Press Releases
| Nature Northwest Project Promotes Region’s Natural Bounty
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Crookston, Minn. (April 30, 2007) – The ethereal sound of prairie chickens "booming" as they perform their annual courtship dance is but one of a myriad of unsung natural wonders that can be experienced right here in greater northwestern Minnesota.
The Nature Northwest Project, funded in part through a grant by the University of Minnesota Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership (NWRSDP), aims to increase awareness of such nature-based recreational opportunities available to residents and visitors alike in the 21 counties of Northwest Minnesota.
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| Red Lake River Rendezvous Tour Set for May 28-June 10, 2007
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Citizens Invited to Participate in 40th Anniversary Celebration and Paddle the River
Crookston, Minn. (April 25, 2007) – Join the Red Lake River Rendezvous Tour this spring from May 28 to June 10, 2007, for a recreational trek down the entire length of the Red Lake River in northwestern Minnesota. This May marks the 40th anniversary of the river’s designation as a canoe and small boat route, and the Red Lake River Corridor Enhancement Joint Powers Board invites the community be part of the festivities.
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Crookston, Minn. (February 27, 2007) – The Lake Agassiz Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) and Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership (NWRSDP) are joining up to put on a one-day seminar about the importance of eating well: "Diet as the Ultimate Key to Vibrant Health and Healing". This event will be held Thursday, March 15, 2007, in Bede Ballroom of the Student Center on the University of Minnesota, Crookston campus from 8:00 AM- 3:00 PM. The conference is open to the public and costs $20 per person, which includes a lunch of organically-grown foods.
Renewing the Countryside and the University of Minnesota, Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership are hosting a Greening Your Business workshop in northwest Minnesota that will feature George Wilkes from the Angry Trout Café in Grand Marais. It will showcase real life examples of what is working in sustainable tourism in Minnesota. There will be resources and tips for making your business more sustainable and ideas of how to help your region retain its local flavor.
The grocery store isn’t the only place you can buy food locally; you don’t have to look much further than the Local Foods Partnership to find home grown groceries. The Local Food Partnership started in 2004 brings together via the Web a network of producers and consumers who invest in the risks and rewards of producing homegrown products. Community partners and local producers Mike and Mary Pat Klawitter of Euclid, Minn., say, "The partnership has been instrumental in heightening awareness. The Web site has been helpful in making people aware of the producers in the region who are ready and willing to provide some of their groceries."
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January meeting at Mount St Benedict
The January board meeting and retreat will be held at Mount Saint Benedict Monestary in Crookston on Jan. 10 and 11, 2007. The retreat will involve a scenerio building workshop conducted in cooperation with the Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Initiative, University of Minnesota. Read more about the Scenario Session.
| Northwest RSDP meets at BioHaus on Dec. 7, 2006
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A tour of the BioHaus at Concordia Language Villages provided an excellent opportunity to consider activites that promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Other ideas on the agenda included Crookston Farmers Market, Season Extension project, Sedimentation study in Thief River, subsurface drainage research at Roseau.
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| August 2006 meeting involves tour of Sister's Garden and Season Extension Research
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At its August 24, 2006 meeting, the NW RSDP board toured three projects at Mount Saint Benedict in Crookston . Mike Klawitter provided a tour of the Sisters CSA and Market Garden. Terry Nennich and Jerry Wright provided an overview of the high tunnel operations and irrigation system. Melinda McCluskey provided a tour of the heirloom tomato varieties plots and offered taste tests.
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| NW RSDP meets in Roseau in July 2006.
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The board toured the Magnusson Research Farm north of Roseau, focusing on grass seed variety trials. Dr. Nancy Ehlke and Richard Magnusson reported on the importance of the grass seed industry in Roseau and Lake of the Woods counties.
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Water management and specifically, the environmental implications of expanding tile drainage in the Red River Valley was the focus of the May board meeting. Dr. Kristen Blann, research fellow with the UM Water Resources Center, presented findings from a literature review. Hydrological impacts to wetlands, rivers and streams and nutrient loading implications were reviewed. Discussion about future research priorities is underway NW RSDP approved support for Winter Wheat Variety Trials and Clean Energy Resource Teams.
The NW RSDP will meet on April 13, 2006 at the Agassiz Wildlife Refuge. Nature-based creation and tourism is the focus for this meeting. We'll review our projects in this area to date and determine prioritites for the next 18 months.
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