Clean water advocates to rally at Capitol this week

Talk about it

Advocates for clean water in central Minnesota are joining others from around the state this week at the State Capitol as part of a coordinated mission to let legislators know the how important the environment is to Minnesotans.

District managers, staff and others for the Sauk River Watershed District (SRWD) will be in St. Paul on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the Minnesota Association of Watershed District’s Annual Legislative Reception and Day.

“This is our best opportunity to help our legislators understand and appreciate the vital work that is being done by the SRWD on behalf of their constituents,” said Admistrator Holly Kovarik, whose SRWD will mark its 25th anniversary this year.

Also working on behalf of the SRWD at the State Capitol this week will be managers Todd Foster, Dan Coughlin, Jason Scherping, James Rothstein, Jim Kral, Larry Kuseske and Bob Mostad.

Specifically, Kovarik and the others will touch on a range of issues that need legislative support, among them clean water, environmental monitoring and invasive species.

Kovarik said that she and others from the SRWD “will make it clear that the state’s money is being used wisely to support a mission that benefits Minnesotans and their surroundings for generations to come.”

There are 11 legislators whose districts fall within the SRWD’s boundaries: Sens. Bill Ingebritgtsen, Joe Gimse, Michelle Fischbach, Scott Newman and John Pederson; and Reps.: Torrey Westrom, Mary Fransen, Paul Anderson, Larry Hosch, Steve Gottwalt, and Dean Urdahl.

For more about this week’s events at the Capitol, visit http://www.mnwatershed.org/.

About the Sauk River Watershed District:

As a local government body, the SRWD was formed in 1986 and extends from 6 miles west of Osakis flowing south to the Mississippi River near St. Cloud. The District’s namesake, the Sauk River, meanders for 120 miles. The SRWD District marks its 25th anniversary in service to citizens on July 25, 2011. Members of its Board of Managers are appointed to three-year terms by commissioners from five counties to represent the interests of Douglas, Meeker, Pope, Stearns and Todd counties. For more about the SRWD, visit http://www.srwdmn.org/ or call 1-320-352-2231.

Tags: news, updates, environment, water