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o i s re oar o e so ces
<br />Governor Tim. Pawlenty today announced the appointment
<br />of LuAnn Tolliver, Paul Brutlag and Louise Smallidge to the
<br />Board of Water and Soil Resources.
<br />Tolliver, ofMinnetonka, is an Analyst/Programmer Senior
<br />Specialist at the Nash Finch Company. Since 1991, she has
<br />been a member of the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District
<br />Board and currently serves as Chair. Tolliver is appointed
<br />to a Board position as a representative of a watershed
<br />district or watershed management organization. She will
<br />serve afour-year term ending January 7, 2008. Tolliver
<br />replaces Jack Frost on the Board..
<br />Paul Brutlag, of Wendell, is an attorney at the Fluegel,
<br />Helseth, McLaughlin, Anderson & Brutlag law fum in
<br />Elbow Lake. He also raises sugar beets, corn, soybeans,
<br />and wheat on a farm in Grant and Otter Tail counties.
<br />Brutlag is appointed to a Board position for a public mem-
<br />ber and will serve afour-year term which ends January 7,
<br />2008. He replaces Char Kahler on the Board.
<br />Louise Smallidge, of Hastings, raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa
<br />hay, and cattle on a farm in southern Washington County.
<br />She is an elected member and chair of the Board of
<br />Supervisors of the Washington Conservation District.
<br />Smallidge is appointed to a Board position for a Soil and
<br />Water Conservation District Supervisor and will serve a
<br />four-year term ending January 7, 2008. She replaces
<br />Dwaine Otte on the Board.
<br />The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is the
<br />state's administrative agency for 91 soil and water conser-
<br />vation districts, 46 watershed districts, 27 metropolitan
<br />watersheds, and 80 county water management organiza-
<br />tions. The agency's purpose, working through local govern-
<br />ment, is to protect and enhance the state's irreplaceable soil
<br />and water resources by implementing the state's soil and
<br />water conservation policy, comprehensive local water
<br />management, and the Wetland Conservation Act as it
<br />relates to the 41.7 million acres of private land in Minne-
<br />sota. The board consists of 17 members, including 12
<br />members appointed by the Governor.
<br />etro Watershed P ers involved in public education campaign
<br />Metro Watershed Partners has joined with the U.S. Forest Service, Stormeenter Communications, and KARE-11 to
<br />create a yearlong "Water for Life" public education campaign focused on area watersheds..
<br />With support from their partners, KARE-11 has committed to broadcast one water quality story per week over the coming
<br />year. The first story was featured June 27. It introduces the campaign and includes an interview with Ron Struss, Univer-
<br />sity of Minnesota Extension regional educator.
<br />Supporting the on-air segments is an extensive web site (kare.iewatershed.com) containing the following components:
<br />• National and Twin Cities Watersheds Watershed Environmental News -Topical stories and visualizations
<br />related to area watershed and forests, as well as national news stories.
<br />• Envirocast ON-LINE -Each week, earth science imagery from around the globe is selected to address
<br />important issues related to our environment.
<br />• Watershed Calendar (Featured Events) -Special upcoming events related to watersheds; viewers can also
<br />link to details about this event and fmd other events throughout the year. Viewers can send in watershed
<br />events and KARE-11 will include it on the calendar.
<br />• Media Features -Viewers will fmd a media feature and will also be able to link to a library of previously-
<br />featuredvisualizations and video interviews.
<br />• Learning Center -This provides another link to detailed information from a national perspective on water
<br />sheds, forests, and coasts.
<br />Because of the partnership with StormCenter Communica-
<br />tions, KARE-11 has access to satellite maps, computer-
<br />generated graphics, and 3-D images to convey watershed
<br />and water quality information. Many of those tools are
<br />integrated into the web site.
<br />The U.S. Forest Service has developed similar partnerships
<br />with StormCenter and TV stations on the East Coast.
<br />Theresa Heyer, local conservation education coordinator
<br />with the U.S. Forest Service, and Ron Struss were instru-
<br />mental in establishing the relationship with KARE-11. Both
<br />Heyer and Struss are members of Metro Watershed
<br />Partners, a collaboration of water resource educators in the
<br />Twins Cities metro area. Metro Watershed Partners, along
<br />with state agencies such as BWSR, are assisting KARE-11
<br />in identifying story ideas and contacts.
<br />`Water for Life' is great news for water education in
<br />Minnesota," says Struss. "by this time next year we will be
<br />looking back over a string of great stories on how rivers,
<br />lakes, and wetlands can be protected through caring for our
<br />watersheds."
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