"25 by '25" hits the metro in its final stretch
As part of his "25 by '25" initiative to reduce water pollution in Minnesota 25 percent by 2025, Gov. Mark Dayton has been holding a series of town hall meetings across the state. Both the town hall-style meetings and the online comment period wrap up Thursday, October 5.
The final three town halls will be held in the metro:
• Wednesday, September 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Minneapolis,
• Wednesday, October 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Burnsville, and
• Thursday, October 5, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Stillwater.
While FMR water policy staff plan to attend the September 27 meeting, we encourage you to attend whichever meeting works best for you or contribute your thoughts online.
About "25 by '25"
In February, Gov. Mark Dayton announced the "25 by '25" water quality goal to spur collaboration and action to improve Minnesota’s water quality 25 percent by 2025. While the goal seems modest to some, our state is currently on track to expect just a 6 to 8 percent improvement in the health of our lakes, streams and rivers by 2034, according to the administration.
To hear from residents, the governor is hosting 10 town hall-style community forums that conclude Thursday, October 5 with the final town hall in Stillwater. Online feedback will be taken through October 5 as well. The intention of each town hall is to gather feedback regarding what residents believe their community or region should do to help Minnesota reach its 25 by '25 goal. Learn more by checking out the governor's informational packet.
Before you go...
If you plan to attend a meeting or contribute your thoughts online, a) THANK YOU! and, b), we have a couple requests/suggestions.
First, for background, we encourage this brief MPR article by Kirsti Marohn, "Getting to clean water: Complex problem, no easy solutions." If you have more time, check out the State of the River Report, especially pages 34-42 on the ecological health of the river.
We also encourage everyone to contribute ideas and goals that apply both in the metro area and throughout the state. Whether in-person or online, consider pointing out that row crop agriculture is the dominant source of pollution to the metro Mississippi River. Minnesota needs to fully fund innovative programs (like Forever Green) that support putting perennial plants on farm fields to reduce erosion and pollution while creating marketable crops to support farmers.
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