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W � L ' 1 ■ UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA � - � � � � � i • , . ; ' ,� . . � ', A survey team under the direction of I<arlyn Ecl<man, (Senior Fellow WRS) and Rachel Wall<er, coordinator (WRC), polled Duluth's Lakeside neighborhood residents within a fhree-block area to gauge local awareness of the effects of stormwater flow on ys and property. id Minnesota Sea Grant � of Minnesota-Duluth >uluth, received funding . to study stormwater near the Lester River/ ;tem. Project partners �aint Louis Soil and Wa- i District, the Minnesota �rps, and the Minnesota oastal Program. The Les- Creel< system was chosen as a demonstration project because it was designated as "impaired" with excessive turbidity from sediment. The study com- pares a neighborhood retro-fitted with rain barrels and rain gardens to another neighborhood left "as is." Respandents to the survey, called I<AP for "knowledge, attitudes, and practices;' seemed to be aware of links between rain events, impaired watier quality, and property damage. Residents also understood that stormwater eventu- aily reaches Lake Superior, and appeared willing to participate in the Lal<eside Stormwater Reduction Project. Eighty-four percent of respondents in the control blocl<, which is farthest down the hill, said that their property and prop- erties nearby were affected by stormwater runoff. Fifty-two percent of residents farthest up the hill in the treatment blocl< reported their properties ta be affected by Survey report continued on page 4 Co-Director 1 � ,� Professor Deb- orah Swackhamer returned ta her position as co- director of the �� Water Resources Center on August 25, 2008, after serving 23 months Deb Swackhamer as the Interim Director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environ- ment (IonE). During this time, she named 15 Founding Fellows from across the University, implemented several internaI grants programs, established administra- tive structure and procedures, obtained the Institute's first extramural grant, cre- ated a robust communications team, and accepted a$2.5 millon bequeathment on behalf of the Institute. Provost E. lhomas Sullivan expressed gratitude for Dr. Swackhamer's leader- ship in creating the initial structure of the IonE. . ` � 1 . 1 . 1 1 . i � . ' . :�. 2 Director's Desk 3 MN Water Resources Conference 5 White Earth Math and Science Program 6 Community News 8 Paperless Minnegram Sign-up Minnegram by Les Everett, WRC For the first time, Minnesota has a comprehensive fifty-year plan for conserving and preserving its natural resources. The Statewide Conservation and Preservation Plan, prepared for the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Min- nesota Resources (LCCMR) by the Uni- versity of Minnesota, Bonestroo, and CR Planning, presents a strategic framewark for protecting multiple natural resources, the econamy, and public health in an integrated fashion, and tal<es into account demographics and climate change. It is the most ambitious planning document of its kind, requiring the efforts of 125 scientists, natural resource planners and professionals from the University and public and private organizations over a period of 18 months, led by Water Resources Center (WRC) co-director Deborah Swacl<hamer. The first phase of the two-phase study identifies trends in natural resource conditions and the underlying drivers of change. The second phase focuses on four key issues: land and water habitat conservation, land-use practices, trans- portation, and energy production and use. Within each issue area, a team of experts prepared investment and public policy recommendations addressing inte- grated planning, critical land protection, Plan, continued on page 5 September 2008