock Island District of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Lock tows 61 % recreational 40%

Lock 1 1 tows 72% recreational 45%

Illinois Lock 1 3 tows 63% recreational 43%

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RIVER CALENDAR MARCH 1 Minn. DNR hunting and fishing license year begins.

2 Metropolitan Waste Control Commission, pre-budget breakfast meeting, 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m., T. Wright's, Minnetonka, Minn. Call Sarah Kline, (608) 229-2129, if you plan to attend.

3-4 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Midwest Regional Chapter, annual meeting, Midway Hotel, La Crosse. Call Greg Cope (608) 783-6451.

4 Metropolitan Waste Control Commission, pre-budget breakfast meeting, 7:30 a.m .-9 a.m., Holiday Inn Airport #2, Bloomington, Minn. Call Sarah Kline, (608) 229-2129, if you plan to attend.

5 Eagle Watch, Winona. Call (503) 452-2272 or 800-657-4972.

March 1994

15 Fish houses in Minnesota must be off ice at night north of highways 2 and 200.

15-17 Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, annual meeting, "50 Years with Old Man River: Challenges, Decisions and Actions for the Future," Radisson Hotel, La Crosse. Call Charles Theiling, Ill. Natural History Survey, (618) 259-9027.

17-20 St. Cloud Sportshow, Civic Center.

18 Proposed Soil Contamination Rules for Wisconsin, public hearing, 8:30 a.m., State Capitol, Rm. 421 S, Madison. Call Cara Norland-Shultz, (608) 267-0540.

19 Mississippi River Coordinating Commission, meeting to discuss revisions of the Draft Comprehensive Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Employee's Club, Ft. Snelling, St. Paul, 8:30 a .m.-5 p .m.

Call (612) 290-4160.

19-20 Maple Syruping, Fort Snelling State Park, St. Paul.

5 Ice Shanties in Wisconsin south of Highway 64 must be off the ice when not occupied.

22 Wildlife-related Issues, Minn. DNR, public meeting, 7 p.m, DNR Building Cafeteria, 500 Lafayette, St. Paul. Call Ed Boggess, (612) 296-3344.

7-10 International Zebra Mussel Conference, Holiday Inn, Madison, Wis. Registration fee $250 before Dec. 17. Call Clifford Kraft, (414) 465-2795.

25-April 3 Northwest Sportshow, Minneapolis Convention Center.

8 Metropolitan Waste Control Commission, pre-budget breakfast meeting, 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m., Ramada Inn, St. Paul.

Call Sarah Kline, (608) 229-2129, if you plan to attend.

9 Metropolitan Waste Control Commission, pre-budget breakfast meeting, 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m., Nicollet Island Inn, Minneapolis. Call Sarah Kline, (608) 229-2129, if you plan to attend.

10 Wildlife-related Issues, Minn. DNR, public meeting, 7 p.m., Red Wing Technical College, Rm. 1-124. Call Ed Boggess, (612) 296-3344.

10 Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board meeting, 5 p .m ., Kratochwill Building/Village Hall, Muscoda, Wis. Call 1800-221-3792 or (608) 739-3188.

10 Metropolitan Waste Control Commission, pre-budget breakfast meeting with a focus on industrial users, 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m., Drover's Inn, South St. Paul, Minn. Call Sarah Kline, (608) 229-2129, if you plan to attend.

11-13 Canoecopia, Dane County Fairgrounds Expo Center, Madison, Wis. Fri. 4 p.m.-9 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

12-13 Maple Syruping, Fort Snelling State Park, St. Paul.

26-27 Maple Syruping, Fort Snelling State Park, St. Paul.

APRIL 2 Waterfowl Courtship, walk with naturalist, 2 p.m., Coon Rapids Dam Visitor Center, West Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Call (612) 424-8172 for reservations.

3 Floodplain Forest Walk, 2 p.m., Coon Rapids Dam Visitor Center, West Brooklyn Park, Minn. Call (612) 424-8172 for reservations.

11 Sierra Club's St. Croix Valley Interstate Group, monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., Stillwater (Minn.) Public Library.

13-15 American Waterways Operators, spring convention, Adam's Mark Hotel, St. Louis. Call Tina Norris, (703) 8419300.

17 Project Wild Aquatic Workshop, 9 a .m .-4 p.m ., Coon Rapids Dam Visitor Center, West Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Fee, $19. Call (612) 424-8172 for reservations.

17-23 National Wildlife Week.

21-22 Minnesota Water '94 - Managing Minnesota's Rivers and Watersheds, Minneapolis Convention Center.

Call Water Resources Research Center, (612) 624-9282.

14 Sierra Club's St. Croix Valley Interstate Group, monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., Stillwater (Minn.) Public Library.

22 Earth Day.

14 Proposed Soil Contamination Rules for Wisconsin, public hearing, 2 p .m., South Middle School auditorium, Eau Claire. Call Cara Norland-Shultz, (608) 267-0540.

February 26 - May 15 Wildlife Art in America, Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. An exhibit of more than 100 works by great historical artists, modern masters and the finest of the present generation of wildlife artists. For information call Byron Webster, (612) 624-0225. ~

15 Wildlife-related Issues, Minn. DNR, public meeting, 7 p .m, North Junior High Cafeteria, St. Cloud. Call Ed Boggess, (612) 296-3344.