Big River - November 1995

November 1995

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

Vol. 3, No. 11

$2.50

Lake City Marina: from Pond to Prosperity

Healing the Urban Mississippi

By Tamberlain Jacobs

By the Minnesota and Wisconsin DNRs

A small natural pond and an industrial park in Lake City have slowly developed into the largest boat harbor on the Upper Mississippi River. The Lake City Marina now includes 625 boat slips. The inner harbor is usually packed with small cruise ships and motorboats. The outer harbor

On a summer day in 1964, fisheries biologist Jack Skrypek pulled nets from the Mississippi River between Hastings and St. Paul to see what species had been trapped overnight.

South of Grey Cloud Island, he found a few rough fish.

North of the island to St. Paul he found no fish at all- no walleyes, saugers, catfish, not even a carp. Oxygen levels had become severely depressed, making it impossible for fish to survive. The oxygen depletion was caused by discharges from the Pig's Eye Wastewater Treatment Plant, from combined storm and sewer discharges in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and by pollution flowing in from the Minnesota River.

Today, in contrast, the Mississippi from St. Paul to Hastings supports one of the country's best urban fisheries, with trophy walleyes and sauger, plentiful bass, northern pike, catfish and "underutilized" species such as white bass, freshwater drum and several species of suckers. The river's

\....ake Pepin

(Fishing continued on page 4)

wHAT' s INSIDE ...

shelters many of the sailboats you see skimming across Lake Pepin on warm summer weekends.

Between 1880 and 1890, Point Park, the present home of the marina, was acquired by the Lake City Yacht Club.

(Marina continued on page 2)

River Map, Festivals on the River

5

Current Events Carp, Zebras, ADM

6

River Calendar & Almanac Swan Watch, Holiday Festivals

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November 1995

(Marina continued from page 1)

Within 40 years, "All the lake shore from the Power House to the Goodhue County line was donated to the city for park purposes ... ," according to the book History of Wabasha County, Minnesota-1920.

Inside this park was a small body of water known simply as "the pond." The eastern shoreline of this pond was home to the Abrams Boat Works and the City Power House, according to a 1993 calendar published by the Lake City Historical Society.

At a dock just south of the park, river boats loaded and unloaded supplies in Lake City. This industrial park at the end of Washington Street later became the outer harbor of the marina. The U.S. government constructed a pier out of timber and stone to protect this boat landing in 1890.

In 1916, the city made the pond into a protected harbor to expand shipping. A new channel on the north side of the pond opened it to water traffic from Lake Pepin. This harbor was later known as the "inner harbor."

On June 23, 1916, members of the Lake City Commercial Club put an article in the Lake City Graphic-Republic inviting boating tourists to come and enjoy the new harbor's boat maintenance, fuel, free docking and access to downtown.

""In Lake City's new harbor, President Roosevelt will board the Mayo yacht 'North Star' which will carry him on a trip of inspection of the upper Mississippi channel improvements, including the locks and dams in process of construction between here and Winona."

The land around the pond was donated to the city around 1920, and on July 7 of that year the city bought the Abrams Boat Works building for storage. The pond officially became the Lake City Harbor.

In 1933, the pond was again dredged, which raised the land around it two and a half feet. The north entrance was deepened and an ornamental iron fence erected.

President Franklin Roosevelt visited the new marina in 1934.

Three weeks before the festive event, articles began appearing in the Lake City Graphic-Republic, informing the town's people that: "In Lake City's new harbor, President Roosevelt will

board the Mayo yacht 'North Star' which will carry him on a trip of inspection of the upper Mississippi channel improvements, including the locks and dams in process of construction between here and Winona."

In the spirit of the occasion the city asked the President to dedicate the new harbor, municipal docks and a warehouse, all constructed as federal works programs.

Roosevelt delivered his address to the people of Lake City on August 8: "I am glad, after a trip of many weeks, to return to the Father of Waters. For many years I have been interested in the development of the upper Mississippi. Two years ago, in the spring of 1932, when I had a talk with a number of the leaders of the State of Minnesota, I began to learn of the possibilities of this upper valley. I am glad that in the short

November 1995

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BIG RIVER

space of time, less than one year, we have been able to go ahead with the development of the matter with the waterway, and I am glad also that I have been able to bring before this community some assistance as is demonstrated in this dock and harbor which I know is going to be a service to the people of Lake City and this vicinity and I am very happy to take part in this dedication."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed a $79,300 project for Lake City's small-boat harbor in 1946, to enlarge and deepen the harbor, and provide a new entrance. The harbor's capacity then was only 50 cabin cruisers, according to the Winona Republican Herald, (5-6-46).

The construction of the new southeast entrance began the same year and the north entrance of the harbor was closed. The marina's redesigned entrance not only created a larger harbor but also sheltered it from damage caused by the river current. Before the change, large pieces of ice flowed downriver into the harbor entrance, which pointed upstream.

In 1962, a wooden pontoon was taken from a floating railroad bridge near Reeds Landing and eventually placed at the entrance of the old Lake City Industrial Park, according

Engineers. To raise money to build the docks in the outer harbor, the city sold some of the 1967 government bonds.

Another 86 slips were added to the marina in 1985, and 75 more in 1991.

One harbormaster in particular, James Springer, was instrumental in making the marina the largest on the Upper Mississippi. "He cleared a lot of the red tape and did a lot of the paper work," said Chamberlain. Springer served as Harbormaster for 18 years. Chamberlain followed him in March 1995.

Today, the marina harbors 625 boat slips, 50 of which are reserved for transient docking, and has 73 mobile homes in the summer trailer park on the tip of Point Park.

Chamberlain estimates that about a quarter of the fulltime tenants are from the Twin Cities, another quarter from Rochester, and the remainder split between Lake City and surrounding areas, including Iowa and Wisconsin.

The marina is now financially self-supporting, said Chamberlain. The only major bill the marina has are the 40year bonds they acquired in 1967.

The marina has no plans for further expansions. "We are as big as we are going to get," said Chamberlain. "We are just trying to stay on top of our maintenance."

Today, the marina harbors 625 boat slips, 50 of which are reserved for transient docking, and has 73 mobile homes in the summer trailer park on the tip of Point Park.

Tamberlain Jacobs is a freelance photographer and writer who lives in Winona.

BIG RIVER an article written by Bill Gernes for the Lake City Yacht Clubs Sailing Almanac's 25th anniversary.

"The wooden pontoon served as a floating breakwater" explained Bill Chamberlain, the marina's current Harbormaster.

The marina launched a $524,000 project in 1967. The inner harbor was again dredged and the land raised six feet.

Water, sewer, and electricity lines were installed for 75 future trailer home sites at the point of the park. A bath house and administration building were also constructed, along with additional boat slips, in what is now the outer harbor, according to the Lake City Historical Society. The expansion made 250 slips available for sail and power boats. The whole project was financed by 40-year federal bonds.

More improvements were done on the harbor in 1983.

"In a severe storm the pontoon sank, which got the ball rolling to get the concrete breakwater built," said Chamberlain.

When the south breakwater was put in near the outer harbor, 90 more slips were added. The breakwater project was a joint effort between Lake City and the Army Corps of

Big River {ISSN 1070-8340) is published monthly by Big River, 70 112 East Fourth Street, Suite 203, Winona, MN 55987; (507)

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assistant editor

Molly McGuire

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layout and design

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Big River, Volume 3, Number 11, copyright Š November 1995.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

A

Printed on recycJed paper.

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BIG RrvER

(Fishing continued from page 1) comeback is seen by biologists as a reminder that environmental damage need not be irreversible.

"With different parties sharing information and working together to protect natural resources, the treatment plant was upgraded, storm and sewer systems were separated, and the water was significantly cleaned up, although there is still a problem with organic input from the Minnesota," said Skrypek, now fisheries section chief for the Minnesota De-

"I'd say it's one of the best walleye fisheries in Minnesota, and the sauger here are probably bigger than in any other water," said Dick Grzywinski, a river fishing guide from St. Paul.

"There are plenty of walleyes in the 3 to 5 pound range, with occasional catches of 9 and 10 pounds." partment of Natural Resources (DNR) . "Nature has done its part, rebounding with a remarkable fishery that one day soon will become a world-class urban resource," he said.

"We're trying to maintain and enhance trophy fishing through experimental regulations that allow catch-and-release fishing year-round for walleye, sauger, largemouth and smallmouth bass. The regulations run through 1998, when their impact on the fishery will be evaluated." Skrypek noted that while sport fishing on the metro stretch of the Mississippi has never been better, advisories warn against eating the fish because of PCB and mercury contamination, which will remain for many years.

While DNR fisheries crews evaluate the impact of the regulations through test netting and electrofishing, reports from anglers confirm a healthy fishery. "I'd say it's one of the best walleye fisheries in Minnesota, and the sauger here are probably bigger than in any other water," said Dick Grzywinski, a river fishing guide from St. Paul. "There are plenty of walleyes in the 3 to 5 pound range, with occasional catches of 9 and 10 pounds."

Each year, the DNR attempts to obtain 200 walleye and sauger samples to determine age, growth, and summer location, according to Dave Zappetillo, DNR area fisheries supervisor. He said a census of anglers will begin in April of 1996 to provide further information on the impact of the experimental regulations. Meanwhile, access to the fishery has been improved with construction in the past year of public boat launch facilities in St. Paul, South St. Paul and St. Paul Park, and shore fishing structures on St. Paul's Harriet

November 1995

Island and Warner Road.

While cleaning up the river has brought clear benefits, other human-made changes have created problems more difficult to address, said Steve Johnson, Minnesota DNR river management supervisor. "We now recognize that the infrastructure we built - the wing dams, side channel closing structures, the big locks and dams themselves - are severely degrading the river environment by restricting the river from rejuvenating its floodplain and backwaters."

At the same time natural resource agencies are beginning to understand the scope of the river's biological decline, the Army Corps of Engineers is studying expanding the navigation system to handle increased traffic. The Corps does not anticipate an increase in navigation on the Twin Cities stretch of the river in the next 50 years sufficient to justify lock expansions, but work is expected further south and traffic congestion will eventually move north.

"By reinvesting in more locks and dams, we are guaranteeing that we will continue to use that transportation mode for a long time into the future" said Johnson. " In our view, the time to consider alternative modes of transporting goods is now, before the Corps and barge industry make that big investment."

While Twin Cities anglers enjoy a booming fishery, the focus for biologists downriver is on the impact of the lockand-dam system on the river's once fertile backwaters, said Johnson.

This is the first in a series of articles prepared by the Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of natural resources about the impacts of the lock-and-dam system on the Mississippi River's ecology.

SIDE CHANNEL

Twin Cities Sewer Replacement Nearly Done St. Paul will stop flushing raw sewage into the Mississippi this month, when it completes work on the sewer separation project it started 10 years ago. The city of South St. Paul has already replaced all of its antiquated sewers. Minneapolis is scheduled to complete its work next spring, according to an article in the St . Paul Pioneer Press (10-17-95).

The older sewers carried sewage to treatment plants during dry weather, but during periods of heavy rain or melting snow the mixed stormwater and sewage bypassed treatment plants and flowed directly into the river.

The three cities paid for 53 percent of the $323-million project, Minnesota paid 34 percent and the federal government paid 12 percent. In St. Paul alone more than 150 miles of new storm sewers were installed and 168 miles of streets repaved.

Fecal coliform levels, an indication of human or animal waste, dropped steadily in and downriver from the Twin Cities as the work progressed. -

November 1995

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BIG RlvER

Don't Hibernate, Celebrate Festivals on the River Late Fall and Winter St. Cloud'

Monticello Minneapolis, New Year's Eve Fireworks, Dec. 31

apitol City Lights, Nov. 16-30; Winter Carnival, Jan. 26 - Feb. 4

Wisconsin Tourism Info 800-372-2737

Minnesota R.

Red Wing ' ' Stockholm, Country Christmas, Dec. 2-3 Frontenac' ' Pepin, Home Town Holidays, Dec. 2-3; Ice Fishing Contest, Feb. 3 Lake City, Winterfest, Jan. 27-28; Ice Fishing Contest, Feb. 17' , Nelson Wabasha, Grumpy Old Men, Feb. 24; Soar with the Eagles, Mar. 17' , Kellogg ' Alma, Swan Watch, all of November ' Cochrane-Buffalo City ' Fountain City, German Christmas Fair, Dec. 3 Trempealeau, Old Fashioned Christmas , Dec. 2 Winona, Swan Watch, Nov. 4-5; Winter Carnival, Feb. 3-4' ' Dakota '

'Onalaska, Cabin Fever Days, Jan. 26-28 'La Crosse, Riverside Park Light Display, Nov. 24 - Jan. 1; La Crescent ' Winter Recreation Fest, Feb. 2-4 Brownsville ' ' Stoddard

Minnesota Tourism Info 800-657-3700

Iowa

Allamakee County Winterfest and Eagle Watch, Jan. 12-1 4 Lansing '

Wisconsin R.

Tourism Info 800-345-4692 Marquette, Holiday Craft Bazaar, Nov. 24-25' McGregor, Christmas Open House, Nov. 24-25; '

/

' Prairie du Chien, Home for the Holidays, Villa Louis, Nov. 24-26, Dec 2-3, 9-1 O; Feb-Fab-Fest, Feb. 9-11

' Cassville, Christmas in Stonefield, Dec.16; Bald Eagle Days, Jan. 27-28 'Potosi Dubuque, Reflections in the Park, Nov. 23-Jan. 1; Eagle Watch, Jan. 13 ' "*'*,.*"'""'-~-..,..,,,,,,,."'"'""' ' East Dubuque 'Galena, Luminaria on the Levee, Dec. 16 Bellevue, Bald Eagle Watch, Jan.

Illinois Tourism Info 800-223-0121

'

Watch the River Calendar every month in Big River for m ore detailed information.

Collected and compiled by Molly McGuire

' Savanna, A Gingerbread Christmas, Nov. 24 ' Fulton, Old-Fashioned Christmas, ' Albany, Eagle Watch, Dec. 1-2 Jan. 6 ' Moline ock Island, Bald Eagle Days, Jan. 27-28

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CURRENT EVENTS

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Critter News

ore round gobies were found in the Duluth harbor of Lake Superior in July. This bottom-dwelling fish, a native to the Black and Caspian seas, entered the country as a stowaway in the ballast water of an ocean-going ship. The Wisconsin DNR issued a reminder that the baglimit on round gobies is zero. It's illegal to possess one, dead or alive.

Bayfield County, Wis., may boast the largest turtle farm in the Upper Midwest, if Joe Chaudoin gets his way. The soon-to-retire iron mine worker wants to breed, raise and export painted turtles.

(The domestic sale of baby turtles was banned in the U.S. in 1976, because about 270,000 people a year contracted salmonellosis after handling newborn pet turtles.) County commissioners gave Chaudoin a conditional permit to proceed.

"It's really no different than raising trout or catfish or even cows or any other animal," Chaudoin said in a St. Paul Pioneer Press story (10-8-95).

Meanwhile, in Onalaska, a girl fishing in the river with her dad caught a carp and insisted on taking it home to dissect. What did they find in the fish's gut? Zebra mussels. Scientists at the National Biological Service were fascinated and will investigate further. One pest species may prove helpful in controlling another, according to the Winona Daily News (10-23-95).

In Minnesota, another batch of deformed frogs (with no hind legs, with only half a leg or other deformities) were found in a small spring-fed wetland pond in Meeker County recently. University of Minnesota researchers are searching for the cause of the deformities.

Two Australian biologists have found that even slight over-applications of certain herbicides can be deadly to laboratory frogs and tadpoles. The problem isn't glyphosphate, the active ingredient; it's the detergent used to spread the weed poison. A Monsanto official dismissed the claim, but the Common-

wealth Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing the study and the National Registration Authority may consider warning statements and further regulatory action for the herbicides, according to River Crossings (Sept./Oct. 1995).

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Publications

innesota's myriad nature preserves are now easier to reach, thanks to a new publication from the Department of Natural Resources. A Guide to Minnesota's Scientific and Natural Areas includes detailed maps directing the curious to more than 100 unique protected areas, most open to limited public use. The guide sells for $12.95 plus tax at bookstores, or call the Minnesota Bookstore, (612) 297-3000 or 800-657-3757.

The University of Minnesota Press has just published a stunningly beautiful guide to the state's ecology, Minnesota's Natural Heritage. The 352-page book includes 130 color photos and 57 color figures. It provides overviews of the state, then examines various ecologies: deciduous forests; northern coniferous forests; tallgrass prairies; wetlands; lakes; and streams and rivers. The book's author, John R. Tester, is a professor in the university's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. The book costs $29.95.

A Citizen's Streambank Restoration Handbook provides information on stream ecology and how to plan effective restoration projects. Published by the Izaak Walton League's Save Our Streams (SOS) Program, the handbook includes case studies and an extensive bibliography.

Send $15 to the Izaak Walton League of America, 707 Conservation Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-2983, or call 800BUG-IWLA for information on the SOS Program.

The U. of Wis. - Extension and the Wisconsin Priority Watershed Program have published a free eight-page bulletin to help with the design and maintenance of stormwater ponds. To order Storm-water Ponds - An Effective Way to Control Urban Runoff, call (608) 2626-3346,

November 1995

or (414) 475-2881, or Wisconsin Extension offices. Ask for publication #GWQ019.

The results of a major 1994 canvasback monitoring program in pools 7 and 9 are now available from the Upper Mississippi Refuge, La Crosse District, 555 Lester Avenue, Onalaska, WI 54650, (608) 783-8405. The interagency bag check effort is continuing this year as hunters enjoy the benefits of abundant canvasback populations.

Heads Up! The towering bluffs lining the Upper Mississippi River Valley continue to supply excitement and suspense to the citizens of Fountain City, Wis. Once again, on Sept. 19 at about 6:15 a.m., a runaway boulder estimated at 10 feet in diameter crashed down a hillside north of town, luckily creating more commotion than calamity. This time the rock broke into three pieces, two tearing propitiously between a couple of houses. A convenient woodpile stopped one whopper from rolling onto nearby Highway 35. (Winona Daily News, 9-28-95)

T

Dead Zone Grows

he immense, low-oxygen "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than ever since first monitored by scientists 10 years ago. The 7,000-plus-squaremile area cannot support fish or marine life because of the lush growth of phytoplankton fed by the heavy nutrients from farm runoff and sewage treatment plants along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. Coupled with flood losses, the dearth of fish in this dead zone has created a fishing disaster, according to the September/October 1995 issue of River Crossings. An interstate management conference is planned in Louisiana on Dec. 5-6 to address this nutrient loading of the Mississippi, according to the Mississippi River Basin Alliance Newsletter (Fall 1995).

Money, Ethanol and ADM

U

ntil Newt Gingrich stepped in last month, the Congressional tide was running against a lucrative tax break to the ethanol industry.

The ethanol industry, however, provides a steady market for corn. And corn

November 1995

is big business for the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM). ADM supplies ingredients to food processors and soft-drink manufacturers; ships grain on the Mississippi River; and produces most of the nation's ethanol. It has also contributed generously to Republicans and Democrats for many years.

Analysts on both the right and left agreed that the $1 .8 billion tax break supports an industry that wouldn't, exist without it, and that most of the benefits flow to a single company, ADM. Anxious to please farm-state lawmakers and avoid a full scale rebellion over broader cuts to agricultural subsidies, Gingrich swung in favor of letting the industry keep its tax break.

Ethanol is an alcohol made from corn, which is mixed with gasoline to create gasohol. It's thought to be a cleaner fuel than gasoline, but critics contend it takes a great deal of energy to produce, is not fuel-efficient and has a high evaporation rate that hurts the environment.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating ADM and its top competitors for possibly fixing the prices of 1ysine and soft drink sweeteners. One of ADM' s top executives used hidden tape recorders for three years to collect evidence for the FBI. When ADM discovered he was a mole, it fired him and accused him of fraud, forgery and the theft of $9 million.

The executive admitted receiving $6 million, but said it was payoff money. He tried to commit suicide in his six-car garage, but was apparently saved by his gardener. News stories reported that his career was over, that he'd never get another job (although they didn't explain why he'd need one, what with $6 million in a Swiss bank account). Other stories said he'd formed a hot new company, Future Health Technologies.

At ADM's annual shareholder meeting in Decatur, Ill., last month, angry shareholders tried to wrestle control from chairman Dwayne Andreas and his board of directors, who sat on a stage bedecked with long-stemmed roses. Some shareholders protested the board's lack of accountability, high pay ($100,000 per year) and close ties to Andreas.

Andreas, who's led the company since 1966, scoffed at most of these events.

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He simply pointed to a 5.6 percent increase in net income during the first quarter of this year. Most of the shareholders left happy.

Phosphorus Study If the principal sewage treatment

plant for the Twin Cities area removed most of the phosphorus from its discharge water, that probably wouldn't significantly reduce the algae blooms downriver in Lake Pepin, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Engineering (October 1995).

The study was one of the conditions of the permit renewal of the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant, otherwise known as the Pig's Eye Plant (See 8,000 . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .

0Nonpoint Sources

i' !1!, Qj

mfother Point Sources

7 .000

llMetro Plant

6,000

1---!~"""====~_J

much lower percentage of the phosphorus. (See chart.)

The study concluded that most years the Minnesota River is the principal source of phosphorus in Lake Pepin. It also found that much of the phosphorus comes from the sediment in the lake bottom. Even dramatic reductions in the phosphorus discharge of the Pig's Eye Plant would only reduce chlorophyll "a" levels, a measure of algae growth, from about 60 micrograms per liter to 50 micrograms per liter, still well above the target level of 30.

Minnesota limits phosphorus discharges into lakes, but not into rivers.

The study concluded that during high flows the phosphorus dynamics of Lake Pepin were like a river. The article did not say that Lake Pepin behaves like a lake during low flows, and it did not say whether reducing the discharge from Pig's Eye would eventually reduce phosphorus concentrations in lake sediment.

Q. Ill

gc:

5,000 1---

Corridor Hearings Blocked

- - - - - -----l

P

Ill :l

0

4,000 . __ __ _,.....--.._

.c:

Q. Ill

0

'&.

3,000

iij

0 2,000 1 - . - - ---l I1,000

0 1988

1990

1991

Annual loading of phosphorus to Lake Pepin.

"Metro Plant Will Reduce Phosphorus Discharge," Big River, January 1994.).

During the drought in the late 1980s the lake often stank and there were at least two major fish kills. Many people suspected that phosphorus discharges from Pig's Eye caused the problems.

The study, "Water Quality Modeling of Upper Mississippi River and Lake Pepin" by Wu-Seng Lung and Catherine E. Larson, focused on the years 1988, a drought year; and 1990 and 1991, both high-flow years. It found that during lowflow years the Pig's Eye Plant was the largest source of phosphorus in Lake Pepin. However, during normal- and high-flow years Pig' s Eye contributed a

roperty rights activists complained loudly that the Mississippi River Corridor Study Commission was excluding input from the public and intended to grab all the land within 50 miles of the river on both sides (See "Whose Property Rights?," Big River, February 1995.).

Now that the commission has published its report with three possible models for establishing a corridor - none of which would acquire land - property rights groups oppose funding a series of public meetings to discuss the proposals. Gil Gutknecht, a new Republican congressman from Rochester, Minn., sponsored the proposal to eliminate funds for public hearings.

The three proposals call for varying d egrees of organization, from very inform al with no funding, to a commission with a million-dollar budget. All of the alternatives emphasize cooperation between states for protecting and promoting tourism, natural resources and historic resources. None propose land acquisition or new regulations.

The report also includes a detailed catalog of historic, cultural, natural, trans-

(Current Events continued on page 8)

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November 1995

-----------·-----·Minn., Marriott Airport Hotel.

November Special Events & Festivals 4 Bird feeding program, Interstate Park, St. Croix Falls, Wis., 9:30 a.m, (715) 483-3747.

4-5 Swan Watch, Winona, Sat. 7 p.m. lecture, Sun. noon field' trip, (507) 452-2272.

4-5 Wildlife Art Exposition & Sale, Winona, $2, raptor presentation Sat. 1 p.m., (507) 454-4064.

8 Friends of the Mississippi River benefit, St. Paul, Paul Metsa in concert, Penumbra Theater, 7 p.m. Rick, (612) 222-2193.

23-Jan. 1 Reflections in the Park, Dubuque, daily 5 p.m -10 p.m, Louis Murphy Park, (319) 557-9200.

24 A Gingerbread Christmas, Savanna, Ill., (815) 273-2722.

24-Jan 1 Riverside Park Light Display, La Crosse, 800-658-9424.

(Current Events continued from page 7)

portation, economic and recreational resources along the length of the river.

L

Corps Restores River

evees along the Mississippi River between the mouth of the Ohio and Missouri rivers have restored the river to its pre industrial condition, according to the chief river engineer at the St. Louis District of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Claude Strausser's theory "gave industry officials ammunition to use against environmentalists who complain that commercial navigation is destroying the river," according to an article in The Waterways Journal (10-16-95).

Strausser shared his tactic at the meeting of the Midwest Region of the American Waterways Operators in St. Louis in October. He explained that in the 1800s the river banks became less stable after most of the bottomland trees were cut to fuel river boats. The riverbed increased from 95 to 128 square miles from 1820to1890. Later levees narrowed it down to 83 square miles. $

24-25 Home for the Holidays, Villa Louis, Prairie du Chien, 800-732-1673.

24-25 Holiday Craft Bazaar, Marquette, Iowa., 800-896-0910.

24-25 Christmas Open House, McGregor, Iowa., 800-896-0910. through Nov. Tundra Swan watch, Alma, Wis., Rieck's Lake Park, observation deck staffed weekends and most weekdays 9 a.m. until dusk.

(608) 685-4249. through March Bald Eagle watch, Wabasha, Minn., city deck staffed Sundays 1 p.m. - 3 p.m., (612) 5654158.

Meetings 28 Coulee Region Sierra Club, La Crosse, Sustainable Farming in the Coulees, 7 p.m., Trane Employee's Credit Union.

Army Corps of Engineers Upper Mississippi River - Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study committee meetings: 14 Environmental Coordination, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Moline, Holiday Inn .

28 Economics Coordination, noon 3 p.m., Governors' Liaison, 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., Bloomington,

Navigation Study public open houses, 1 p .m . - 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., ongoing slide show, displays, informal discussion.

30 Bloomington, Minn., Radisson Hotel South.

Dec. 4 Prairie du Chien, Huckleberry's.

Dec. 5 Bettendorf, Iowa, Jumers Castle Lodge.

Workshops & Conferences Nov. 7-8 Awakening the Watershed: Mississippi Educators Meet the Challenge, workshop to share programs and experiences, Red Wing, St. James Hotel, sponsored by Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, (612) 290-4160 or (612) 696-6273.

9 Environmental Solutions for Minnesota Communities, Minn. Office of Environmental Assistance and the Minnesota Project, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p .m ., Earle Brown Center, St. Paul, $25, 800-657-3843.

Dec. 9 & 11 Computer Skills Workshops, Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro area, Minnesota Project, John Lamb, 800-366-4793.

River Resources: Mississippi Headwaters Board e-mail: 0999mhb@InforMNs.k1 2.mn.us University of Wisconsin-Extension, Water Resources Home Page: http; / I / wisdom.uwex.edu./ ~waterres.

Wis. DNR w eekend outdoor report, (608) 266-2277. $

A°LMANAC

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River levels are rising . Walleye fishing below the dams is picking up. A lot of ducks are still up in Canada. The towboats are racing against the ice.

The American Queen made its last trip north this year in late October. Pilot (and sometimes Big River writer) Lee Hendrix gave three-quarters of the Big River staff a tour of the well-appointed behemoth on a cold, rainy afternoon.

Later this month, when the big snows start flying, the tundra swans fly out en mass. They are among the last b irds to migrate south in the fall and among the earliest arrivals in spring. The best place to see lots of swans is Rieck's Lake, just north of Alma, Wis. w: