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i fi i n r r is
<br />o c i o r its
<br />The tag line for MinnAqua, the fishing edu-
<br />cation program of the Minnesota Depart-
<br />ment of Natural Resources, is "Minnesota
<br />Waters-Fishing, Sharing, Caring." These
<br />days, the challenge for Roland Sigurdson,
<br />DNR MinnAqua aquatic education special-
<br />ist and part of the Water Resources Center,
<br />is to integrate caring for Minnesota's natu-
<br />ral resources into a fishing program geared
<br />to recent immigrants. For man}~ immi-
<br />grants, fishing and hunting are
<br />not recreation, but traditionally
<br />key to their survival. The con- ,-~
<br />cepts of a limited fishing season e~
<br />and fish catch limits can be puz-
<br />zling to those struggling with
<br />language barriers and the stress
<br />of feeding their families.
<br />Sigurdson uses the North
<br />,4merican Wildlife Conserva-
<br />tion Model, created in the late
<br />1 t300s by hunters and anglers to
<br />preserve disappearing wildlife,
<br />as the basis for the MinnAqua
<br />fishing clinic curriculum,. Fish-
<br />ing: Ger in [he Hohita[. The
<br />MinnAqua message is that
<br />natural resources belong to
<br />all Minnesotans, and it is our
<br />responsibility to conserve and
<br />manage resources in a sustain-
<br />able way.
<br />to recent Southeast .Asian immigrants
<br />on fishing regulations," he recalls. "The
<br />catch was that they were all deaf. ]t
<br />took me and three translators to answer
<br />a single question." Because sign lan-
<br />guage differs from country to country,
<br />a translator ~vho knew the South East
<br />Asian sign language had to translate the
<br />question into American Sign Language.
<br />The next interpreter translated it into
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<br />A happy angler shows off her catch.
<br />At a typical clinic, participants play "Run
<br />for your Life Cycle," in which players
<br />become northern pike, and must overcome
<br />the barriers the fish encounter during
<br />their life cycle. Then they might play "Fish
<br />Families," and learn about the physics[
<br />structure of a Fish, a skill that will help
<br />them to identify their catch and follow
<br />regulations. "The Lake Game," developed
<br />by the WRC's Barb Liukkonen, promotes
<br />understanding of how land activities af-
<br />fect the water quality of nearby lakes and
<br />rivers. The session usually wraps up tivith
<br />casting practice, a lesson about safety at the
<br />water's edge, and the chance to try one of
<br />Minnesota's oldest and most time-honored
<br />traditions: fishing.
<br />Sigurdson has become adept at communi-
<br />cating with non-native English speakers,
<br />but sometimes he encounters an unusual
<br />challenge. "i was asked to present a seminar
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<br />English. "I think each question took
<br />about three minutes to move down the
<br />chain, but at the end of the evening
<br />there vas common understanding and
<br />more citizens understanding Minnesota
<br />fishing laws."
<br />Sigurdson enjoys working with new
<br />Minnesotans, and cannot list the many
<br />highlights of the last eleven years. "The
<br />most rewarding times are when our
<br />program is instrumental in helping an
<br />adult and a child connect to the new ac-
<br />tivity of fishing that they enjoy together,
<br />Time on the water together leads to
<br />understanding of the resource they
<br />enjo}°, participation in environmental
<br />stewardship, and fun."
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<br />The halls of the Capitol in SI. Paul are much
<br />quieter these days, following a frenzied finish
<br />to the legislative session. The house and
<br />senate passed the Cultural and Outdoor }
<br />Resources Dedicated Funds bill appropriat-
<br />ingnew sales tax revenues from the recently
<br />approved constitutional amendment. Nearly
<br />$151 million was allocated for clean water
<br />for the biennium, with more than $69 million
<br />in the firs! year and $81 million in FYit, The j
<br />appropriation included nearly $397 million
<br />over two years for clean water, parks and
<br />trails, habitat restoration and preservation,
<br />and arts and culture.
<br />~ The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
<br />(MPCA) will get about a third of the funds
<br />for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
<br />monitoring, planning and implementation to
<br />protect water quality. Monitoring will expand
<br />to include endocrine disrupting chemicals in
<br />surface and ground water across the state
<br />and sampling near waste water treabnent
<br />plants for endocrine disrupting chemicals,
<br />pharmaceuticals, and antimicrobial chemi-
<br />cats. The MPCA will provide grants for waste
<br />water reuse pilot projects, the Clean Water
<br />Partnership Program, and specific projects
<br />on the St. Louis and Lower St. Croix Rivers,
<br />The Public Facilities Authority (PFA) and
<br />Board of Soil and Water Resources {BWSR)
<br />will receive about a quarter of the funds.
<br />The PFA funds are mostly for waste water
<br />and drinking water infrastructure; the BWSR
<br />funds are for conservation easements and
<br />grants to watershed districts, reduction of
<br />~ non-point source pollution, and improve-
<br />` ments in animal feedlot water quality.
<br />Approximately 10% of the funds wiN go to
<br />the DNR for TMDL activities, drinking water
<br />planning and protection, the Mississippi
<br />River corridor critical area, county geologic
<br />atlases, and the collection of high resolution
<br />digital elevation data (LiDAR). The Depart-
<br />ment ofAgriculture funds (about 6%) are for
<br />their BMPs loan program, increased monitor-
<br />ing of agricultural contaminants in surface
<br />j and ground water, drinking water protection,
<br />and TMDL activities. The Minnesota Depart-
<br />-. ment of Health will receive $3.75 million for
<br />drinking water source protection and for
<br />addressing public health concerns related to
<br />contaminants found in drinking water.
<br />The WRG will receive $750,000 to develop a
<br />25-year comprehensive, statewide sustain-
<br />, able water management framework (page 1).
<br />- - - _ -- ____ J~f_- --------------_ June 2009
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