1999-11-18_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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S by Susan Scribner We will be ending the year with another new watershed district. The Comfort Lake-Forest Lake WD was approved at the September BWSR meeting. It was exciting to read the petition for the district, and see all the attached names -- some of whom will no doubt be managers for the new district. Hope- fully those new managers will be able to attend the MAWD Annual Meeting & Trade Show in Alexandria. Don't forget to extend your warm welcome when you meet them! Ray Bohn, Kurt Deter from the Rinke- Noonan Law Firm, and I have been attending the Senate File 83 Work Group meetings. This work group was formed as an outgrowth of discussion on Senate File 83 last session. While a very limited bill was finally agreed to, it failed to pass the House. Senator Dan Stevens, Senate author, asked the BWSR and DNR to work with inter- ested parties to try and come up with a package of legislative reforms on wetlands. Some of the key issues being discussed include wetland typing, public drainage clarifications, public waters ties to other regulations, road replacement revisions, soil scientists licensure, federal regulations coordina- tion, wetland replacement credit changes, and appeals modification. While the group has been meeting in earnest, it remains to be seen if any compromise can be struck on all of these important issues. If a consensus can be developed, our goal is to bring a full report back to watershed districts for your action at the Annual Meeting. Watershed and related issues seem to be very much in the news. We are one of the few states that has a watershed manager based system of governance. Recently we received a query about Minnesota's experience in watershed based surface water management from a planning and environmental agency from Missouri. MAWD will offer information and advice based on our experience with the hope that they will be able to develop their own program for surface water management. The upcoming Annual Meeting & Trade Show is again going to offer workshops and seminars for managers, staff and consultants. Each year I don't see how next year can measure up to the last, however, the Annual Meeting Committee has out done themselves again. Make sure you and your Board plan to attend as every year brings something new and inter- esting in either technology, process or regulation. And don't forget about the special drainage seminar being offered just prior to the start of the Annual Meeting. Published by IIflIB~S®t~ LASS®Cl~tfl®Ifl ®f aters~ed iStricts Editorial Office: 3848 Westbury Drive St. Paul, MN 55123-2080 Phone: 651-452-8506 Fax: 651-686-8679 E-mail: raybohnmgaCa>aol.com www.mnwatershed.org Ray Bohn: Administrator & Editor I look forward to seeing you all at the 1999 MAWD Annual Meeting & Trade Show! Senate committee members tour ring dike program sites Members of the Senate Environment & Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committees toured watershed district ring dikes in late August to assess the success of the farmstead ring dike program. Ron Osowski, (left foreground) president of the Middle River-Snake River WD explains to committee members the importance of the ring dike program to area farmers. Also pictured (1 to r) are Kent Lokkesmoe, director of the DNR Division of Waters, Ron Adrian (partially hidden), administrator of Middle River-Snake River WD, Senator LeRoy Stumpf, Senator Larry Pogemiller, Senator Jane Krentz (Chair of the Senate Environment Finance Committee), Tim Erdman, Senate Staff and Senator Gen Olson.