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Last Friday, May 10th, we heard the answer to the question - "Why Should We Care About Watersheds?" We were delighted to host representatives from each of the Ramsey County watershed organizations to speak on their priorities and governance of watersheds.
Phil Belfiori, Vadnais Heights Watershed Management Organization, presented an overview on watershed governance. A watershed is an area of land that flows to a common waterbody. There are two types of watershed organizations: Watershed districts (WDs), which are authorized in Minn. Stat 103D, and Watershed Management Organization (WMOs), Joint Powers Boards-authorized.
There are five watershed organizations in Ramsey County – Capitol Region (CRWD), Ramsey-Washington Metro (RWMWD), Rice Creek (RCWD), Vadnais Lake Area (VLAWMO), and Lower Mississippi River (LMRMWO). These organizations' main purpose is to manage and protect our vital water resources.
Following Phil's presentation, each representative explained an overview of their specific watershed organization's priorities, including which communities their watersheds encompass, what makes them unique, and successful and ongoing projects. We heard from Phil, as well as Tina Carstens, Ramsey-Washington Metro WD; Bob Fossum, Capitol Region WD; Nick Tomczik, Marcie Weinandt, and Mike Bradley, Rice Creek WD; and Joe Barten, Lower Mississippi River WMO;
The program then turned to John Doan to speak on RCLLG's subgroup, the Climate Action Working Group (“CLAW”), explaining its goals, members, and upcoming priorities.
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