Freshwater

Here's a great opportunity with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians to protect and restore water in northern Wisconsin.

Check out this MinnPost article to learn how our partner, Minnesota Land Trust, is doing fantastic work in the St. Louis River watershed. A key tributary to Lake Superior, the St. Louis River is overcoming a legacy of industrial pollution to once again support healthy ecosystems. #cleanwater #progress

This year I became a Minnesota Water Steward! Minnesota Water Stewards is a program that certifies community leaders to protect water quality through volunteering and educating others. Through the nonprofit Freshwater, I worked with my watershed (the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization) to complete a rain garden revitalization capstone project at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. I've enjoyed getting hands-on experience in clean water stewardship and am excited to be a part of this wonderful statewide community of environmental advocates!

Last winter here in Minnesota really sounded the alarm on the loss of winter lake ice. Many lakes that are often frozen by Thanksgiving were wide open well into January. While that may be an extreme example, the long-term trends are clear.

Minnesota friends, let's talk voting! No seriously, in this time of polarization, I think there's actually something we all can agree on, and that's voting YES to continue to support the outdoors! Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, parks, trails, hunting, fishing, skiing, and all things outdoors. On p1 of your ballot will be a question to reauthorize the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. This measure was passed with overwhelming approval since 1988 and we hope it passes again this year. It provides over $80M in funding each year for valuable programs that protect Minnesota's outdoors, including our lakes, rivers and waterways. This funding protects what I love about Minnesota, and is vital to Freshwater's work. Voting YES extends this funding until 2050 to keep the lottery working for our Great Outdoors. As I said at the press event: “This amendment is critical to our work and will help prevent pollution in our rivers, lakes, and streams, as well as protect the quality of our drinking water,” Join me in voting YES! More info here: https://lnkd.in/gBC8bgHx https://lnkd.in/gfR5BV54

Today is the 10th annual #ImagineaDayWithoutWater organized by the US Water Alliance. Let's take this opportunity to recognize the vital role water plays in each of our lives, and those working to build and sustain safe water systems for all communities.💧

Thanks to the St. Paul Area Chamber for inviting us to be part of Career Connect Day! We were thrilled to introduce the next generation to career paths in the water industry. Learn more about our #WaterWorkforcePathways work at: https://lnkd.in/g2-FcRf4

Today, we celebrate the great diversity of native nations, each with distinct people, languages, cultural traditions and beliefs. One important belief held in common between native or indigenous peoples is a deep appreciation of our Mother Earth and all the gifts She offers us, including the gift of water. #IndigenousPeoplesDay

Join our team! We are accepting applications for an Operations Coordinator through Wednesday, October 16. The Operations Coordinator is key to ensuring the smooth operation of our Freshwater office and organization. The role involves managing financial tasks, administrative duties, and supporting both program and board activities. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, detail-oriented, and adept at managing multiple tasks efficiently with a solutions-oriented approach. Specifically, this position supports our mission by: • Supporting Freshwater to be a thriving environmental nonprofit organization. • Helping to build sustainable organizational programs, management systems, and financial resources. • Assuring Freshwater’s internal systems are efficient, transparent and accountable. • Assuring Freshwater embraces equity, inclusion, diversity, and cultural competency, internally and externally. • Engaging individuals and their networks and organizations to be champions for our work. • Expanding engagement to include those who have been marginalized, yet are most affected by water and climate-related issues. Reporting to the Finance Director, the Operations Coordinator will serve as a key member of our entire Freshwater team. Learn more and apply at: https://lnkd.in/gmKWNb5W

This week, we co-hosted our third and final (for this fall) stormwater reuse site tour with the City of Woodbury, Minnesota. This event follows recent tours with the City of Hugo and City of Waconia. Woodbury is one of Minnesota’s leaders in stormwater reuse, conserving more than 62 million gallons of water annually! The new installation we visited is operated by a home owners association (HOA), and uses water from the City’s stormwater pond for irrigation at a residential development. Not only does this help conserve groundwater (the City’s drinking water source), it also allows for stormwater infiltration and reduced nutrient loading in the watershed. Attendees of these fall tours included state and local government staff, watershed districts, elected officials, project managers and engineers, and local community members. We were impressed with the considerable interest and enthusiasm for stormwater reuse, along with the flurry of thoughtful questions at each of the tours. As water managers and citizens continue to weigh the costs and benefits of #waterreuse, we want to keep these conversations going and focused on long-term planning for a sustainable water future. 💦 ♻