Thursday, March 21, 2013
The organization is seeking input through an online survey.
The three open houses that the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District hosted in February and March are past, but residents can still share their thoughts on clean water online. The organization has created a survey website—www.WeighInOnCleanWater.com—that allows people to share their biggest concerns, say whether the district is headed in the right direction and let officials know where they get their information. The survey will help guide the district’s future—and it only takes a few minutes.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
During the first year of the pilot in 2013, the program will focus on the Minneapolis neighborhoods surrounding Minnehaha Creek and the Chain of Lakes. In the second year, the program will expand to additional neighborhoods in Minneapolis and suburbs.
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD), in partnership with the Freshwater Society, has announced a new clean water educational resource for local communities: The Master Water Stewards program. Applications are now being accepted for the three-year pilot program which will recruit and train volunteers to work with individuals and organizations in their communities to protect and clean up local lakes, streams and wetlands. Polluted stormwater runoff is one of the greatest threats to the health of our surface waters. In addition to educating their neighbors about reducing runoff, the Master Water Stewards will work on runoff prevention projects, such as rain gardens and water-permeable driveways. They also will coordinate community …
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Craig Dawson will lead the District’s effort to develop a long-term strategy to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other AIS in the District’s lakes, streams and Minnehaha Creek.
- NEWS
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Thursday, April 5, 2012
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District has hired Craig Dawson as director of its newly-formed Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program. The hire is in response to community support for the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) to broaden its involvement in the prevention and management of invasive species in the District’s waterways. “We are excited to have Craig Dawson leading our efforts as we establish this program and take the bold step toward eradicating our waters of aquatic invasive species,” said Jim Calkins, MCWD Board of Managers president. “Left unchecked, continued infestation of species like zebra mussels, common carp and Eurasian water milfoil will negatively impact recreational experiences, local businesses and communities…
Friday, January 6, 2012
Most Lake Minnetonka communities lie within the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District.
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
- Patch Staff
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Friday, January 6, 2012
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants for two vacancies on the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board, due to expiration of terms of office on March 8 for Jeffrey Casale and Lee Keeley. The board coordinates the management of water and related land resources in the watershed that drains into Lake Minnetonka and Minnehaha Creek. The cities of Excelsior, Greenwood, Long Lake, Minnetonka Beach, Mound, Orono, St. Bonifacius, Spring Park, Tonka Bay and Wayzata lie entirely within the district. Portions of Deephaven, Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Independence, Maple Plain, Medina, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Minnetrista, Plymouth, Richfield, St. Louis Park, Shorewood and Woodland lie within the district. A …
Monday, December 5, 2011
James Wisker Named 2011 Outstanding Watershed District Employee
Minnehaha Creek Watershed District’s (MCWD) Director of Planning, Projects and Land Conservation James Wisker has been named the 2011 Outstanding Watershed District Employee by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). The award was presented Friday at the Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts’ 40th Annual Meeting and Trade Show in Alexandria, MN. Wisker oversees the planning and implementation of the MCWD’s Capital Improvement Program. In 2011, Wisker led the watershed district's efforts to develop and implement a restoration plan for the Minnehaha Creek corridor through the cities of Hopkins and St. Louis Park. This work will protect open space, improve stormwater management, stabilize the streambank and re-meander …
Monday, November 21, 2011
Minnehaha Creek Watershed District wants to take on the expensive fight because it doesn't think the state has the money or the manpower to protect local waterways.
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is about to make what it says is one of its most important—and potentially expensive—decisions in recent memory. Citing internal study and consensus that invasive species are the No. 1 threat to the watershed’s long-term vitality and health, the district is considering taking a lead role in the fight to prevent the spread of aquatic hitchhikers—something that has historically been the Department of Natural Resource’s responsibility. “We would like to see the DNR take a very strong, very active role in this, but we don’t feel the state has the resources to protect our resources—nor do they have the staff,” said Eric Evenson, the MCWD’s top administrator. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is…
Thursday, November 17, 2011
A sure sign that open water recreation on Lake Minnetonka is coming to an end for the year.
You may not have needed a reminder, but the Minnehaha Creek Watershed Distrit (MCWD) has its own signal that winter is near. This morning the District and city of Minnetonka winterized the Gray's Bay dam, installing metal stop logs to protect the gates from ice. The logs are stacked six high in each of the dam's three columns and will hold back the water while the dam gates are lifted. Gray's Bay is the easternmost point of Lake Minnetonka and the headwaters of the Minnehaha Creek. The District has operated the dam since it was built in 1975, following a strict procedure set by the Department of Natural Resources to control water levels in the lake and creek. The logs go in before the lake freezes but after the water level has dropped …
Friday, September 16, 2011
The district would restore 1,000 feet of shoreline and seek to resell the property for private redevelopment.
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District plans to buy the Cold Storage site on Blake Road, one of the most vital properties for future light rail development. The Hopkins City Council approved a resolution Tuesday endorsing the watershed district’s plan. Under the proposal, the district would buy the 16.9-acre property for $14.95 million with money raised from bond proceeds and repaid through the district's tax levy. It would then restore about 1,000 feet of shoreline in one of the creek’s most degraded sections. That area would become a natural buffer to clean runoff before it enters the creek. Minnehaha Creek would let existing businesses remain for the time being, using the lease payments to cover annual financing costs. After the leases …
Friday, August 19, 2011
A number of construction projects have altered how the waterway flows.
Over the years, the Minnehaha Creek has gone through many changes as local residents have built dams and other structures, but through it all, the waterway has been a vital part of local life. The earliest reports on the creek date back to 1822, when two 17-year old boys—William J. Snelling, the son of Col. Josiah Snelling of Fort Snelling fame, and Joseph Renshaw Brown, a drummer boy from Maryland—followed the creek up to Lake Minnetonka, according to the St. Louis Park Historical Society. Snelling apparently couldn't take the mosquitoes and headed back, but Brown and two soldiers from the fort made it all the way, past Indian settlements, up to Gray's Bay and Big Island, where they encountered a Chippewa village. This is thought to be …
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Board approves preliminary zero percent tax levy increase for 2012.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is proposing to hold the line on taxes in 2012. At its workshop on Thursday, Aug. 11, the MCWD Board of Managers approved a preliminary 2012 budget that calls for a zero percent increase in its total levy. “The district has worked hard to be prudent with the public’s money as it works to protect the watershed’s lakes, streams and surrounding natural areas,” said MCWD Board President James Calkins. “We take pride in being fiscally responsible and transparent in our work, which includes a wide variety of community partnerships and programs, including water quality research, projects that clean up our water, and restoration of our wetlands and streams.” The MCWD’s Board of Managers is proposing…
RTK
5:47 am on Saturday, September 17, 2011
More fleecing of the taxpayers, is it ever going to stop? more ›