1999-11-18_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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A 30th birthday celebration set the tone for the 1999 MAWD Summer Tour hosted by Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek WD. Over 150 people attended the two day tour and seminars based in Bloomington. The Summer Tour activities began on Thursday evening with a presenta- _ _,._ tion on the ~ i history of the j district presented ~ " -~ L , by the managers of Riley Purga- I ~~ ~~ tory Bluff Creek _ j .` ~" ,. ~ ,~ r ==~r .~ WD. After the ~ ` -.. - ~ '~ , ' '~~~ presentation and ,~; ~ % a short question - j ~ ~ i and answer ` `~~''~ ~, ,. enod Conrad s Fiskness, chair of the host watershed district, did the honor of blowing out the candle on the official Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek 30th Birthday Cake at the birthday party! Friday was spent touring the district. The tour began with the Purgatory Recreation Area in Eden Prairie. Aaron Grosser of Barr Engineering discussed the history, planning and evolution of the Recreation Area, and the watershed district's involvement in the project. well as the plans currently on the table. Round Lake subwatershed is highly urbanized and stressed. It is a popular swimming beach with ball fields and mini amphithe- ater. Rough fish, weed problems and a large population of geese have begun to take their toll on the lake. Bluff Creek Golf Course and a large tent were the location of the tour lunch. After lunch, attendees walked to Bluff Creek, hidden along the golf course edge in a deep, isolated valley. It is a delicate ecosystem with sugar sand bluffs, a shallow clear creek and a wide diversity of plant life. A beautiful scene, especially so in the middle of suburban Minnesota! The final site visited was Settler's Ridge overlooking the Minne- sota River. The site, where significant drainage and erosion problem are being addressed, is highly sought after by upscale homeowners. It was also valued as a burial ground in the past for Native Americans. The Environmen- j _ - - -~ tal Learning ~~ .- ~ ~ - ' ~ ~; ' Center in the City _ 1 ~ ~ of Eden Prairie i was the next ~ ~ -' ; ~' '~ I i l ~ stop. Tour ~-- a ~ attendees were ``~ ~~'' _ ~~ `~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ` ~ ~~ impressed by the j ! ~ ~~ - i ~ ! interactive -- exhibits geared ~ ___-- ~ ~ ~ ~ _~ towards teaching children the importance of water and water conservation. The next site was the Southwest Area Transit Hub Project, a massive road project that involved a multitude of agencies and the coordination of several road projects. The marshy soils under the transit hub were compressed and drained (surcharged) in order to make construction possible. The hub itself was designed to handle heavy traffic, more than 100 buses daily and parking for over 450 cars with the capacity for building an additional parking deck. The fourth site demonstrated past efforts between the City of Eden Prairie and the District to improve Round Lake, as DNR Deputy Commissioner Steve Morse was the keynote speaker at the banquet. He spoke of watershed districts as part of a collaboration of groups moving forward in water management. He pointed out that DNR and water manage- ment touches every life in the state at some point. Morse sees DNR's goal as the "long term sustainability of natural resources." Morse also sees future modification in the regional structure of DNR. His goal would be to ~ move the decision-making ( '~i authority out of St. Paul to the regions. He spoke of the need to continue to streamline the process. "Eco-system based management ' ~ may need to change its focus to_ J looking at resources as a whole. Watershed districts would be an important part of that system," he continued. We cannot do it all. We need to work together with all groups at the local level for education and technical information." Morse sees a greater need for public participation in making