St. Paul Publishing Company

Dialogue on the River
New monthly river forums held to address issues, spark discussion

Tim Spitzack
Editor

A St. Paul man is standing on an alcove overlook on the Wabasha Street Bridge, enjoying the view of the river and the warmth of the springtime sun during his lunch hour. He takes one last long drag of his cigarette and flips the butt into the river below as he heads back to work.

A woman is walking her dog along a river trail in Minneapolis. The dog pulls her off the trail and defecates. She tugs her pet back onto the trail and continues on her way.

A man in South St. Paul is waging war against weeds in his yard. While fertilizing his lawn, the wheel of his fertilizer spreader slips off the curb and a mound of pellets spill into the street. He kicks the pile with his foot to spread out the mess and continues working.

These are just a few examples of how the actions of people affect the water quality of the Mississippi River. Combined with the strains of urban, suburban and agricultural run-off, the Mississippi River faces many challenges that affect its health.

Monthly forums

The National Park Service (NPS) is hosting a new series of monthly forums to address the state of the river and publicize ways that businesses, residents and farmers can work together to improve the health of the river. The NPS held its first forum Friday, April 24, at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul. Topics addressed during this half-day workshop included bacterial contamination in the river, the impact of pollution on wildlife, new contaminants being discovered in the river, and the connection between land use and water quality. Nearly 100 people attended the event, including staff from the DNR, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), watershed districts, legislators, agricultural groups and environmental planners. Lark Weller, a community planner for the NPS who is helping organize the forums, said the response among these people has been positive and that there is an eagerness to share information and let others know what projects are being worked on.

"Our message is that we’re all impacted by what others are doing (along the river)," said Weller. "Since the Clean Water Act in the ’70s, we’ve been successful in cleaning up some types of pollution on the river, but it is still impaired in some areas. There are still some lingering issues."

Monthly forums will be held 7:30- 9 a.m. the third Friday of each month throughout the year at locations within the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. Each meeting will include a presentation, discussion and light breakfast. The goal is to bring decision-makers together to share information and debate methods on how to improve the health of the river. For more information on upcoming forums, call Weller at 651-290-3030, ext. 304, or visit http://www.nps.gov/miss/naturescience/riverforum.htm

Quality of life

For residents of St. Paul and the surrounding communities, the health of the Mississippi River is directly linked to their quality of life. For example, it is their primary source of drinking water, it’s an important transportation corridor, and it provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities. The NPS envisions the Mississippi River of the future as being a river that is safe for drinking, fishing and swimming. But there is still some work to be done to make that happen. Portions of the river in the Twin Cities exceed water quality standards for mercury, bacteria, sediment, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), and nutrients. St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs get as much as 90 percent of their drinking water from the river. This water is tested and treated before it enters the public water system to ensure that it is safe to drink.

The NPS is one of the groups working with the MPCA to identify sources of bacterial contamination in the river and develop a plan to reduce it. However, any recovery plan will require participation from the residential, agricultural and industrial communities and may take many years before results are seen.

How to help

The NPS suggest these simple ways for residents to help:

• Use herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers sparingly. Never apply fertilizer before a rainstorm because it will wash off your lawn and into storm drains, making its way to the river.

• Plant native plants and trees in your yard to help infiltrate stormwater.

• Mow your lawn at the appropriate height: grass that is kept at three inches will be healthier, better able to resist drought and helps slow runoff.

• Clean up after your pet. When you walk your dog, bring a plastic bag to collect its feces, and then dispose of it in the trash. This will keep it out of the storm sewers and the river.

• Don’t litter. Trash that is thrown on the ground, including bottles, gum, wrappers and cigarette butts, can be carried to the river by storm sewers.

• If you wash your car at home, wash it on grass, gravel or another permeable surface, and use as little soap as possible. In doing so, the ground will help filter the dirty wash water.

Historic Mississippi River maps featured in new exhibit at the Minnesota History Center
Tim Spitzack
Editor

It’s early March and a group of elementary school children are wandering noisily through the Minnesota History Center in downtown St. Paul, getting a history lesson that is far more fascinating than the one they normally receive in a classroom reading from a text book. They venture toward the new "Minnesota on the Map" exhibit and suddenly emit a chorus of groans. Their leaders are unwilling to fight the battle and reluctantly lead them on to another room with hands-on exhibits. Patrick Coleman, acquisitions librarian for the Minnesota Historical Society and creator of the exhibit, stops midsentence during a tour and quips, with a blush and a laugh, "I think I’ve just been ‘dissed.’ "

To children, maps are simply lines on paper that hold little significance. To adults, especially lovers of history, they are so much more. Those lines represent exploration and struggle, commerce and development, and they show how our society has evolved over time. Coleman has spent the last six months organizing the exhibit, entitled "Minnesota on the Map: Four Centuries of Maps from the Minnesota Historical Society Collection," which is showing through September 7 at the Minnesota History Center, 345 Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. The exhibit features maps from the Society’s collection of 19,000 maps and 2,000 volumes of atlases. There are maps on display that depict Minnesota regions, counties and cities from 1840 to the present, as well as many specialty maps, including several of the Mississippi River.

Mississippi maps

Many had tried and many had failed. That was the story in the early 1800s when governments were commissioning geologists and explorers to find the source of the Mississippi River. Eventually, it was Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, with the help of Yellow Head, an Ojibwe, who discovered the true headwaters of the river at Lake Itasca. In 1832, Schoolcraft, then an Indian agent, traveled to the upper Mississippi River valley to help settle disputes between the Ojibwe and Dakota nations. During that trip, he explored the surrounding region and made the first accurate map of the area, which is on display in the exhibit along with the published account of the discovery, "Narrative of an Expedition Through the Upper Mississippi River to Itasca Lake." The 1832 trip was Schoolcraft’s second trip to the Upper Mississippi River valley. In 1820, he was a geologist with the Lewis Cass expedition that misidentified the headwaters as being at Cass Lake.

Schoolcraft’s map is the first to show the Mississippi River beginning at Lake Itasca. Other maps on display that are dated prior to this one depict the river’s source in many different areas, including one that that had it extending north into Canada. However, as with most vintage maps, this one contains some inaccuracies. For example, it states that the Mississippi River is 3,160 miles long, when in reality it is 2,340 miles from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. Coleman said the inaccuracies of early maps are the result of their being created from verbal accounts rather than on scientific calculations.

Another interesting map in the exhibit is the 1866 Ribbon Map of the Father of Waters, by Coloney and Fairchild. It’s a roughly 2-inch-wide by 18-foot-long paper map that rolls into a brass case. It’s one of the more unusual maps in the collection because it has straightened the river slightly to fit on the ribbon. Its intended use is unknown, but it’s believed to have been used for casual recreational travel along the river.

For more information on the exhibit, call 651-259-3000, or visit www.mnhs.org/historycenter. Admission to the History Center is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children ages 6-17. Children under age 6 are free.

The boating season is in sight

Pleasure boaters may find the river a bit quieter this spring. Or will they?
Tim Spitzack
Editor

Roger Anderson, manager of the St. Paul Yacht Club, is like many others who have a passion for boats. When the calendar flips from February to March and the mercury begins to bubble past the freezing point, he gets excited because he knows the end of a long, cold winter is in sight and that soon he’ll be back on the river doing what he loves best. Beginning in March, he and countless other boaters will begin prepping their boats for another season by pulling off tarps and shrink-wrap, performing maintenance that they put off last fall, and scheduling a time for the marina to drop their boat back into their slip. There’s an aura of excitement around the marina in springtime, but time will tell if that excitement is enough to reverse last year’s low traffic counts on the river.

According to recent statistics from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, both commercial and recreational boat traffic was down considerably on the Upper Mississippi River last year. The Corps measures traffic through its locks, and earlier this year reported that about one-third fewer tons of cargo passed through them in 2008 than in 2007. Lock Number 2 near Hastings, which is the first true gauge for shipping, supports these statistics—commercial traffic was down 32 percent, cargo was down 33 percent, and recreational boat traffic declined by 30 percent. This means fewer barges were hauling goods to the Gulf of Mexico for export to foreign markets and fewer pleasure boaters were making extended trips. While the Corps declined to comment on the cause, it is expected to be the result of the weakened economy, high fuel costs, and the fact that more corn, which is one of Minnesota’s largest commodities shipped on the river, is staying in the state for the production of ethanol.

Pleasure cruising

Locally, recreational traffic seems to be strong, at least in the popular cruising area between Lock and Dam 1 in Minneapolis and Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings. At Lock 1, recreational traffic increased nearly 65 percent. This is an indication that boaters are staying closer to home, which isn’t surprising given last summer’s grossly high fuel prices.

"The amount of travel was less last year, which I attribute mainly to the high gas prices," said Anderson, who has been with the Yacht Club for 10 years, and a boater for 20 years. He said fuel prices peaked at $4.40 per gallon in 2008, but he believes they will be about $2 per gallon cheaper this year, based on current oil prices. Nonetheless, he still anticipates that many Yacht Club members will continue shedding longer trips for shorter ones.

"I think this year people will be staying closer," he said. "There are a lot of people who had never been to Minneapolis (on the river) before last year and found that it’s a nice trip. Some people never leave the marina. They use their boat like a cabin."

Boating can be an expensive hobby, considering slip rental, maintenance and fuel costs. Anderson said most boats average around two miles per gallon, so even a short trip upriver to Minneapolis or downriver to Hastings can cost $50-$100 in fuel for the round-trip. Slip rental at the St. Paul Yacht Club ranges from $1,500-$2,500. The Club is a public marina with 210 slips, including 26 that are leased to people who live on their boat year-round. It also offers slips for transient overnight stay—there are usually about 20 slips available throughout the year.

A working river

Dick Lambert, director of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Ports and Waterways, believes the production of ethanol played a large factor in last year’s shipping decline on the river, but said high ocean freight rates out of the Gulf of Mexico affected it, as well. These high rates made it more attractive to transport commodities by rail to the Pacific Rim and then ship it from there.

"Last year grain tonnage was way off on the river," said Lambert. "However, the advantage is leaning more evenly toward using the river again." This is due, in part, to lower fuel prices and the lowering or eliminating of shipping surcharges.

According to Lambert, who has worked with MNDOT for the past 16 years and in the barge industry for 32 years prior, barge shipping is the most cost-effective way to transport commodities. Each barge carries 1,500 to 1,650 tons of freight, which is 15 times more than a rail car and 60 times more than a truck. Also, towboats are cheaper to operate. One gallon of fuel can move one ton of freight 575 miles on the river, versus 440 miles by rail and 150 miles by truck.

River Reader

Literature on the Mississippi River is filled with history, adventure and romance. Here are some titles that are sure to stir your imagination and curiosity of America’s greatest river.

Tim Spitzack
Editor

If Mark Twain’s "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is the extent of your exposure to literature on the Mississippi River, then it’s time to expand your horizons, and Patrick Coleman is just the man who can help. As acquisitions librarian for the Minnesota Historical Society, he is overseer of one of the country’s most complete collections of books on the Mississippi River. He also has his own private collection, which numbers over 100, possibly near 200. He’s not sure of the exact number because he hasn’t taken the time to count them, but he has read them all and can quickly give you a summary of each title, and his opinion on it.

At his home in Roseville, just a stone’s throw from the St. Paul border, his bookshelf is the centerpiece of his home. On it are century-old, hard-bound volumes to modern paperbacks. All of these books tell a unique version of the Mississippi Rver story. They speak of Native Americans and pioneers, of adventurers and explorers, and of people who have made successful and unsuccessful trips down the river. He gently pulls one of his favorites from the shelf. It’s "Mostly Mississippi" by Harold Speakman, the book that most greatly influenced his love of Mississippi River literature. Next, he retrieves a copy of "Mississippi Solo" by Eddie Harris and pulls out a hand-written note from the author from its pages, and then "Old Glory" by Johnathan Raban. It was this book that really piqued his interest in reading and collecting books on the Mississippi River. The reason, he says, is because it angered him in that it portrayed people who live along the river as simple and ignorant, which is contrary to what he knows them to be and contrary to the accounts of nearly every other author who has penned a Mississippi River travelogue.

At 56, Coleman is a soft-spoken man who loves what he does. He grew up in St. Paul’s West End and spent his youth exploring the caves in the bluffs, hiking along and boating on the river, and getting into a certain amount of mischief, such as the time he and his friends sunk a barge.

"Not one of my finer moments," he recalled, with a boyish sparkle in his eyes.

He continues to enjoy the river by hiking its banks with his dog Finbar—Hidden Falls is his favorite area—and canoeing in the summertime and cross-country skiing in the winter.

Coleman is one of the rare few who have turned an avocation into a vocation. He essentially designed his own degree from the University of Minnesota, with an emphasis on history. He graduated in 1978 and was hired by the Minnesota Historical Society shortly thereafter.

"I actually get paid to do things that I do anyway," quips Coleman. Some of his duties include scouring used book stores for rare titles, reading book reviews and attending antiquarian book fairs. When he finds a treasure, he must often seek private donations to purchase it for the State. His most recent acquisition was a rare 1765 French globe, which cost $70,000. This globe may be part of the new Cartography display—Minnesota on the Map: Four Centuries of Maps from the Minnesota Historical Society Collection—which opens February 28 at the Minnesota History Center. Coleman is also the map curator for the Society and is responsible for organizing this new exhibit. Many of the maps in the display will feature the Mississippi River, he said.

"The Historical Society has one of the best collections of books on the river that I know of," said Coleman. "We also have a large collection of artwork and other artifacts of the river. Most of it is in storage but the public is welcome to come down anytime to view them."

River readers’ list

Coleman has assembled a Mississippi River bibliography. Here is his recommendation to add to your reading list, as well as suggestions from other professionals who are intimate with the river. Enjoy!

Patrick K. Coleman

Acquisitions librarian for the Minnesota Historical Society

Title and summary: "Mostly Mississippi" by Harold Speakman. Designed and illustrated with drawings by Speakman and his wife, Russell Lindsay Speakman, this book chronicles the couple’s river trip from the headwaters in Itasca to New Orleans.  The first leg of the journey—from Itasca to the Twin Cities—was in a canoe, and the remainder of the trip was in a 20-foot houseboat.  Along the way, they meet (and sketch) a number of interesting people.

This is one of the earliest accounts of a "recreational" trip down the river and creates a template for all other writers. All the themes that the Mississippi demands of an author are in this book—Native Americans, Mark Twain, race, the Civil War, the hardscrabble lives of some river denizens.   "Mostly Mississippi" piqued my interest in both the natural river and the historic river. Their trip runs just downstream from the devastating floods of 1927, which means that the federal government had yet to invest heavily in controlling the waters. This is the book that inspired me to identify, collect and read all of the published accounts of travel down the Mississippi. Time will tell if the inspiration leads to following the authors."    

Title and summary: "River Journey," by Clarence Jonk. Jonk had high dreams of living cheaply and carefree during the Great Depression by building a boat and floating it down the entire length of the Mississippi River. However, his boat construction and trip planning skills were lacking, which led him to a series of adventures and misadventures on the river.

How has this book influenced you and your views about the Mississippi River? "Unlike so many travel account writers, Jonk does not try to parrot Mark Twain or play into the many clichés about the river that Twain’s works have spawned. Jonk takes a simple, naive, yet passionate look at travel on the river. He gives the reader a great sense of the time in which he is traveling (the Great Depression) and demonstrates a genuine reverence for the river. The Mississippi’s long adventure is central to the American story, and Jonk understood this at the same time he was writing himself into that story. From his book the reader learns about river pollution, the river’s role in getting around Prohibition, what the river was like on the eve of the 9-Foot Channel project and more.

Title: "River of History: A Historic Resources Study of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area," by John Anfinson

"Easy answer; everyone knows the Mississippi River is an American treasure, and John’s book tells you why in amazing detail. Clearly the Mississippi River is one of the world’s great rivers. I see now why we at the National Park Service need to continue to deliver the stories so everyone who wants to know can be told to understand and appreciate this great resource, which luckily for us is right in our front yard. The river and its watershed are so big that it literally connects most of the country. We ought to pay more attention to it."

Title and summary: "River of Conflict, River of Dreams," by Bilione Young. This book provides a detailed history of 300 years on the Upper Mississippi.

"The author draws the reader into dramatic moments in the history of the Upper Mississippi River.  She begins her book by telling the story of Mary Gibbs, the first female parks commissioner, who in 1903 at the tender age of 24, took on the lumber barons, whose dam just below Lake Itasca was flooding Itasca park.  At gunpoint, she grabbed the lever to release the flood gates and declared that the flooding would end and the park would be protected.  This single incident was illustrative of the many times opposing visions for the river came into conflict with one another.  Both the parks commissioner and the lumbermen had a vision for ‘putting the river to good use.’  Young’s book reminds us how this has been the case over many centuries and in many contexts, and how we might expect these dreams and conflicts to emerge again in the future."

Title and summary: "Life on the Mississippi," by Mark Twain. Originally published in 1883, this book details Twain’s experiences as a steamboat pilot and river traveler. It is filled with humorous anecdotes and folktales of life on and along the river. Some of these experiences influenced his classic, "Huckleberry Finn," and helped make Twain one of the most popular humorists of his time.

How has this book influenced you and your views about the Mississippi River? "It is a classic. It is funny, poignant and helped establish the Mississippi’s place in the American imagination. I think the way that book affected me was to create for me the sense of this big natural system that affects and is affected by so many communities and so many people."

The river as a classroom
New charter school to open this fall with a focus on the Mississippi River
Tim Spitzack
Editor

A group of high school students pile out of a van and onto the boat landing in Lilydale Regional Park, where a flotilla of canoes awaits them. It is 9 a.m. on a sunny September day and a retired man watches the scene unfold as he pulls his tackle and fishing pole from the trunk of his car. He casts a skeptical eye toward them and wonders why the kids are not in school.

This is a scene that could occur this fall with the opening of River’s Edge Academy, a new tuition free, public charter school that is using the Mississippi River as one of its classrooms. After years of preparation, and a one-year delay in opening, it is set to open in September with 120 students in grades 9-11. A location has not yet been selected but it is expected to be on the West Side.

Leading the way is Principal Meghan Cavalier, who lives in South St. Paul. She comes from Bethany Academy in Bloomington, where she served as science teacher and principal since 2006. Cavalier has a degree in science education and master’s in education administration from Bethel University. In addition, she is enrolled in the doctoral program there for K-12 administration to earn superintendent licensure.

Cavalier was attracted to River’s Edge because it combines her love of science, the environment and the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound experiential method of learning, which is an approach that uses interactive experiences to help illustrate learning. For example, instead of merely reading about the effects of current flow from a text book, students will go down to the river and conduct experiments there.

"I’m really excited and pleased to take this position," said Cavalier. "It is a great concept that is a great fit for me. It applies my entire background in environment, science and the small school aspect."

Cavalier will supervise six teachers and two administrative professionals, and will receive support from her 10 board members, including board chair Ken Hanson, who is assistant vice principal at Central High School in St. Paul.

"We have high expectations for our students," said Cavalier. "We have a great board of directors who are working as a team and putting in checks and balances. That’s important and something that we’re committed to." Those checks and balances are there to ensure all students meet Minnesota state educational standards.

A primary goal at River’s Edge is to maintain a small learning environment, with a student-to-teacher ratio of 20:1. It plans to add grade 12 but will never become larger than 300 students. It is the first Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound high school in the Twin Cities, offering a curriculum that is project-based and focused on the environment and the Mississippi River.

"We will be out of the building on a field trip weekly, and have one culminating project every quarter," said Cavalier. "The Mississippi River has so much history and culture for St. Paul, and to cultures throughout time. For River’s Edge, it will allow us to create awareness of who we are and where we’re from."

Jeanne Morris of St. Paul will be sending her son John, now a ninth grader, to River’s Edge Academy next fall. She enrolled him for the 2008-2009 school year and was disappointed when she learned that the opening would delayed one year due to lack of students. The school needs at least 60 students to open and it missed that mark last fall. However, she was so enthusiastic about the school’s approach that she volunteered to become a board member to help interview teachers, recruit students and find a facility.

"The people who started the school are awesome people," said Morris. "I really like working with these people. They are so bright and enthusiastic and have so much to offer."

Morris is a firm believer in the charter school movement, even though her son John transferred from another charter school to Central High School in December due to lack of structure at his previous school. She became a fan of charter schools after sending her daughter to one in St. Paul. She attended her junior and senior years there and "really blossomed and turned around her attitude about learning," said Morris. She believes River’s Edge will do the same for John, who enjoys outdoor activities.

"It’s a more fun-type of learning and will carry over to adult life and have real life applications," Morris said of the experiential learning method.

Audubon Center of the Northwoods, an environmental group based in Sandstone, Minn., is the school’s sponsor. For more information, call 651-894-3357 or visit www.riversedgeacademy.org.

The fate of a historic Mississippi River bridge hangs in the balance

If funding sources can be found, an abandoned bridge could be turned into a public amenity
Tim Spitzack
Editor

As the Mississippi River slowly freezes below the Rock Island Railroad Bridge, talks are heating up between Dakota and Washington counties on what to do with the 114-year-old swing bridge, located between Inver Grove Heights and Newport. Dakota County is exploring reuse options to transform the structure into a park amenity, and the National Park Service (NPS) is excited about that possibility. However, both counties are responsible for maintaining the bridge and are feeling pressure from the State and the U.S. Coast Guard to either fix the bridge or demolish it. Removal costs are estimated at $2.5 million, while reuse costs could be $5 to $8 million.

Inherited problem

The bridge, most recently known as the J.A.R. Toll Bridge, was closed in 1999 after the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) inspected it and determined it was unsafe. Unable to pay for its renovation, the former owners forfeited the bridge to the State after not paying taxes on the property. The State, in turn, told the counties that they were responsible for its maintenance. With the bridge closed, the U.S. Coast Guard wants it removed, saying it is a navigational hazard.

According to Wayne Sandberg, deputy director of Public Works for Washington County, the County has wanted to tear down the bridge for the past several years but has put off that decision to allow other parties to come up with a better reuse plan, and the funds to implement it. Now, he says, it’s time for action. If no one steps forward soon, the County expects to start the demolition project next November, after the end of the shipping season.

"We’ve been pushing off that (demolition) date to allow others to come forward. Now, we feel we’ve done our due diligence," said Sandberg. "It would have been nice to see this bridge become a public amenity, but in Washington County that’s not going to happen."

The reason is because the land leading to the approach on the Washington County side is part of a security perimeter around the adjacent Marathon-Ashland refinery, created following the 2001 terrorist attacks on America. Washington County closed the road leading to the bridge so there is no access to it and no chance of creating county park land around it.

The western approach is a different story. This approach is owned by Dakota County and still has easy accessibility. A 2007 feasibility study commissioned through a joint agreement between Washington and Dakota counties presented some creative reuse ideas for the bridge, including transforming it into a pedestrian walkway with overlooks, interpretative displays, fishing access, and use as a trailhead for the Mississippi River Regional Trail.

Sandberg agrees that’s a great idea, but to do so, Dakota County or the National Park Service would have to own the entire bridge. From Washington County’s point of view, it’s all or nothing. The reasons have to do with both economics and public safety.

"It’d be great if someone would come and save this thing. It’s got a great history, but it’s also a public hazard," said Sandberg. "The bridge is unsafe for traffic. It’s fracture-critical, so if one portion goes, it all goes."

Currently, the swing portion is in the open position and he’s heard reports of boaters tying up to it and climbing on the structure. On the western side, efforts to keep people of the bridge have been unsuccessful. The potential for problems are many since some of the wooden fencing on the bridge has been destroyed and the end of the bridge does not have a railing or barricade to keep someone from falling off the end.

Nonetheless, Dakota County is continuing to explore both reuse and demolition options.

"The County is looking at what decisions need to be made and what the County’s role is," said Lynn Thompson, acting physical development director for Dakota County. She described it as a complex issue that needs further exploration before the County takes an official position.

What if…

Paul Labovitz, superintendent for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a 72-mile stretch of the river in the Twin Cities metro area that is managed by the NPS, has been involved in discussions with both counties about the bridge. He and other park rangers led a public tour of the site in late October and are excited about the possibility of turning the bridge into part of the park system. He said the views from the bridge are spectacular and that using it as a park structure would allow more people to experience the river in a number of unique ways, from fishing and bird-watching to using it as a venue for art displays, concerts and other special events.

"We had over 1,000 people there and we had a mixed bag of reactions, but all positive," said Labovitz of the event. Reactions, he said, ranged from recounting personal experiences on the bridge to the awe from seeing the surrounding life and vitality of the river, which that day included a soaring bald eagle, a man kayaking underneath the bridge, a duck hunter in a camouflage boat and a barge passing by.

Labovitz said the Park Service is very interested in the reuse of the bridge and is encouraging county officials to pause and take some more time to consider all options, and to get more public feedback.

"There is concern that the public process that led to the decision to demolish it wasn’t publicized well enough and didn’t give people enough of a chance to comment on it," he said.

When asked about funding, Labovitz pointed to potential grant programs available through the National Park Service, but speculated that if any federal dollars were used that they would likely come through transportation funds.

Historical significance

The bridge has a colorful and storied history. When it was built, it was said to be the world’s largest swing bridge, featuring a 2-deck design that allowed passenger trains to traverse the river on the upper deck and passenger traffic on the lower deck. It has been reported to be the last operating swing bridge and toll bridge in the Twin Cities, and legend has it that gangster John Dillinger crossed the bridge in the 1930s while fleeing from the police.

According to Sandberg, the Pacific Railroad and Chicago Rock Island Railroad closed the tracks in 1982. Labovitz said there is a national bridge preservation organization that is looking at steps to preserve the bridge for its historical significance.

Mississippi River water quality addressed in proposed state amendment
Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to appear on election ballot
Tim Spitzack
Editor

This summer the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued a water quality report on Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and streams, and the findings were startling. The report said 510 lakes and 336 rivers have "impaired" water quality issues, including the Mississippi River which is 58 percent impaired in the metro area and 82 percent in the state. "Impaired" means that the water quality is below state standards for public use. For example, in the St. Paul area, swimming and eating fish from the river are not recommended due to high levels of PCBs and fecal coliform.

Water quality has attracted the attention of state legislators, who are now grappling with the issue and are looking to voters for help. It’s difficult to determine just how serious the issue is since less than 18 percent of the state’s lakes and less than 14 percent of its rivers have been tested. However, of those tested, 40 percent of them don’t meet water quality standards, according to Jennifer Maleitzke, MPCA spokesperson. The MPCA water quality report is released every two years, and this year 297 new lakes or rivers were added to the list.

Those figures have sparked enough concern that the Legislature is placing a state constitutional amendment on the ballot on November 4 to ask taxpayers to help fund programs to clean up our waterways over the next 25 years, and support other environmental and cultural programs. A constitutional amendment is the only way the Legislature can earmark funds for a specific purpose and ensure that money is not diverted from other programs.

The ballot question will appear this way:

Clean Water, Wildlife, Cultural Heritage, and Natural Areas

Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to dedicate funding to protect our drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore our wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve our arts and cultural heritage; to support our parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore our lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater by increasing the sales and use tax rate beginning July 1, 2009, by three-eighths of one percent on taxable sales until the year 2034?

Voting yes to the amendment means you agree that it’s a good idea for the state to impose a three-eighths-of-one percent sales tax from July 1, 2009 to 2034 to support clean water, wildlife, cultural heritage and natural areas. If you vote no, you are rejecting a tax increase. If you leave the question blank, your ballot is counted as a no vote.

If the amendment passes, residents would pay an additional 3.8 cents on every $10 purchase that is subject to sales tax. This will generate about $300 million a year, which the amendment requires would be distributed as such: 33 percent for water quality, 33 percent for wildlife habitat, 19.75 percent for arts and cultural resources, and 14.25 percent for parks and trails.

Opponents of the amendment, such as the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, a non-profit taxpayer advocacy group, say raising taxes during these difficult economic times is irresponsible and that Minnesotans are already subject to high sales tax rates—Minnesota has the sixth highest sales tax rate in the country. They also point out that the Legislature has amended the constitution four times in the last ten years for environmental causes. In 1988, it was amended to establish the Minnesota Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund; in 1990 to dedicate 40 percent of the state Lottery proceeds to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund until the year 2001; and in 1998 to extend the use of the Lottery for the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund, and to preserve hunting and fishing heritage.

According to State Representative Rick Hansen, DFL, co-author of the amendment, Minnesota currently spends about $287 million annually on the environment, funded through the state budget and bonding bills. He said the amendment is needed because the portion of the state budget for environmental programs has decreased by 50 percent over the past 20 years, and he expects that downward trend to continue. The Minnesota Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund will supply over $51 million toward environmental programs for the next two years, beginning July 1, 2009. The fund is financed through the state Lottery and the distribution amount is determined biannually by the Legislature.

The idea for the amendment was first presented by sportsmens’ groups, but has since gained support from environmental and cultural organizations. Hansen believes it has such strong appeal because it will benefit our economy, tourism and quality of life.

"We have blues, greens, camouflage and blaze orange all working on this," said Hansen, who represents West St. Paul, Mendota, Mendota Heights, Lilydale, and portions of South St. Paul and Eagan.

Hansen said the amendment is very specific on how the funding would be spent. For example, the funds for water quality must be for clean-up efforts and programs that protect or restore water quality and drinking sources. The wildlife funding must be used to preserve wetlands, prairies, forests and wildlife habitat, and the parks funding for the maintenance and construction of regional and state trails. The arts funding is only for programs that support arts education, access and preservation of cultural heritage.