Over 80 people gathered together to fill the historic Watson Town Hall for a September potluck, community building,  great music, and compelling storytelling.  All generations were present, from very little ones to Millennials to Baby Boomers to the elderly.

The  Deep Roots event in Watson was a celebration of food, community, and landscape. The Stick Bird Trio from the Morris and Hancock area played throughout the evening. Kylene Olson, former Watson mayor and the Executive Director of the Chippewa River Watershed Project, welcomed the crowd with stories of her personal memories of the Watson Town Hall... click here to read more.  

Organizations such as the Granary Food Co-op, Sustainable Food Production Program, Chippewa 10% Project, the Chippewa River Watershed Project, CURE, and LSP had information tables and take action items for attendees. 

To view photos of the event,  click here. 

This event was co-sponsored by Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) and the Land Stewardship Project (LSP).

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) in collaboration with CURE will be hosting a workshop in October. As a part of MCAD's ongoing Greater Minnesota Arts Initiative, they are coordinating a weekend design workshop in southwestern Minnesota called " Activate Vacant Space." It has two objectives: to visually brainstorm ideas for interior and exterior vacant or underutilized spaces in the Upper Minnesota River Valley, and to develop 1-2 projects for implementation this fall.

they will have some case studies and other resources on hand, and will integrate community participants and MCAD faculty and students to have diversity of skills and voices on each team. There are 10 to 12 of us coming out from MCAD. We'd love to have you as part of the process. See example of projects by clicking here.

Please email Sarah at [email protected] with the following:

1. Name and contact information
2. Any conflicts / commitments on Saturday October 19th and Sunday, October 20th. Project work will be approximately 6 to 8 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday.
3. Amount of stipend you request (if any)

Bernard Sietman

Sietman is one of two specialists in the State of Minnesota that work with mussels. Bernard will give an overview of the mussel species, provide information for identifying varies species and answer questions.  Participants will have the opportunity to "get their feet wet" and explore the area and learn how to assess the health of the river. Click here for more information.

Benard Sietman is a Missouri Native and has worked on mussels in 13 states of a period of 20 years as a student, consultant, and biologist for Missouri and Illinois; he has been with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (CNR) since 2002.  His first memory of a mussel was when he was about 12 years old.  His Dad reeled in a giant floater he accidentally hooked while fishing, he didn't realize the species until many years later.  In the photo attached he is holding a rare, and federally endangered, Sheepnose mussel in Pool 5 of the Mississippi River. 

We will meet at the shelter in Memorial Park just off Hwy 67 outside of Granite Falls at 10 AM. This event is FREE to CURE Members and NON-CURE Members are $5 and students/kids under 18 years of age are free with an adult. 

For more information or to register for the Mussel Field Day please call CURE at 1-877-269-2873 or email us at [email protected].  We hope you will consider joining us!

Our own Duane Ninneman will give the Keynote Address for this year's Earth Conference in Mankato hosted by the Center for Earth Spirituality & Rural Ministry of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

This conference will delve into the science and get to the heart of the moral issues surrounding climate change. We will focus on how we can move ourselves further than simply changing a light bulb or shopping with reusable bags.

For more information, please click here. 

• "Sierra Club to Xcel: Retire 2 Sherco coal generators," by Elizabeth Dunbar, MPR News, September 23, 2013.
• "Study Sees a Higher Risk of Storms on the Horizon," by Michael Wines, The New York Times, September 23, 2013.
• "Children will bear brunt of climate change impact, new study says," by Fiona Harvey, The Guardian, September 22, 2013.
• "Obama Administration Acts to Protect Drinking Water and Critical Water Resources," Clean Water Action, September 19, 2013.
• "Today Clean Water Good News from EPA: Why You Should Care," by Jonathan A. Scott, Clean Water Action, September 17, 2013.
• "Climate Change Solutions Need More Teeth," by Alexis Williams, MN 2020, September 12, 2013.

• Fresh Energy: Director, Transportation and the Built Environment. Deadline: until position is filled. 
• Fresh Energy: Director, Strategic Communications. Deadline: until position is filled.
• Land Stewardship Project: Program Organizer-Land Stewardship Project Farm Beginnings Program. Deadline: October 1, 2013.
• RE-AMP Administrative Assistant. Deadline: until position is filled. 
• RE-AMP Community Manger. Deadline: until position is filled.  
• RE-AMP Network Coordinator. Deadline: until position is filled. 

Experience the Upper Minnesota River Watershed with guides from our CURE members and board members by paddling, biking, fishing, birding, hiking or all of the above! Click on the link below to learn more about our last summer trip including details on special costs for our CURE members. - Advanced registration required for selected adventures. More events and adventures to be added to our fall schedule!