WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett for 4/1/2015 Aitkin Independent Age
WAITING FOR ICE OUT
Whatever you think about the global climate today, the weather for North Central Minnesota, in the winter season that just ended, has been unusual. November was cold and snowy, with a heavy snow just before the ice formed on many lakes by mid-month. Since then we had very little precipitation, effectively doing away with snowmobiling and cross country skiing for winter tourists. But the cold temperatures over the winter have kept the heating season close to normal, and there is plenty of propane this year.
Now with reports of drought and with the wetlands lower and drier than usual, we are wishing for moisture. From record high lake levels in Summer 2012 to rivers and lakes that now are headed below normal, we listen to weather forecasts eagerly, as gardeners make their plans. Some of us are figuring how to repair the unusual shoreline damage caused by very thick lake ice that pushed into the beaches in January. Without snow cover, this thick lake ice expanded and contracted, cracked and formed ice ridges, shoving aside trees, steps, walls, and decks. Before we can put out docks and begin boating, repairs must be made. This early Spring 2015 is one for the record books for the amount of lake ice wreckage on many northern lakes. Ice out cannot come too soon this year.
PROTECT OUR WATERS
The following protective actions against aquatic invasive species (AIS) are required by state law.
Clean visible aquatic plants, zebra mussels, and other prohibited invasive species off all watercraft, trailers, and water-related equipment before leaving a water access or shoreland property. It is illegal to transport them whether dead or alive.
Drain water-related equipment (boat, ballast tanks, portable bait containers, motor) and drain, bilge, livewell, and baitwell by removing drain plugs before leaving a water access or shoreland property. Keep drain plugs out and water-draining devices open while transporting watercraft. It is illegal to transport a watercraft without draining water.
We will have an active campaign to protect our waters against these aggressive invasive species this spring, summer, and fall. Inspectors will be active at the busiest public access points, but every shoreland property owner has a duty to learn about this threat to all our waters and insure that all water-related equipment at their shore is compliant.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
SHORELAND GUIDE
WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett A column for the 3/4/2015 Aitkin Independent Age
A SHORELAND GUIDE
About eight years ago money was available to protect the waters in the Big Sandy Watershed. State agencies were funding personnel and publications with an interest in teaching residents along the shorelines how to care for their land and improve the water quality. A couple thousand copies of the "Shoreland Homeowner’s Guide to Lake Stewardship" were published in 2007, with funding from the state’s Clean Water Partnership Grant Fund, for property owners in the watershed. With extra printed copies of this Guide we have spread this valuable document around to many county lake associations in the years since it first came out.
The Guide gives instructions on how to curb pollution and reduce runoff; how to maintain a natural shoreline, and provides a useful checklist, for new and long-time lake residents, about questions we all have when living on a lake.
TIME FOR AN UPDATE
This 16-page Guide from 2007 has been completely given out, and it is time for a new revision. Fortunately, there is adequate funding available now from the state, through the Clean Water Legacy Fund, as well as Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) funding. Using these funds Aitkin County can update this Guide and include a new section containing the latest information dealing with invasive species. Lake Association representatives will be cooperating with county officials in Zoning and Soil and Water, to put an updated Shoreland Guide into service in our lake country.
A NATURAL SHORELINE
Preserving or restoring a natural shoreline is the best way to keep the shore from eroding. Buffers along the shoreline have these benefits:
Less time spent mowing and more time to enjoy the lake. Attracts birds and butterflies. Enhances the lake view by adding interest, texture, and color. Provides more privacy. Protecting water quality protects real estate value. Taller native plants create a biological barrier to Canada geese. Well-established emergent aquatic plants discourage non-native invasive species.
A SHORELAND GUIDE
About eight years ago money was available to protect the waters in the Big Sandy Watershed. State agencies were funding personnel and publications with an interest in teaching residents along the shorelines how to care for their land and improve the water quality. A couple thousand copies of the "Shoreland Homeowner’s Guide to Lake Stewardship" were published in 2007, with funding from the state’s Clean Water Partnership Grant Fund, for property owners in the watershed. With extra printed copies of this Guide we have spread this valuable document around to many county lake associations in the years since it first came out.
The Guide gives instructions on how to curb pollution and reduce runoff; how to maintain a natural shoreline, and provides a useful checklist, for new and long-time lake residents, about questions we all have when living on a lake.
TIME FOR AN UPDATE
This 16-page Guide from 2007 has been completely given out, and it is time for a new revision. Fortunately, there is adequate funding available now from the state, through the Clean Water Legacy Fund, as well as Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) funding. Using these funds Aitkin County can update this Guide and include a new section containing the latest information dealing with invasive species. Lake Association representatives will be cooperating with county officials in Zoning and Soil and Water, to put an updated Shoreland Guide into service in our lake country.
A NATURAL SHORELINE
Preserving or restoring a natural shoreline is the best way to keep the shore from eroding. Buffers along the shoreline have these benefits:
Less time spent mowing and more time to enjoy the lake. Attracts birds and butterflies. Enhances the lake view by adding interest, texture, and color. Provides more privacy. Protecting water quality protects real estate value. Taller native plants create a biological barrier to Canada geese. Well-established emergent aquatic plants discourage non-native invasive species.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
ICE SEASON
WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett for the 2/4/2015 Aitkin Independent Age
ICE SEASON
Reports across the county are telling of a destructive ice pack on large lakes. Early cold temperatures have built thick ice. Absence of snow cover has led the exposed ice to expand and contract forcefully. Ice ridges and gaps are the result. Nothing can resist the advancing ice on a shoreline. When the thaw comes many repairs will be needed. Caution is needed now by skiers and snowmobilers. The ice is thick in many places, but it is moving - and it is far from level or smooth.
AQUATIC INVADERS SUMMIT
Over 400 attendees met at the Rivers Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud on January 20 and 21, to learn about the latest efforts in the state to combat Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in our waters. Since July 2014 state funds appropriated by the legislature have been flowing into Minnesota counties based on a formula that takes into account how many parking spaces are available at public access facilities. In Aitkin County the commissioners have appointed an AIS Committee to distribute these funds with an emphasis on local lake projects, education, prevention, inspection, and treatment where infestation occurs.
For several years the DNR has used billboards and signs and trained volunteers to persuade boat owners to clean, drain, and dry their boats and trailers, in order to “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!” Now with millions of new AIS dollars each year the campaign is being stepped up. In the Aitkin Lakes Area decontamination equipment will be purchased and deployed near the most-used accesses, where the threat from boats that come out of infested waters is the greatest.
IDENTIFY THE PESTS
There is a long list of these aquatic invaders, but clearly the most to be feared are Zebra Mussels. They are small shells that attach to native mussels, plants, watercraft, and lake equipment. They cut the feet of swimmers and dogs, clog water intakes, and damage ecosystems by reducing food for young fish. Their microscopic larvae can be moved in bait buckets, livewells, and other areas of boats and trailers, if not drained. The greatest emphasis in the AIS campaign is placed on Zebra Mussels. This species is widespread in Mille Lacs Lake.
Other dangerous species to be identified are Eurasian Watermilfoil, Curly-leaf Pondweed, Spiny Waterfleas, and Round Gobies (a bottom-dwelling fish). The invasive Silver and Big-head Carp from Asia have not traveled above the lock and dam in Minneapolis.
For a thorough look at these invaders and to see demonstrations of decontamination equipment don’t miss the Rivers and Lakes Fair at Aitkin High School on Saturday, June 20th.
ICE SEASON
Reports across the county are telling of a destructive ice pack on large lakes. Early cold temperatures have built thick ice. Absence of snow cover has led the exposed ice to expand and contract forcefully. Ice ridges and gaps are the result. Nothing can resist the advancing ice on a shoreline. When the thaw comes many repairs will be needed. Caution is needed now by skiers and snowmobilers. The ice is thick in many places, but it is moving - and it is far from level or smooth.
AQUATIC INVADERS SUMMIT
Over 400 attendees met at the Rivers Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud on January 20 and 21, to learn about the latest efforts in the state to combat Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in our waters. Since July 2014 state funds appropriated by the legislature have been flowing into Minnesota counties based on a formula that takes into account how many parking spaces are available at public access facilities. In Aitkin County the commissioners have appointed an AIS Committee to distribute these funds with an emphasis on local lake projects, education, prevention, inspection, and treatment where infestation occurs.
For several years the DNR has used billboards and signs and trained volunteers to persuade boat owners to clean, drain, and dry their boats and trailers, in order to “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!” Now with millions of new AIS dollars each year the campaign is being stepped up. In the Aitkin Lakes Area decontamination equipment will be purchased and deployed near the most-used accesses, where the threat from boats that come out of infested waters is the greatest.
IDENTIFY THE PESTS
There is a long list of these aquatic invaders, but clearly the most to be feared are Zebra Mussels. They are small shells that attach to native mussels, plants, watercraft, and lake equipment. They cut the feet of swimmers and dogs, clog water intakes, and damage ecosystems by reducing food for young fish. Their microscopic larvae can be moved in bait buckets, livewells, and other areas of boats and trailers, if not drained. The greatest emphasis in the AIS campaign is placed on Zebra Mussels. This species is widespread in Mille Lacs Lake.
Other dangerous species to be identified are Eurasian Watermilfoil, Curly-leaf Pondweed, Spiny Waterfleas, and Round Gobies (a bottom-dwelling fish). The invasive Silver and Big-head Carp from Asia have not traveled above the lock and dam in Minneapolis.
For a thorough look at these invaders and to see demonstrations of decontamination equipment don’t miss the Rivers and Lakes Fair at Aitkin High School on Saturday, June 20th.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
FISH STICKS AND ICE dec 2014
WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett for the 12/3/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
TREES AND LAKES
There are some new terms that lake people are learning with the help of DNR Fisheries. When a tree on the shoreline falls into the lake it offers a new opportunity. By leaving it in place the fallen tree provides shade and a place where a web of aquatic life can thrive.
This “Woody Habitat” is sometimes called “Woody Debris” or “Fish Sticks.” It becomes a place where a number of fish species are attracted. So the message from fish biologists is let these trees remain in the shallows. Their existing roots will hold the soil in place on shore. And you are building up your fish population. The trees and branches we leave in the water serve as a dock for turtles and kingfishers.
WALKING ON ICE
The early onset of cold weather saw the lakes freezing early. By mid November most of the Aitkin Area lakes were iced over. Without snow cover you could walk out and see the depth of cracks in the ice and look under the surface. When sunlight and temperature changes expanded or contracted the ice cover the lake began booming like a huge kettle drum. The sounds of the lake echoing around and around is one our winter pleasures.
Every year we hear warnings about the necessary thicknesses of ice for walking and skating, for driving ATVs or trucks. I like to wait until I can be certain that ice near shore is solid. With cracks and upwelling and pools of sludge, the idea of “safe ice” can be an oxymoron for snowmobiles after dark.
TREES AND LAKES
There are some new terms that lake people are learning with the help of DNR Fisheries. When a tree on the shoreline falls into the lake it offers a new opportunity. By leaving it in place the fallen tree provides shade and a place where a web of aquatic life can thrive.
This “Woody Habitat” is sometimes called “Woody Debris” or “Fish Sticks.” It becomes a place where a number of fish species are attracted. So the message from fish biologists is let these trees remain in the shallows. Their existing roots will hold the soil in place on shore. And you are building up your fish population. The trees and branches we leave in the water serve as a dock for turtles and kingfishers.
WALKING ON ICE
The early onset of cold weather saw the lakes freezing early. By mid November most of the Aitkin Area lakes were iced over. Without snow cover you could walk out and see the depth of cracks in the ice and look under the surface. When sunlight and temperature changes expanded or contracted the ice cover the lake began booming like a huge kettle drum. The sounds of the lake echoing around and around is one our winter pleasures.
Every year we hear warnings about the necessary thicknesses of ice for walking and skating, for driving ATVs or trucks. I like to wait until I can be certain that ice near shore is solid. With cracks and upwelling and pools of sludge, the idea of “safe ice” can be an oxymoron for snowmobiles after dark.
LOON WATCHERS Nov.2014
WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett for the 11/5/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
LOON WATCHERS REPORT
It’s the time of year when loon surveys by volunteers are collected in Minnesota by the DNR. After a lower count of loons in 2013 on Nord Lake, our census was back up to seven adults and two chicks in July 2014. From three nesting pairs we had one juvenile loon survive into October. After instructing their young all summer it is surprising that the adult loons leave the lake in September, and the young instinctively can fly south on their own in October.
Kevin Woizeschke is the new nongame wildlife biologist in charge of the Loon Watch program. For Aitkin County he has openings for volunteer watchers on these lakes:
Cedar, Dam, Elm Island, Fleming, Ripple, and Wilkins.
BURNING GARBAGE
There was a time when many of us old timers carried out trash and garbage to a burn barrel. And we raked piles of leaves in the fall and burned them or dumped them on vacant land. Times change, and air quality and land use practices are different today.
Today’s garbage often contains plastics, dyes, and bleached paper. In the past it was mostly plain paper, wood or glass. Burning today’s garbage may seem to reduce volume, but cancer-causing toxins, heavy metals, and waste just move into the air and soil where they can enter our food and bodies. That is why burning garbage in Minnesota is illegal, since 1969.
Safe alternatives include recycling plastics, paper, and cardboard. And using garbage and solid waste facilities as well as composting.
AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES (AIS)
Applications for AIS funding from lake associations and other groups are being sought between now and January 12, 2015. The county board of commissioners adopted an AIS Plan on October 14th to use the new state funds. Activities to combat invasives include education and prevention and watercraft inspections. A local match of 20% is required.
For details about preventing and treating aquatic invasive species see Steve Hughes at the Soil and Water Office and Terry Neff, Director of Environmental Services, at the court house.
LOON WATCHERS REPORT
It’s the time of year when loon surveys by volunteers are collected in Minnesota by the DNR. After a lower count of loons in 2013 on Nord Lake, our census was back up to seven adults and two chicks in July 2014. From three nesting pairs we had one juvenile loon survive into October. After instructing their young all summer it is surprising that the adult loons leave the lake in September, and the young instinctively can fly south on their own in October.
Kevin Woizeschke is the new nongame wildlife biologist in charge of the Loon Watch program. For Aitkin County he has openings for volunteer watchers on these lakes:
Cedar, Dam, Elm Island, Fleming, Ripple, and Wilkins.
BURNING GARBAGE
There was a time when many of us old timers carried out trash and garbage to a burn barrel. And we raked piles of leaves in the fall and burned them or dumped them on vacant land. Times change, and air quality and land use practices are different today.
Today’s garbage often contains plastics, dyes, and bleached paper. In the past it was mostly plain paper, wood or glass. Burning today’s garbage may seem to reduce volume, but cancer-causing toxins, heavy metals, and waste just move into the air and soil where they can enter our food and bodies. That is why burning garbage in Minnesota is illegal, since 1969.
Safe alternatives include recycling plastics, paper, and cardboard. And using garbage and solid waste facilities as well as composting.
AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES (AIS)
Applications for AIS funding from lake associations and other groups are being sought between now and January 12, 2015. The county board of commissioners adopted an AIS Plan on October 14th to use the new state funds. Activities to combat invasives include education and prevention and watercraft inspections. A local match of 20% is required.
For details about preventing and treating aquatic invasive species see Steve Hughes at the Soil and Water Office and Terry Neff, Director of Environmental Services, at the court house.
FRESH WATER Oct.2014
WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett a monthly column for the 10/1/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
WATER AND MORE FRESH WATER
No longer in 2014 across the “Land of Sky-Blue Waters” (Minnesota), is there any talk about drought. Since the ice went out here in late April, regular rain events right up to the beginning of Fall have measured well above normal in every month at our rain gage. Six inches in May, eight in June. Four and a half in July, seven and a half in August. For three weeks in September, five inches! That’s a total thirty one inches. The normal annual precipitation for Aitkin County, according to the DNR is just under twenty nine inches. Our vegetation is lush and already Fall color intensity has never looked brighter.
Minnesota is harvesting bumper crops of corn, beans, and wheat this year, but in the Southwestern U.S. it is extremely dry and wild fires are spreading.
HOW WE MEASURE LAKE LEVELS
Over twenty lakes in Aitkin County have been selected to be in the DNR’s Lake Level Monitoring Program. At each chosen lake they install a lake level gage. Either a permanent gage is installed on a structure such as a bridge pier or dam abutment, or a temporary gage is fastened to a steel fence post and driven into the lake bed at a convenient location. Temporary lake gages are surveyed and checked by DNR crews in the Spring. Lake level gages are read by volunteers within 12 to 24 hours after a substantial rain event, and on a weekly basis.
USES OF WATER LEVEL DATA
Fluctuations of lake levels are important to document in permanent and credible public records. Lakeshore properties may be adversely affected by fluctuations causing either flooding or access problems. A lake level range of 1 foot to 2 feet each year is typical, but historically much greater fluctuations have occurred. Human activities like dams and culverts, as well as beaver activity may also affect lake levels. A ten-year graph of monitored lake levels can be found on the Lake Finder Page from the DNR website.
WATER AND MORE FRESH WATER
No longer in 2014 across the “Land of Sky-Blue Waters” (Minnesota), is there any talk about drought. Since the ice went out here in late April, regular rain events right up to the beginning of Fall have measured well above normal in every month at our rain gage. Six inches in May, eight in June. Four and a half in July, seven and a half in August. For three weeks in September, five inches! That’s a total thirty one inches. The normal annual precipitation for Aitkin County, according to the DNR is just under twenty nine inches. Our vegetation is lush and already Fall color intensity has never looked brighter.
Minnesota is harvesting bumper crops of corn, beans, and wheat this year, but in the Southwestern U.S. it is extremely dry and wild fires are spreading.
HOW WE MEASURE LAKE LEVELS
Over twenty lakes in Aitkin County have been selected to be in the DNR’s Lake Level Monitoring Program. At each chosen lake they install a lake level gage. Either a permanent gage is installed on a structure such as a bridge pier or dam abutment, or a temporary gage is fastened to a steel fence post and driven into the lake bed at a convenient location. Temporary lake gages are surveyed and checked by DNR crews in the Spring. Lake level gages are read by volunteers within 12 to 24 hours after a substantial rain event, and on a weekly basis.
USES OF WATER LEVEL DATA
Fluctuations of lake levels are important to document in permanent and credible public records. Lakeshore properties may be adversely affected by fluctuations causing either flooding or access problems. A lake level range of 1 foot to 2 feet each year is typical, but historically much greater fluctuations have occurred. Human activities like dams and culverts, as well as beaver activity may also affect lake levels. A ten-year graph of monitored lake levels can be found on the Lake Finder Page from the DNR website.
OIL AN WATER Jan.2015
WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett A monthly column for the 1/7/2015 Aitkin Independent Age
OIL AND WATER
Much ink has been used to describe what the Canadian firm Enbridge Inc. wants to do with its pipelines across Minnesota. As of December 2014 Enbridge is petitioning the Public Utilities Commission in Minnesota to allow a newly-proposed Sandpiper Pipeline Project to cross the center of Aitkin County. At first this new corridor was to transport light crude oil from the Bakken Formation in North Dakota. In recent months Enbridge has added a replacement 36-inch diameter pipeline (Line 3) into the requested Sandpiper Corridor. This oil is diluted bitumen from the Athabasca Tar Sands of Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Our county commissioners are in favor of a positive decision by the Minnesota PUC, citing several millions in tax revenue from the North Dakota oil flowing through Aitkin County. Opponents testifying before the county board and the PUC refer to oil leaks and spills from Enbridge pipelines in recent times. Both the light crude oil and the heavy bitumen pose threats to Aitkin County’s rivers and wetlands when leaking from beneath the surface. Normal depth of pipe is about four feet, but when crossing the Mississippi River below Palisade, Sandpiper will tunnel down to 30 feet beneath the river bed.
Enbridge claims they operate their lines safely today and have invested in new technology and control centers to detect any interruptions. The Line 3 pipe is 46 years old and must be operated at reduced capacity on its 34-inch diameter pipe. Inspection digs are scheduled to check on its condition. When this line is replaced it will be emptied and cleaned; then left in the ground.
WHAT ABOUT REFINERIES?
Currently the heavy Canadian Oil is transported to the nearest refineries at Superior, Wisconsin, and Rosemount, Minnesota. However, the three native tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota have plans to build an oil refinery. The economics of the global oil marketplace are changing with increasing supply from North America. The price of a barrel of crude oil has been cut in half in 2014 - from $110 down to under $55 per barrel. Extracting the sand and clay from the Alberta open pits and piping light crude up to the tar pits so a diluted mixture will flow through a pipeline is costly.
Similarly, in North Dakota large quantities of water under high pressure, mixed with volatile organic compounds and quartz sand from Wisconsin sand mines, are injected in wells two miles deep to fracture or separate the tightly-bound shale and oil. Not the least of the costs for this new oil source is the production water required and the disposal and treatment of waste water.
Then there is costly “Off-shore oil,” raised from distant ocean platforms. Scientists have tracked our Common Loons from Minnesota to their winter homes in the Gulf of Mexico - the very region where the BP oil platforms exploded and leaked. The dispersants used on that fugitive oil made the harm to coastal wetlands worse than if it had sunk to the bottom. We have indications that BP’s spill may be responsible for recent lower loon counts.
Petroleum engineers can produce oil much cheaper from the vast shallow reserves in Saudi Arabia and Iran than from other global suppliers. As North America moves towards “Energy Independence” and starts producing oil and gas for export, we can begin to see the effect on some other natural resources - clean water and wildlife.
OIL AND WATER
Much ink has been used to describe what the Canadian firm Enbridge Inc. wants to do with its pipelines across Minnesota. As of December 2014 Enbridge is petitioning the Public Utilities Commission in Minnesota to allow a newly-proposed Sandpiper Pipeline Project to cross the center of Aitkin County. At first this new corridor was to transport light crude oil from the Bakken Formation in North Dakota. In recent months Enbridge has added a replacement 36-inch diameter pipeline (Line 3) into the requested Sandpiper Corridor. This oil is diluted bitumen from the Athabasca Tar Sands of Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Our county commissioners are in favor of a positive decision by the Minnesota PUC, citing several millions in tax revenue from the North Dakota oil flowing through Aitkin County. Opponents testifying before the county board and the PUC refer to oil leaks and spills from Enbridge pipelines in recent times. Both the light crude oil and the heavy bitumen pose threats to Aitkin County’s rivers and wetlands when leaking from beneath the surface. Normal depth of pipe is about four feet, but when crossing the Mississippi River below Palisade, Sandpiper will tunnel down to 30 feet beneath the river bed.
Enbridge claims they operate their lines safely today and have invested in new technology and control centers to detect any interruptions. The Line 3 pipe is 46 years old and must be operated at reduced capacity on its 34-inch diameter pipe. Inspection digs are scheduled to check on its condition. When this line is replaced it will be emptied and cleaned; then left in the ground.
WHAT ABOUT REFINERIES?
Currently the heavy Canadian Oil is transported to the nearest refineries at Superior, Wisconsin, and Rosemount, Minnesota. However, the three native tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota have plans to build an oil refinery. The economics of the global oil marketplace are changing with increasing supply from North America. The price of a barrel of crude oil has been cut in half in 2014 - from $110 down to under $55 per barrel. Extracting the sand and clay from the Alberta open pits and piping light crude up to the tar pits so a diluted mixture will flow through a pipeline is costly.
Similarly, in North Dakota large quantities of water under high pressure, mixed with volatile organic compounds and quartz sand from Wisconsin sand mines, are injected in wells two miles deep to fracture or separate the tightly-bound shale and oil. Not the least of the costs for this new oil source is the production water required and the disposal and treatment of waste water.
Then there is costly “Off-shore oil,” raised from distant ocean platforms. Scientists have tracked our Common Loons from Minnesota to their winter homes in the Gulf of Mexico - the very region where the BP oil platforms exploded and leaked. The dispersants used on that fugitive oil made the harm to coastal wetlands worse than if it had sunk to the bottom. We have indications that BP’s spill may be responsible for recent lower loon counts.
Petroleum engineers can produce oil much cheaper from the vast shallow reserves in Saudi Arabia and Iran than from other global suppliers. As North America moves towards “Energy Independence” and starts producing oil and gas for export, we can begin to see the effect on some other natural resources - clean water and wildlife.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
SIXTH GRADERS Sept.2014
WATERWORKS a column by Gordon Prickett for the 9/3/2014
Aitkin Independent Age
SIXTH GRADERS RETURN TO LONG LAKE
On Monday and Tuesday, September 15th and 16th, sixth graders across Aitkin County will again experience an Environmental Education Day at Long Lake Conservation Center, for the 20th time in as many years. Last year 127 students from Aitkin, Hill City, and McGregor schools spent the day at Long Lake Conservation Center. They enjoyed a hands-on lab experiment about Lake Bottom Organisms, presentations by the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Minnesota Zoo, and a unique presentation about Frogs and Toads in Minnesota. This special program serves to kickoff their year’s science education.
This Environmental Education Day is hosted by Aitkin County Environmental Services and the Long Lake Conservation Center with the help of donations from county lake associations. At this environmental gem in our county we are making a contribution for conservation, ecology, clean water, and habitat into the future.
DECISIONS ABOUT OIL AND WATER
There’s a new crude oil pipeline called Sandpiper that is being planned across Minnesota. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will decide sometime next year whether Enbridge Energy, a Canadian company, will be permitted to lay about 400 miles of pipe in Minnesota to move oil from North Dakota to Superior, Wisconsin. The first decision is whether this oil supply line is necessary, and the second decision is approval of the proposed route.
Sandpiper, as proposed, will cross 42 miles of Aitkin County. It will bring local jobs, lease payments to land owners, tax money to governments and schools, And the chance of oil spills and leaks into our habitat of lakes, woods, and wetlands. At this time there are alternate routes being considered that avoid Aitkin County. This light crude oil from the Bakken Formation is moving across the midwest now by rail to refineries and terminals.
Citizens are hearing from many voices about the benefits of a pipeline here, and what happens if it ruptures. I expect to hear much more before the questions are decided.
Aitkin Independent Age
SIXTH GRADERS RETURN TO LONG LAKE
On Monday and Tuesday, September 15th and 16th, sixth graders across Aitkin County will again experience an Environmental Education Day at Long Lake Conservation Center, for the 20th time in as many years. Last year 127 students from Aitkin, Hill City, and McGregor schools spent the day at Long Lake Conservation Center. They enjoyed a hands-on lab experiment about Lake Bottom Organisms, presentations by the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Minnesota Zoo, and a unique presentation about Frogs and Toads in Minnesota. This special program serves to kickoff their year’s science education.
This Environmental Education Day is hosted by Aitkin County Environmental Services and the Long Lake Conservation Center with the help of donations from county lake associations. At this environmental gem in our county we are making a contribution for conservation, ecology, clean water, and habitat into the future.
DECISIONS ABOUT OIL AND WATER
There’s a new crude oil pipeline called Sandpiper that is being planned across Minnesota. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will decide sometime next year whether Enbridge Energy, a Canadian company, will be permitted to lay about 400 miles of pipe in Minnesota to move oil from North Dakota to Superior, Wisconsin. The first decision is whether this oil supply line is necessary, and the second decision is approval of the proposed route.
Sandpiper, as proposed, will cross 42 miles of Aitkin County. It will bring local jobs, lease payments to land owners, tax money to governments and schools, And the chance of oil spills and leaks into our habitat of lakes, woods, and wetlands. At this time there are alternate routes being considered that avoid Aitkin County. This light crude oil from the Bakken Formation is moving across the midwest now by rail to refineries and terminals.
Citizens are hearing from many voices about the benefits of a pipeline here, and what happens if it ruptures. I expect to hear much more before the questions are decided.
Monday, August 4, 2014
THOUGHTS OUT ON THE WATER
A Waterworks column by Gordon Prickett for the 8/6/2014 Aitkin Independent Age.
As my canoe rolls in the wake of a wake boarder, I turn to stay upright, and begin pitching in the waves. Now I remember the fun we used to have as teenagers at a lake cabin behind a fast boat on water skis. On a summer weekend paddling a canoe or kayak is best done in the early morning.
Boaters here have been pretty good at practicing courtesy, looking out for small craft and the loons. One of our nesting pairs had a successful hatch this summer, and their two juvenile loons are now getting diving lessons so they can soon feed themselves.
STATE FUNDING FOR AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES (AIS)
The state legislature has appropriated funds for combating invasive species, and the money became available starting this July. For Aitkin County over $120,000 is available in the first year, and more than $270,000 may be granted in following years. Local units of government need to forward requests for this project money, and they will be the fiscal agents.
In Aitkin County the Soil and Water Conservation District and the Environmental Services Department are the key places where we can go for assistance with invasives in our lakes and rivers.
Project ideas for prevention and education about aquatic invasive species, such as zebra mussels and curly leaf pondweed, will be welcomed, as well as treatment projects when and where they are discovered. Portable boat washing stations are a possibility.
ELECTIONS ARE COMING
With the Primary on August 12th and the General Election November 4th, there is no better time than right now to seek out the candidates and incumbents with your questions and opinions. Within one block of the downtown stoplight in Aitkin the two major political parties can be found in their temporary offices. Just look for all the signs in their windows. This is the best time to raise your most important issue with the candidates and their volunteers - when they are looking to meet and talk with voters.
Here is my issue list for starters: clean water, good jobs here, copper-nickel-platinum mining exploration, the Sandpiper Pipeline Project by Enbridge Energy, rail haulage of coal and crude oil and the danger of derailments, the safety of oil and gasoline trucks on our highways and bridges.
As we consider America becoming independent of fossil fuels from overseas, a major question for me as I fill my propane tank and gas up my boat motor, lawn mower, and vehicles, is how do we increase the safety of producing and moving this petroleum product?
As my canoe rolls in the wake of a wake boarder, I turn to stay upright, and begin pitching in the waves. Now I remember the fun we used to have as teenagers at a lake cabin behind a fast boat on water skis. On a summer weekend paddling a canoe or kayak is best done in the early morning.
Boaters here have been pretty good at practicing courtesy, looking out for small craft and the loons. One of our nesting pairs had a successful hatch this summer, and their two juvenile loons are now getting diving lessons so they can soon feed themselves.
STATE FUNDING FOR AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES (AIS)
The state legislature has appropriated funds for combating invasive species, and the money became available starting this July. For Aitkin County over $120,000 is available in the first year, and more than $270,000 may be granted in following years. Local units of government need to forward requests for this project money, and they will be the fiscal agents.
In Aitkin County the Soil and Water Conservation District and the Environmental Services Department are the key places where we can go for assistance with invasives in our lakes and rivers.
Project ideas for prevention and education about aquatic invasive species, such as zebra mussels and curly leaf pondweed, will be welcomed, as well as treatment projects when and where they are discovered. Portable boat washing stations are a possibility.
ELECTIONS ARE COMING
With the Primary on August 12th and the General Election November 4th, there is no better time than right now to seek out the candidates and incumbents with your questions and opinions. Within one block of the downtown stoplight in Aitkin the two major political parties can be found in their temporary offices. Just look for all the signs in their windows. This is the best time to raise your most important issue with the candidates and their volunteers - when they are looking to meet and talk with voters.
Here is my issue list for starters: clean water, good jobs here, copper-nickel-platinum mining exploration, the Sandpiper Pipeline Project by Enbridge Energy, rail haulage of coal and crude oil and the danger of derailments, the safety of oil and gasoline trucks on our highways and bridges.
As we consider America becoming independent of fossil fuels from overseas, a major question for me as I fill my propane tank and gas up my boat motor, lawn mower, and vehicles, is how do we increase the safety of producing and moving this petroleum product?
Friday, June 27, 2014
ENBRIDGE
WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett
A Column for the 7/2/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
ENBRIDGE ENERGY CROSSING MINNESOTA
As I mentioned in my columns in March and April there is a crude oil pipeline proposed to carry oil from the Bakken oilfield in North Dakota over a new route across Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin. This is a project of Enbridge Energy, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and it is known as the Sandpiper Pipeline Project.
At the Rivers and Lakes Fair in Aitkin June 14th I sketched the 42-mile proposed Sandpiper route across our large ACLARA county map which displays our 20 member lakes. From west to east the corridor passes through these townships: Lemay, Macville, Bain, Waukenabo, Logan, Workman, Jevne, McGregor, Spalding, and Salo. There was considerable interest and discussion at the fair about Sandpiper Pipeline. Six public information meetings were held in March at the Minnesota counties along this route. The period for comment has concluded. Public hearings will be held before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission reaches its decision about the need for this pipeline and a final route.
COMMENT TO DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Following my attendance and testimony at the McGregor information meeting March 13, I wrote a letter to Larry Hartman, Environmental Review Manager, Department of Commerce, who chaired the meeting. These are some of my statements:
“I have serious reservations about the history of Lakehead Pipeline and the renamed Enbridge parent company. Their pipeline spills and cleanup attempts in recent years have left the environment of the Upper Midwest in damaged condition.”
“Aitkin County is a global bird watchers destination. We have many clean lakes and rivers that attract families looking for recreational beauty. We also have developed a thriving sustainable forest products industry. This scenic county is threatened by a future of crude oil pipelines operated by companies with a record of accidental leaks and spills.”
“Installing a pipeline and operating it here in Aitkin County, crossing the Mississippi River and passing through rich wetlands habitat and woodlands will greatly disturb wildlife and people living here.”
WHAT NEXT?
No matter what you may have heard, this is not a “done deal.” Domestic oil will be transported across the Midwest by trucks, railcars, and pipelines to terminals, tank farms, and refineries. In Minnesota there are two refineries - at St. Paul Park and at Rosemount. We need petroleum fuels. But managing this transport in the safest possible manner is a challenge for all levels of government. I urge our citizens to pay close attention to what has been proposed for Aitkin County. Your voice matters.
A Column for the 7/2/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
ENBRIDGE ENERGY CROSSING MINNESOTA
As I mentioned in my columns in March and April there is a crude oil pipeline proposed to carry oil from the Bakken oilfield in North Dakota over a new route across Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin. This is a project of Enbridge Energy, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and it is known as the Sandpiper Pipeline Project.
At the Rivers and Lakes Fair in Aitkin June 14th I sketched the 42-mile proposed Sandpiper route across our large ACLARA county map which displays our 20 member lakes. From west to east the corridor passes through these townships: Lemay, Macville, Bain, Waukenabo, Logan, Workman, Jevne, McGregor, Spalding, and Salo. There was considerable interest and discussion at the fair about Sandpiper Pipeline. Six public information meetings were held in March at the Minnesota counties along this route. The period for comment has concluded. Public hearings will be held before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission reaches its decision about the need for this pipeline and a final route.
COMMENT TO DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Following my attendance and testimony at the McGregor information meeting March 13, I wrote a letter to Larry Hartman, Environmental Review Manager, Department of Commerce, who chaired the meeting. These are some of my statements:
“I have serious reservations about the history of Lakehead Pipeline and the renamed Enbridge parent company. Their pipeline spills and cleanup attempts in recent years have left the environment of the Upper Midwest in damaged condition.”
“Aitkin County is a global bird watchers destination. We have many clean lakes and rivers that attract families looking for recreational beauty. We also have developed a thriving sustainable forest products industry. This scenic county is threatened by a future of crude oil pipelines operated by companies with a record of accidental leaks and spills.”
“Installing a pipeline and operating it here in Aitkin County, crossing the Mississippi River and passing through rich wetlands habitat and woodlands will greatly disturb wildlife and people living here.”
WHAT NEXT?
No matter what you may have heard, this is not a “done deal.” Domestic oil will be transported across the Midwest by trucks, railcars, and pipelines to terminals, tank farms, and refineries. In Minnesota there are two refineries - at St. Paul Park and at Rosemount. We need petroleum fuels. But managing this transport in the safest possible manner is a challenge for all levels of government. I urge our citizens to pay close attention to what has been proposed for Aitkin County. Your voice matters.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
RIVERS AND LAKES FAIR TIME
WATERWORKS by Gordon Prickett A column for the 6/4/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
IT’S RIVERS AND LAKES FAIR TIME
Every year at this time - for 18 years - there is a place to learn more about our lakes and rivers in Aitkin County. Because of the ventilation repairs this summer at Rippleside Elementary School, the Rivers and Lakes Fair will be at the Aitkin High School, Saturday, June 14th, from 9 am to 2 pm.
The DNR will have a live fish exhibit with some beauties they have netted nearby. The Audubon Center will bring amphibians and reptiles to meet and interact with fair goers. Lunch and snacks will be available at low cost. Minnow races and the building of bluebird and bat houses will be featured again for kids. Learn about bogs, enhancing shoreline habitat, and preventing the spread of invasive species. There will be a gym full of exhibits to show the many features of our lake country.
STORMWATER AT THE LAKE
Stormwater is rain water that does not soak into the ground during a precipitation event, and typically runs off from hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, sidewalks, and lawns into nearby receiving water bodies.
It carries sediment, pollutants, and nutrients. If not effectively managed, runoff erodes shorelines. One simple way to protect the lake from stormwater effects is to leave a “no-mow” zone of at least 15 feet along the shore, mowing just a path for beach access. This buffer zone of native growth acts to filter and absorb rainfall. Prevention of stormwater runoff can be accomplished by limiting the area of impervious surfaces, installing a rain barrel, and creating a rain garden, berm, or swale.
At the Rivers and Lakes Fair we will show some examples of stormwater treatment in the ACLARA booth.
IT’S RIVERS AND LAKES FAIR TIME
Every year at this time - for 18 years - there is a place to learn more about our lakes and rivers in Aitkin County. Because of the ventilation repairs this summer at Rippleside Elementary School, the Rivers and Lakes Fair will be at the Aitkin High School, Saturday, June 14th, from 9 am to 2 pm.
The DNR will have a live fish exhibit with some beauties they have netted nearby. The Audubon Center will bring amphibians and reptiles to meet and interact with fair goers. Lunch and snacks will be available at low cost. Minnow races and the building of bluebird and bat houses will be featured again for kids. Learn about bogs, enhancing shoreline habitat, and preventing the spread of invasive species. There will be a gym full of exhibits to show the many features of our lake country.
STORMWATER AT THE LAKE
Stormwater is rain water that does not soak into the ground during a precipitation event, and typically runs off from hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, sidewalks, and lawns into nearby receiving water bodies.
It carries sediment, pollutants, and nutrients. If not effectively managed, runoff erodes shorelines. One simple way to protect the lake from stormwater effects is to leave a “no-mow” zone of at least 15 feet along the shore, mowing just a path for beach access. This buffer zone of native growth acts to filter and absorb rainfall. Prevention of stormwater runoff can be accomplished by limiting the area of impervious surfaces, installing a rain barrel, and creating a rain garden, berm, or swale.
At the Rivers and Lakes Fair we will show some examples of stormwater treatment in the ACLARA booth.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
LOONS ARRIVE
Title: LOONS ARRIVE - A WATERWORKS column by Gordon Prickett
for the 5/7/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
OPEN WATER AND LOONS!
The ice went out on Nord Lake Monday, April 28th, and this was another year for the record books. We have records going back to 1976, and this year was definitely late for ice-out. In all that time this was the third latest date. Previously the ice has gone out on April 29, 1979, and on May 10, 2013. Summarizing all this data, we have an average ice-out date of April 15th. The earliest date in our records was March 22, 2012.
While a strong east wind was pushing high waves against the retreating ice shelf on Sunday afternoon, our first returning loon splashed down into the wind. By Wednesday our pair of loons on the east end of the lake was back together, and their calls announced the return of open water and the boating season once again.
I just received the DNR report of the loon counting for Aitkin County. Counters on 22 lakes observed 91 loons and 17 chicks in the summer of 2013.
LET’S BAN LEAD TACKLE
A new flyer from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has evidence of the killing of loons and eagles. The title is “Get the Lead Out!” Research around the nation has found that lead poisoning from lead fishing tackle is responsible for from 12 to 50% of adult loon deaths. The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota has monitored injured bald eagles for lead since 1980. Lead poisoning has been the cause of admission of 315 out of a total of 1,398 eagles (23%). Eagles are exposed when they eat fish that have ingested lead tackle.
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont have banned the use or sale of lead sinkers. The European Union has banned lead in all consumer products, including fishing tackle. The MPCA flyer has pictures of the many non-lead weights and jigs now available, and made in Minnesota. It is past time for this action in Minnesota.
for the 5/7/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
OPEN WATER AND LOONS!
The ice went out on Nord Lake Monday, April 28th, and this was another year for the record books. We have records going back to 1976, and this year was definitely late for ice-out. In all that time this was the third latest date. Previously the ice has gone out on April 29, 1979, and on May 10, 2013. Summarizing all this data, we have an average ice-out date of April 15th. The earliest date in our records was March 22, 2012.
While a strong east wind was pushing high waves against the retreating ice shelf on Sunday afternoon, our first returning loon splashed down into the wind. By Wednesday our pair of loons on the east end of the lake was back together, and their calls announced the return of open water and the boating season once again.
I just received the DNR report of the loon counting for Aitkin County. Counters on 22 lakes observed 91 loons and 17 chicks in the summer of 2013.
LET’S BAN LEAD TACKLE
A new flyer from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has evidence of the killing of loons and eagles. The title is “Get the Lead Out!” Research around the nation has found that lead poisoning from lead fishing tackle is responsible for from 12 to 50% of adult loon deaths. The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota has monitored injured bald eagles for lead since 1980. Lead poisoning has been the cause of admission of 315 out of a total of 1,398 eagles (23%). Eagles are exposed when they eat fish that have ingested lead tackle.
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont have banned the use or sale of lead sinkers. The European Union has banned lead in all consumer products, including fishing tackle. The MPCA flyer has pictures of the many non-lead weights and jigs now available, and made in Minnesota. It is past time for this action in Minnesota.
Friday, March 28, 2014
HOW MUCH WATER?
A WATERWORKS column by Gordon Prickett
for the 4/2/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
HOW MUCH WATER?
My “Weatherguide” Calendar from the Freshwater Society has a message in its March section that bears repeating here:
How much water do you use? Most of us probably don’t know. According to the EPA, an average American household uses 320 gallons every day. One third of that is used to irrigate the landscape and 50% of that is wasted due to inefficient landscape methods. March is a great time to plan a water-friendly landscape for the coming growing season. When rain falls, why not harvest all the fresh, free water for your gardens and lawns?
One inch of rain on a 1000 square foot rooftop can yield 600 gallons of water. Incorporate more native plants into your landscape. They are drought tolerant and require less maintenance. Keep the water on your land by adding a rain garden this year. There is more to learn at freshwater.org.
STATE OF WATER CONFERENCE
Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake near Brainerd is the location for a conference on Thursday and Friday, May 1-2, 2014. Sponsors are Conservation Minnesota, Freshwater Society, University of Minnesota Extension, MPCA, and DNR. This is a revival of the biennial state-wide conferences that formerly were put on by the Minnesota Lakes Association, that became Minnesota Waters, before its closure.
Two full days, starting with breakfasts, will feature workshops, breakout sessions, exhibits, and major speakers on issues of clean water, aquatic habitat and invasive species, watersheds, groundwater, and shore restoration. Details of the programs, cost, and registration can be found on this website: conservationminnesota.org/state-of-water-conference and at 612-767-2444.
OIL PIPELINE REGULATION
As introduced in last month’s column and reported on the front page in the March 19th Independent Age, the Enbridge Sandpiper Pipeline Project was explained before a packed hall in McGregor for four hours on March 13th. Public comments and routing alternatives will continue to be received by the state commerce department until April 4th. Then a year’s worth of government actions and public hearings are planned, with a final decision from the Public Utilities Commission expected about March 23, 2015. If approvals are received, Enbridge estimates that construction might begin in late 2014 or early 2015. The Sandpiper Pipeline could then be operational in 2016. Crude oil from the Bakken field in North Dakota would flow across 42 miles in Aitkin County on its way to a Superior, Wisconsin, refinery, Enbridge’s tank farm, and other connecting pipelines.
for the 4/2/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
HOW MUCH WATER?
My “Weatherguide” Calendar from the Freshwater Society has a message in its March section that bears repeating here:
How much water do you use? Most of us probably don’t know. According to the EPA, an average American household uses 320 gallons every day. One third of that is used to irrigate the landscape and 50% of that is wasted due to inefficient landscape methods. March is a great time to plan a water-friendly landscape for the coming growing season. When rain falls, why not harvest all the fresh, free water for your gardens and lawns?
One inch of rain on a 1000 square foot rooftop can yield 600 gallons of water. Incorporate more native plants into your landscape. They are drought tolerant and require less maintenance. Keep the water on your land by adding a rain garden this year. There is more to learn at freshwater.org.
STATE OF WATER CONFERENCE
Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake near Brainerd is the location for a conference on Thursday and Friday, May 1-2, 2014. Sponsors are Conservation Minnesota, Freshwater Society, University of Minnesota Extension, MPCA, and DNR. This is a revival of the biennial state-wide conferences that formerly were put on by the Minnesota Lakes Association, that became Minnesota Waters, before its closure.
Two full days, starting with breakfasts, will feature workshops, breakout sessions, exhibits, and major speakers on issues of clean water, aquatic habitat and invasive species, watersheds, groundwater, and shore restoration. Details of the programs, cost, and registration can be found on this website: conservationminnesota.org/state-of-water-conference and at 612-767-2444.
OIL PIPELINE REGULATION
As introduced in last month’s column and reported on the front page in the March 19th Independent Age, the Enbridge Sandpiper Pipeline Project was explained before a packed hall in McGregor for four hours on March 13th. Public comments and routing alternatives will continue to be received by the state commerce department until April 4th. Then a year’s worth of government actions and public hearings are planned, with a final decision from the Public Utilities Commission expected about March 23, 2015. If approvals are received, Enbridge estimates that construction might begin in late 2014 or early 2015. The Sandpiper Pipeline could then be operational in 2016. Crude oil from the Bakken field in North Dakota would flow across 42 miles in Aitkin County on its way to a Superior, Wisconsin, refinery, Enbridge’s tank farm, and other connecting pipelines.
Monday, March 3, 2014
WINTER'S TALE
A WATERWORKS column by Gordon Prickett
for the 3/5/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
WINTER’S TALE
It’s been hard to avoid talking about the weather lately. We are sick and tired of below zero forecasts week after week. Wind chill warnings, winter storm warnings, ice that clings to pavement after plowing. The depth of snow across the area increases without any thawing, and no warm up is in sight. A newscaster remembered the heavy snowfall of April 1965 the other night, reminding me of the extreme high water and flooding in St. Paul and North Mankato that spring. We were back in Minnesota from the Navy, and I was attached to a reserve helicopter squadron out at Wold Chamberlain Airport. It was the only time I ever lifted people off their roofs from a hover. The Minnesota River had flooded out homes where it makes a sharp turn to the northeast.
The depth of snow now on the ground and the prospect of some more snow followed by a rapid warm up lead me to consider how to get ready for high water once again. Our ACLARA group of high water planners has reviewed the records from the flooding events in the county in the summer of 2012. We have consulted with lake associations where the highest lake levels occurred. In case of another extremely wet season we will work closely with the county board, sheriff, soil and water, and the DNR to advise governmental units and to spread the news around lake country of any emergency measures.
PIPELINE CROSSINGS
Whether it is crude oil, natural gas, or propane, pipelines are making news these days in the Upper Midwest. The Bakken oil field in North Dakota and the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, are the origins of most of these stories. Increased fuels production is getting attention as oil and gas companies expand their operations across the northern tier of states and provinces.
For us in Aitkin County the imminent issue deals with crude oil. It concerns routing the Endbridge Sandpiper Pipeline Project across county from west to east. The preferred route from Enbridge would enter south of Swatara along existing electric tranmission lines. After crossing Highway 169 and the Mississippi River it would swing north and east of McGregor, leaving the county along east-west transmission lines into Carlton County.
Before this pipeline can be constructed the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) must do two things: grant a certificate of need, and issue a pipeline route permit. In six affected Minnesota counties, from Polk to Carlton, public information meetings are being held in the first half of March, to give citizens the opportunity to ask questions and state their opinions about this pipeline.
In Aitkin County our meeting will be held at the McGregor Community Center, 41442 Highway 65, on Thursday, March 13th, from 11 am to 2 pm. Minnesota PUC and Commerce Department staff and pipeline officials will be on hand.
for the 3/5/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
WINTER’S TALE
It’s been hard to avoid talking about the weather lately. We are sick and tired of below zero forecasts week after week. Wind chill warnings, winter storm warnings, ice that clings to pavement after plowing. The depth of snow across the area increases without any thawing, and no warm up is in sight. A newscaster remembered the heavy snowfall of April 1965 the other night, reminding me of the extreme high water and flooding in St. Paul and North Mankato that spring. We were back in Minnesota from the Navy, and I was attached to a reserve helicopter squadron out at Wold Chamberlain Airport. It was the only time I ever lifted people off their roofs from a hover. The Minnesota River had flooded out homes where it makes a sharp turn to the northeast.
The depth of snow now on the ground and the prospect of some more snow followed by a rapid warm up lead me to consider how to get ready for high water once again. Our ACLARA group of high water planners has reviewed the records from the flooding events in the county in the summer of 2012. We have consulted with lake associations where the highest lake levels occurred. In case of another extremely wet season we will work closely with the county board, sheriff, soil and water, and the DNR to advise governmental units and to spread the news around lake country of any emergency measures.
PIPELINE CROSSINGS
Whether it is crude oil, natural gas, or propane, pipelines are making news these days in the Upper Midwest. The Bakken oil field in North Dakota and the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, are the origins of most of these stories. Increased fuels production is getting attention as oil and gas companies expand their operations across the northern tier of states and provinces.
For us in Aitkin County the imminent issue deals with crude oil. It concerns routing the Endbridge Sandpiper Pipeline Project across county from west to east. The preferred route from Enbridge would enter south of Swatara along existing electric tranmission lines. After crossing Highway 169 and the Mississippi River it would swing north and east of McGregor, leaving the county along east-west transmission lines into Carlton County.
Before this pipeline can be constructed the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) must do two things: grant a certificate of need, and issue a pipeline route permit. In six affected Minnesota counties, from Polk to Carlton, public information meetings are being held in the first half of March, to give citizens the opportunity to ask questions and state their opinions about this pipeline.
In Aitkin County our meeting will be held at the McGregor Community Center, 41442 Highway 65, on Thursday, March 13th, from 11 am to 2 pm. Minnesota PUC and Commerce Department staff and pipeline officials will be on hand.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
WHY IS LEAD IN THE LAKE
A WATERWORKS column by Gordon Prickett
For the 2/5/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
WHY IS LEAD IN LAKES?
Years ago reports from state government told us that common loons ingested lead sinkers and jigs and were poisoned. Years ago we also had learned about the consequences of the lead shot in shotgun shells. Waterfowl hunters are now forbidden to hunt with lead shot, but there is no restriction for upland birds. Once there was tetraethyl lead in our gasoline to improve combustion. And lead sulphate was the pigment in white paint. But no more; the damaging effects on small children due to both of these uses was proven, and lead has been removed from gasoline and from paint. Chemists and metallurgists know where to find substitutes. What are we waiting for with our fishing tackle? Talking to the hardware store and bait shop owners in Aitkin did not stop their sales of products that contain lead. Setting up lead tackle exchanges at our Rivers and Lakes Fair moved a few lead-free sinkers and jigs into tackle boxes. But until the State of Minnesota outlaws these deadly weights, we will keep on killing loons. My suggestion is getting action from the legislature on this problem.
GULF OIL IMPACT
It has been more than three years since the Deepwater Horizon platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 20, 2010, the offshore oil rig that recovered petroleum from far beneath the ocean floor blew up with loss of life, and a wide spread contamination of the Gulf waters and shores. Days after the spill the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a damage assessment process to evaluate the impact on seven bird species including the common loon. Scientists from the Biodiversity Research Institute who are conducting a thorough study of loons in this area are noticing toxic hydrocarbons in the blood of loons. As these concentrations increase it appears that hydrocarbons unleashed by the spill are working their way up the food chain to top predators, including loons. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) may soon be high enough to harm immune systems or damage organs. The February/March issue of National Wildlife has the story “Secret Lives of Loons” by Laura Tangley.
For the 2/5/2014 Aitkin Independent Age
WHY IS LEAD IN LAKES?
Years ago reports from state government told us that common loons ingested lead sinkers and jigs and were poisoned. Years ago we also had learned about the consequences of the lead shot in shotgun shells. Waterfowl hunters are now forbidden to hunt with lead shot, but there is no restriction for upland birds. Once there was tetraethyl lead in our gasoline to improve combustion. And lead sulphate was the pigment in white paint. But no more; the damaging effects on small children due to both of these uses was proven, and lead has been removed from gasoline and from paint. Chemists and metallurgists know where to find substitutes. What are we waiting for with our fishing tackle? Talking to the hardware store and bait shop owners in Aitkin did not stop their sales of products that contain lead. Setting up lead tackle exchanges at our Rivers and Lakes Fair moved a few lead-free sinkers and jigs into tackle boxes. But until the State of Minnesota outlaws these deadly weights, we will keep on killing loons. My suggestion is getting action from the legislature on this problem.
GULF OIL IMPACT
It has been more than three years since the Deepwater Horizon platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 20, 2010, the offshore oil rig that recovered petroleum from far beneath the ocean floor blew up with loss of life, and a wide spread contamination of the Gulf waters and shores. Days after the spill the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a damage assessment process to evaluate the impact on seven bird species including the common loon. Scientists from the Biodiversity Research Institute who are conducting a thorough study of loons in this area are noticing toxic hydrocarbons in the blood of loons. As these concentrations increase it appears that hydrocarbons unleashed by the spill are working their way up the food chain to top predators, including loons. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) may soon be high enough to harm immune systems or damage organs. The February/March issue of National Wildlife has the story “Secret Lives of Loons” by Laura Tangley.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
High Water
A WATERWORKS Column in the Aitkin Independent Age for January 4, 2014, by Gordon Prickett
HIGH WATER PLANS
Following the extremes of summer flooding in 2012 the ACLARA lake association representatives have considered how to prepare for the next high water event. We learned a few things when the lake levels were rapidly rising back then. For instance, every developed lake, whether it has a lake level gauge or not has an elevation known as the Ordinary High Water Level (OHWL), established by the DNR. Commonly, this is the point where the natural vegetation changes from predominately aquatic to predominately terrestrial. And we learned that just 28 lakes in Aitkin County are provided every spring with a calibrated gauge where DNR staff and volunteers plan to take readings of the lake levels during summer months.
How fast the waters rise depends on the rainfall and the amount that runs off, plus the size of a lake’s “watershed.” When a lake has a large watershed it may take a few days for all the collecting streams and ditches to find their way downhill.
Each lakeshore property has its own connection and vulnerability to fast rising flood water. In the spring of 2012 when ice went out early some shore land residents placed docks and boatlifts in the water earlier than normal. When heavy rains came the docks were under water and had to be reset.
Led by Sheriff Turner, the county government acted with the approval of DNR Commissioner Landwehr to restrict boating traffic on all county lakes to slow no-wake speeds during the height of extreme high water in June and July. This measure prevented damage to vulnerable shores from wave action. Getting the word out to all boaters in the county was not simple. Problems developed when the restrictions were relaxed for part of the county, and then on certain lakes where lake elevations could be measured and high waters had receded.
Lakes that experienced unusually high water in 2012 have discussed where the “trigger elevation” above OHWL should be, that calls for slow no-wake boating until conditions return to normal. ACLARA will be cooperating with the County and with the DNR to assist in advising and informing their members during high water conditions in the future.
HIGH WATER PLANS
Following the extremes of summer flooding in 2012 the ACLARA lake association representatives have considered how to prepare for the next high water event. We learned a few things when the lake levels were rapidly rising back then. For instance, every developed lake, whether it has a lake level gauge or not has an elevation known as the Ordinary High Water Level (OHWL), established by the DNR. Commonly, this is the point where the natural vegetation changes from predominately aquatic to predominately terrestrial. And we learned that just 28 lakes in Aitkin County are provided every spring with a calibrated gauge where DNR staff and volunteers plan to take readings of the lake levels during summer months.
How fast the waters rise depends on the rainfall and the amount that runs off, plus the size of a lake’s “watershed.” When a lake has a large watershed it may take a few days for all the collecting streams and ditches to find their way downhill.
Each lakeshore property has its own connection and vulnerability to fast rising flood water. In the spring of 2012 when ice went out early some shore land residents placed docks and boatlifts in the water earlier than normal. When heavy rains came the docks were under water and had to be reset.
Led by Sheriff Turner, the county government acted with the approval of DNR Commissioner Landwehr to restrict boating traffic on all county lakes to slow no-wake speeds during the height of extreme high water in June and July. This measure prevented damage to vulnerable shores from wave action. Getting the word out to all boaters in the county was not simple. Problems developed when the restrictions were relaxed for part of the county, and then on certain lakes where lake elevations could be measured and high waters had receded.
Lakes that experienced unusually high water in 2012 have discussed where the “trigger elevation” above OHWL should be, that calls for slow no-wake boating until conditions return to normal. ACLARA will be cooperating with the County and with the DNR to assist in advising and informing their members during high water conditions in the future.
Friday, November 29, 2013
CLIMATE
A WATERWORKS Column by Gordon Prickett
for the 12/4/2013 Aitkin Independent Age
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
We hear a lot about “global warming” or “climate change” in the news cycles of today. There are many places to get your updates on this topic: browsing new on-line media, watching the many kinds of TV, leafing through newspapers, magazines, and books. Not to mention radio, both public and commercial.
Some of the stories are alarming, like sea level rise and wildlife extinction. But how one responds depends a lot on who you believe and one’s attitude towards new information. Can I see and feel anything different going on? We live in the day-to-day weather.
This fall I am reporting ice-in on our lake as November 23rd. Ice-in is never as dramatic as ice-out in the spring, with its sudden break up and shattering of ice crystals. But going back 18 years it appears that this year is pretty-much normal. Our lake records for ice-out have been kept since 1976, and show a lot of variability. The two extreme dates occurred in consecutive years - March 22, 2012, and May 10, 2013.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Humankind certainly has had an impact on life in these parts in the past couple centuries, and I believe we are impacting the climate right now in the way we dig, drill, and consume energy fuels. We cannot change the way our forefathers clear cut the woods, plowed up the prairie, and killed off the native animals. We can however give serious thought to how we use modern discoveries of technology and science. Sensible limits to population, economic development, and comfortable lifestyles can go a long way towards a future our kids will want to inherit.
for the 12/4/2013 Aitkin Independent Age
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
We hear a lot about “global warming” or “climate change” in the news cycles of today. There are many places to get your updates on this topic: browsing new on-line media, watching the many kinds of TV, leafing through newspapers, magazines, and books. Not to mention radio, both public and commercial.
Some of the stories are alarming, like sea level rise and wildlife extinction. But how one responds depends a lot on who you believe and one’s attitude towards new information. Can I see and feel anything different going on? We live in the day-to-day weather.
This fall I am reporting ice-in on our lake as November 23rd. Ice-in is never as dramatic as ice-out in the spring, with its sudden break up and shattering of ice crystals. But going back 18 years it appears that this year is pretty-much normal. Our lake records for ice-out have been kept since 1976, and show a lot of variability. The two extreme dates occurred in consecutive years - March 22, 2012, and May 10, 2013.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Humankind certainly has had an impact on life in these parts in the past couple centuries, and I believe we are impacting the climate right now in the way we dig, drill, and consume energy fuels. We cannot change the way our forefathers clear cut the woods, plowed up the prairie, and killed off the native animals. We can however give serious thought to how we use modern discoveries of technology and science. Sensible limits to population, economic development, and comfortable lifestyles can go a long way towards a future our kids will want to inherit.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
TITLE: READY FOR FREEZE-UP A Waterworks Column by Gordon Prickett for the 11/6/2013 Aitkin Independent Age
READY FOR FREEZE-UP
Our boats and dock were the last to come off the lake. That good October fishing weather that I waited for never happened, but otherwise it was a pretty good season. Now in the next month we should be making ice - for skating, snowmobiling, and fishing on our lakes. Once again I am reminded that there is no such thing as absolutely “Safe Ice,” as I will step out with an ice chisel to measure the thickness. I’ll be sure to do my skating near the edge of the lake, for starters.
KEEPING THE LAKE CLEAN
Water clarity in the lakes of this area continues to attract people. Those who live at the water’s edge for a time have the opportunity to help maintain this clean water. Using natural vegetative materials like grass clippings left on lawns, and composted wastes as soil amendments to borders and gardens, can take the place of chemical fertilizers. With an unmown buffer zone next to shore, limited impervious surfaces beside the lake, and creating rain gardens, we can control runoff and erosion that muddies the water.
SEASON OF MIGRATION
Whether it’s juncos and finches, “V” formations of geese, or the snowbird neighbors bound for the Florida Keys, many creatures are now on the move. Birders are noting dates when species arrive at their feeders. And warm-blooded retirees bid us goodbye until Spring. Some of us wouldn’t want to miss the Fish House Parade for anything!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
TITLE "WATER AND WILDLIFE FOR SIXTH GRADERS" A Waterworks Column by Gordon Prickett for the 10/2/2013 Aitkin Independent Age
WATER AND WILDLIFE FOR SIXTH GRADERS
Aitkin County sixth graders spent a day in early September at the Long Lake Conservation Center just east of Palisade. This year I followed the money that ACLARA, the Aitkin County Lakes And Rivers Association, donated to County Environmental Services to put on this “Environmental Education Day.” I attended Tuesday, September 10th, and joined the Hill City Sixth Grade through four hours of instruction and ate pizza with them at lunch time.
The first hour was about “The Earth’s Water,” presented by the Minnesota Science Museum from St. Paul. For more than four billion years the same amount of water has cycled around the earth in clouds, rain, ground water, and surface water. Just 3% is fresh water and 97% is salt water. The ice caps hold 2% of this fresh water. The lesson is clear that we don’t want to waste any of the 1% that is left.
Next we learned about the wild creatures in the state and met a few of them from the Minnesota Zoo. We have 78 kinds of mammals, and 22 amphibians. In Minnesota there are 31 kinds of reptiles, including 17 snakes. And there are 428 kinds of birds, with about 45 to 50 remaining year round. The traveling zoo visitors included a red-tailed hawk, an opossum, and a snake.
After lunch naturalists from Long Lake presented a program about frogs and toads. Next we went down to the shore of Long Lake to scoop up sediment and water samples. We collected this material back in the laboratory and identified numerous lake bottom organisms with the aid of charts and microscopes.
A BEAUTIFUL TIME OF YEAR
Days and nights are now the about same length. Warm afternoons and crisp sleeping nights. Grass cutting is just about over for the season, and the water craft are calling. Before taking in our boats and docks, it is a fine time to enjoy the clear water and the colors that are beginning to turn around the shore.
A few years ago we traveled across the Arrowhead, down the North Shore, over into Northern Wisconsin to observe the Fall colors of early October. But when we returned to Aitkin County, the most spectacular show was right here!
Monday, September 2, 2013
TITLE - SURFACE WATER USE A Waterworks Column
by Gordon Prickett for the September 4th Aitkin Independent Age
SURFACE WATER USE
I just finished a very close look at my 2013 Minnesota Boating Guide. At a recent meeting the topic of boating safety came up, and I raised two concerns. The first was about operators of motor boats under twelve years of age. There is absolutely no age limit in this state for a child running a boat and motor with a rating of 25 horsepower or less!
My second concern was about the speeds at which watercraft in Minnesota may travel on our lakes and rivers. There are no limits. You can’t be drunk or chase wildlife, and you should give the right-of-way to sailboats, canoes, and kayaks, but so long as you’re not careless or reckless, boat speed is unlimited.
When I am out in my canoe, paddling well below the slow, no-wake speed of 5 mph, I’ve got to wonder how the operators of high speed motor launches can see me, and the loons on the lake, in time to avoid a collision. The best I can do, in the absence of any sensible safety regulations about little kids and speedboats, is wear my bright orange life jacket.
THE HEALING POWER OF NATURE
Last year we saw severe flooding and extreme high water in the County. Surface runoff was heavy in June and July before the rains let up. This caused much sediment and litter flowing into our lakes and rivers, with unusually poor clarity from summer into fall. After a late ice-out this May, and a lot of rain in May and June, our lake levels were pretty high, but lake water transparency at area lakes is returning to normal. Though no residents talk very much about it, the fishing isn’t too bad either.
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