Excerpt from River Currents February 2015 Newsletter

Excerpt from MPCA's River Currents February 2015 Newsletter: 

Committee prepares for next step of Minnesota River basin organization

A group of volunteers met Tuesday, Jan. 27 at the Henderson Community Center to begin working on organizing principles, studying summaries of the previous two Minnesota River congress events, and drafting mission and vision statements for a Minnesota River organization. These will be developed as recommendations for discussion and voting at a third congress in late March or early April. More than 20 people from various organizations and interests volunteered to serve on an organizing team. At the Jan. 27 meeting they worked on crafting mission and vision statements that embody the purpose of a basin-wide organization. They also favored a name change, such as Minnesota River Council. The organizing team will meet again in February at Henderson. Final decisions will be made by all participants at the next full congress meeting. Organizers believe there’s a need for a citizen-led entity that is inviting and all inclusive for the many different groups active in the Minnesota River Valley, including agriculture, industry, natural resources, recreation, economic development, tourism, all levels of government, faith communities, first nations, and watershed organizations. Top actions and initiatives identified at the congress meeting included: Political action or lobbying, conservation actions, communication, and education. For more information, contact Scott Sparlin, 507-276-2280, yasure@lycos.com; or Ted Suss, (507) 828-3377, tedsuss@gmail.com.