Share your suggestions for training topics

The Minnesota SWCS leadership is looking for your suggestions for the annual training and business meeting next February or March. What topics are you interested in for a half-day training? What issues should we discuss at the business meeting? Please share your suggestions by posting a comment below.

Call for Abstracts: MN-WI Invasive Species Conference 2010

The MN SWCS is a host for the first collaborative Minnesota-Wisconsin conference on invasive species to be held November 8-10, 2010 in St. Paul, Minnesota. This is an all-taxa conference covering invasive aquatic and terrestrial plants, animals, pests, and pathogens. The other three conference hosts are the Minnesota Invasive Species Council, the Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin, and the Midwest Invasive Plant Network.
If you wish to make an oral presentation or display a poster, abstracts must be received by August 1, 2010.
See the full Call for Abstracts (pdf) for more information.

Register Soon for the Summer Tour

Don't miss this year's MN SWCS summer tour to be held July 16, 2010 near Lake Mille Lacs. The topic is "Minnesota’s Invasive Species: From the trees to the water, what do they do and what do they look like?" The agenda and registration form (pdf) are finalized. This is a great opportunity to network with your colleagues and learn about invasive species issues first hand. Register by July 9th to receive the reduced price.

Training opportunity: Stream Stabilization and Restoration

Stream Investigation, Stabilization & Design Workshop
With an emphasis on Innovative Approaches to Stream Stabilization and Restoration
August 2-4, 2010
Maxwell, Iowa

Classroom Location:
Polk County Conservation Board
The Chichaqua Longhouse
8700 NE 126th Ave
Maxwell, Iowa 50161

This workshop will introduce the methodologies and procedures for initiating, planning, analyzing, and ultimately designing long-term sustainable river and stream stabilization or restoration projects.  Innovative, environmentally sensitive, and cost-effective approaches to restoration will be discussed. Comprehensive case studies will be presented.  Rain gear, boots, and field clothes are recommended for the field trips.  After July 15th, lectures will be posted on the FTP site: ftp://chlguest:3bit5map@134.164.34.99:21/DERRICK-LECTURES

Workshop Sponsor: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland regulatory Assistance Program (WRAP) & USACE, Rock Island District

Instructors: Dave Derrick, Research Hydraulic Engineer with the Corps of Engineer’s Engineering Research and Development Center’s Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory (ERDC-CHL)

For more information and to register, contact Al Frohlich at 309/794-5859, Albert.J.Frohlich@usace.army.mil

Minnesota's Invasive Species Tour -- July 16th

Save the date July 16, 2010 to attend the MN SWCS summer tour at Lake Mille Lacs. The topic is "Minnesota’s Invasive Species: From the trees to the water, what do they do and what do they look like?"
See the tentative agenda (pdf) for more information. This is a great opportunity to see invasive species problems and solutions first hand.

Should the national SWCS develop a position statement on climate change?

Take a moment  to comment on the resolution proposed below. It will be discussed at the House of Delegates meeting at the national SWCS meeting on July 18th. Comments placed here will be carried to the discussion by the MN Chapter delegate.

Resolution: The Empire (New York State) Chapter of the SWCS recommends that the Soil and Water Conservation Society develop a position statement on the evaluation, development, and promotion of agricultural conservation practices to reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. We recognize the need to maintain the efficacy of conservation practices to maintain and improve our soil and water resources to provide for increasing needs for food, fiber and bio-energy production. We also recommend that a committee be formed to work with the other professional organizations such as ASA/SSSA/CSSA/AAAS to develop a joint position statement on this issue. The individual SWCS and/or the collective position statement(s) could be formalized with a press release at the SWCS international annual meeting in Washington, D.C. in 2011. The Empire Chapter is relying on the Leadership of this professional society to develop the position statement and necessary collaborations.

Go to the following link for further background about the resolution and a full agenda for the House of Delegates Meeting.

Serve as an SWCD Supervisor

SWCS members have the background and experience to serve their community as a Supervisor of their Soil and Water Conservation District. Consider running for this important office. Filing information is on the web site of the MN Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Could you be a chapter delegate at the SWCS conference in St. Louis?

The MN SWCS Chapter needs to designate a delegate and alternate to attend, and be eligible to vote, at the national House of Delegates session at the 2010 SWCS Annual Conference in St. Louis. If you are able to attend please contact Shannon Carpenter (shannon.carpenter@mn.usda.gov) by April 23rd.

The 2010 House of Delegates session followed by State of the Society meeting is set for Sunday, July 18th 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in St. Louis, Missouri.  Like last year, both the session and meeting are back to back and are open to all SWCS conference attendees.  The State of the Society meeting will provide conference attendees the opportunity to share their views with the SWCS Board of Directors on the following topic:

Energy, water, and global climate change will drive research and environmental programs over the next century.  This will largely determine what we hand off to our sons and daughters.  We are heading into a time period that is comparable in significance to the Great Dust Bowl.  What do you believe the appropriate role for the Society is with respect to these issues?

The purpose of the House of Delegates is to advise the Board on natural resource issues and matters affecting chapters.  If you wish to put forward a formal resolution, please submit it to Sue Ann Lynes on or before April 28th (see below.)  Only formal written resolutions will be addressed during the House of Delegates session; and if resolutions are presented, only official chapter delegates will be allowed to vote. If we receive no formal resolutions, we will go directly to the State of Society Town Hall meeting. 

Larson-Allmaras Lecture -- April 14th

The MN SWCS Chapter is one of the sponsors of this year's Larson-Allmaras Lecture on Emerging Issues in Soil and Water to be held on Wednesday 14th April 2010, 2:00-4:30, in 335 Borlaug Hall on the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus. The theme of the lecture will be "Tending the Land of Our Grandchildren”. The featured speaker will be Dr. Henry Janzen, Research Scientist in Soil Biochemistry with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lethbridge, Alberta, CANADA. Henry has studied the flows of carbon and nitrogen in agricultural ecosystems, especially their links to global cycles and long-term changes in the biosphere. He has been active in various national and international ventures, including assignments with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Please mark your calendar for the lecture event. For more information, visit the UMN Department of Soil, Water, and Climate.

MN SWCS Annual Training – May 4th

“Native Pollinators on the Farm” is the topic of our chapter’s annual training and business meeting. It will be Tuesday, May 4th, 2010, 8:30-2:00 at the Cabela’s in Rogers, Minnesota. Lunch is provided. Register by April 20th to take advantage of the lower fee.

In the morning, Eric Mader from the Xerces Society will teach us about conservation of native pollinators in the context of Farm Bill programs. He will provide practical information about pollinator biology, trends and economics of insect pollination, recognizing native bee species, assessment of pollinator habitat, and approaches to increasing and enhancing pollinator diversity on the land.
The luncheon speaker will give us an update on the state’s Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment. Our annual business meeting will be held after lunch.

Don’t miss this opportunity to network with other conservation professionals, contribute to the management of your MN SWCS, and learn about native pollinator management and the Legacy Amendment.

More details about the agenda and registration information is on the Chapter Website or go directly to the pdf .

Welcome to the Minnesota SWCS blog

The Chapter leadership established this blog to replace our occasional newsletter. Our goals are to give you timely news about Chapter activities and to give you the opportunity to respond to and discuss current conservation issues with other members. You will receive an email notice when new posts are added, and you can visit the blog anytime and search entries.
If you would like to suggest a topic for the blog, contact any member of the Executive Committee.