Watershed Achievements Report

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Minnesota River Basin Watershed Achievements Report 2015 Lessons learned Although the research team was aware that weather variability could impact the project, we did not anticipate the extremes in precipitation and drought that occurred. It would be possible, although more expensive, to account for weather extremes, especially drought by being able to simulate runoff across the watersheds, or extending projects over longer periods of time. Financial information Funding type: Section 319 Grant amount: $167,666 In-kind: $143,046 Matching funds: $0 Contact information Bill VanRyswyk, Supervisorr MDH 422 Belgrade Ave, Suite 104 North Mankato, MN 56003 507-387-1663 bill.vanryswyk@state.mn.us MPCA Project Manager: Mark Hanson Monitoring site during the winter. Sites were maintained through the winter to ensure accurate results during snowmelt events. Monitoring site facing upslope. The H-flume and instrument shelter are visible. Monitoring site following hay cutting, shows slope of the land leading to the sites. Nested monitoring site located below agricultural field and above the perennial vegetation. Another site captured runoff below the perennial vegetation for the “Above and Below” assessment. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us 66
Watershed Minnesota River Achievements Basin Report 2008 Watershed Achievements Report Statewide 2015 Le Sueur River Watershed Strengthening Watershed Work Group Formation The goal of this project is to infuse civic governance principles into citizen engagement efforts in the Le Sueur River Watershed. Civic Governance training expanded the interest among local government and work group members and citizens to integrate more civic governance as a framework. Coaching helped the group to develop a mission statement rooted in empowering citizens. This project helped to strengthen the mission and future vision of this emerging watershed group. Goals • This project supports efforts to build local civic capacity for engaging communities in watershed management through developing local leaders and the watershed work group in using civic governance principles and practices. Results that count • Local government personnel and work group members are becoming knowledgeable in and familiar with the application of civic organizing and governance principles, policy, standards and disciplines. • Increased interest among local government personnel and work group members in expanding their understanding and application of civic organizing and governance principles, policy, standards and disciplines, potentially through training programs. • Work group vision, mission and governing structure are informed by civic organizing and governance principles and standards. Lessons learned In watershed work, there is a pervasive challenge to develop processes that foster communication with diverse perspectives and interests. Videos are a powerful vehicle for multi-perspective storytelling. Civic governance training is valuable to foster citizen leadership and is a promising route to sustaining citizen initiative and action over time. The Network needs to build citizen leaders and civic governance capacity if it is going to succeed independently in the long term. It is currently reliant on project staff for its sustainability. We are learning the importance of one-on-one networking and training for both staff and citizens. We are learning that this is a key component for civic engagement. As we move forward, we plan to focus on the civic standard or clarifying how each member can contribute resources and helping us all understand where we can help implement policies where we have the authority to act. The process of creating video and documenting stories builds important relationships and that has added significant value to our network building. The process of creating a video also allows the group to reflect on the past achievements and reaffirm the group’s mission and purpose. Feedback / Suggestions Civic Engagement Cohorts across the state have been very helpful in providing training to local staff engaged in citizen engagement. We used some of the tools and techniques learned in the cohorts and integrated that with our civic governance training. These types of training and coaching are valuable for citizen engagement work. There is a larger structural challenge of keeping these emerging watershed groups funded during their development process. The group started with MPCA funds and are now looking to foundations to continue the work. There is a need to instill a philosophy and framework that promotes citizen action and fosters diverse stakeholders working together. Using techniques that foster the broader framework of citizenship, open and transparent processes and trust building is a promising route to engage both staff and citizens. If a voluntary approach remains the primary route to realizing water quality improvements, the real task ahead is to engage and inspire citizens to take action and collaborate. This requires a sustained investment in civic infrastructure. Financial information Funding type: Section 319 Grant amount: $15,000 In-kind: $19,561 Matching funds: $0 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us 67
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a Success Story . . . Lake Shaokata
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Cedar River Watershed and Shell Roc
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Watershed Achievements Report

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