Annual Report 2017We believe that everyone should be able to swim and fish in

healthy rivers and lakes and drink clean water from our wells.

Page 2 2017 Annual Report

From the DirectorWhat a year 2017 was! It was a great honor to be the Inter-im Executive Director for much of the year as our staff line-up continued to change, but I could not be more thrilled with our current staff: Alan, Hailey, Kevin and Sheila have helped me along as I learned what it is to be Director of a small, but mighty nonprofit. I am also immensely grateful for the support from our membership, board of directors and committee members as well as past staff and board members, too. I also feel fortunate to have had the final Bush Prize for Community Engagement funds to be spent in 2017 which helped us try out new projects (which you will read about in these pages) and weather the transitions that came last year. With 2017 in the rear-view mirror we continue looking forward to the challenges and opportuni-ties that 2018 will inevitably hold for us.Beginning my second year in the Director’s chair at CRWP is truly one of the great honors of my career so far and has given me opportunities to meet and make connections with so many incredible neighbors and partners across the wa-tershed: the individuals, family farmers, business owners, youth and civic groups in our area are rich with knowledge, passion and resources. Everyone I meet is eager and willing to work together for clean water and I feel inspired every

• Brad Anderson Goodhue Co Commissioner

• Richard Androli Waseca Co Commissioner

• Jeff Beckman – Goodhue SWCD• James Brady

Steele Co Commissioner• Amber Brossard – citizen• Dick Cook – Rice SWCD• Curt Coudron – citizen• Jayne Hager Dee – Dakota SWCD

• Richard Elsen – citizen• Lee Dilley – citizen• Dan Hofrenning – citizen• Melissa King – citizen• Richard Lorang – citizen• Galen Malecha

Rice Co Commissioner• Tom Meagher – citizen• Brad Rademacher – citizen• Lee Skaar – citizen

• Mike Slavik Dakota Co Commissioner

• Roger Stoick – citizen• Jill Trescott – citizen• Monica Wallace – citizen• Lance Wetzel

Le Sueur Co Commissioner• Kyle Wolfe – Steele SWCD• Vacant – Le Sueur SWCD• Vacant – Waseca SWCD

day because of all of you!Even after almost 28 years, there are still countless ways we have the potential to grow into the citizen-driven community orga-nization that CRWP was envi-sioned to become by that group of concerned citizens who came together to form the Cannon River Watershed Partnership in 1990. I encourage you to join our work as a member: invest a couple of hours for clean water by coming to an event or participating as a volunteer. If you’d like to share more of yourself you are invited to give a monthly donation to CRWP through our website or you are welcome to join a committee or our board of direc-tors. If you have the passion and the willingness to give to CRWP, we will be very glad to have you step up your commitment and support of all the work we do every day in our little corner of the world. I look forward to seeing you soon!Kristi Pursell CRWP Executive Director

CRWP Staff:Kristi Pursell, Executive Director

Alan Kraus, Conservation Program ManagerSheila Craig, Community Sewage Treatment Facilitator

Hailey Gorman, Community Sewage Treatment FaciliatorKevin Strauss, Community Engagement & Office Coordinator

CRWP Board Members:

CRWP Board Officers:Jeff Beckman – Chair from May-Nov

Amber Brossard – Vice Chair & Chair Nov/DecBrad Rademacher – Secretary

Roger Stoick – Treasurer

CRWP Mission: To engage people in protecting and improving the water

and natural areas of the Cannon River Watershed.

Cannon River Watershed Partnership Page 3

From the Board Chair

2017 Financials At-A-Glance (unaudited)

While reflecting on 2017’s changes and suc-cesses it’s nice to recall the accomplishments that 2017 had to offer. One of our greatest accomplishments in 2017 epitomizes the work we do and could only have been accomplished with the help of our community, members, and hardworking staff:

to finish the year CRWP wrapped up our most successful year end fundraising campaign in our 27-year history! The support from you, our members is crucial for the stability of our organization because individual and business donations are our most reliable source of revenue as a member-driven organization. We appreciate the generosity and patience of all of your families and businesses who believe in our work and mission enough to be generous enough to support it with financial contributions!2017 was a year of a great many changes on the board of directors and staff. I personally held several roles throughout 2017: we transitioned from one board chair to another at our 2017 Annual Meeting where I was elected to the role of Vice Chair. I served in this capacity throughout the year as well as briefly stepping in as Chair for a couple of months when our board leadership was in transition. The addition of Hailey Gorman as Community Wastewater Facilitator fills the big shoes left by Aaron Wills who worked for CRWP for more than eleven years and in mid-2017 Kevin Strauss joined the team as Community Engagement and Office Coordinator to fill Kristi’s previous role before she became Interim Executive Director.

Looking towards 2018 and beyond, we have many things to be excited about. One of those is the proposed bylaw chang-es that would change the board structure of CRWP. As the culture and membership of this organization has grown and changed over the decades, we are making sure our structure reflects the times we live in. In 2017 a Governance Commit-tee was formed and worked to come up with a proposal that all board members (including elected officials) support. This change consists of having a smaller board of directors who are all local to the watershed and removing the appointed mem-ber of the Board of Directors. This proposed new Board struc-ture, were it to pass at this year’s Annual Meeting, will consist of 11-17 CRWP members who will serve up to two 3-year terms. The other changes to the bylaws are mostly grammati-cal and formatting for consistency and clarity. Furthermore, for the future, we are hoping to have more member involvement. We would like to invite our vital membership to participate on our board committees. These committees will meet roughly six times a year providing our members with the perfect opportunity support their interest in finance, fundraising, events or governance and to help guide and increase involvement with CRWP. I am so very proud of all that CRWP has done for the com-munity and the watershed in 2017 and am even more excited to see what we can accomplish in 2018 with the incredible support of YOU: our community and membership.Amber Brossard CRWP Vice Chair

ExpensesPrograms

Conservation ............................................... $116,851Community Engagement ............................ $83,242Wastewater .................................................... $82,557

Fundraising .......................................................... $33,297Administration .................................................... $76,951Total Expenses .............................................$392,898

Wastewater21%

CommunityEngagement

21%

Conservation30%

Administration20%

Fundraising8%

IncomeContributions ....................................................... $52,722Government Grants .......................................... $163,898Foundation Grants ...............................................$77,449Other ......................................................................$30,218Total Income ................................................$324,287

GovernmentGrants

51%

Other 9%Foundation

Grants24%

Contributions16%

Page 4 2017 Annual Report

Community Engagement Program 2017In 2017 we saw staff transition as Kristi Pursell took over as Interim Executive Director and Kevin Strauss joined CRWP as the Community Engagement and Office Coordi-nator. Kevin continued the work that Kristi had been doing to move CRWP from its role of “running events” to a role where we work with partners to “make clean water happen.” The 9th Annual Watershed Wide Cleanup was a great example of this philosophy in action. Site Leaders did more to recruit, publicize and plan their particular site and pro-vided them with material and planning support. We also continue to build our strong network of CRWP volunteers and members. We are also exploring new ways to widen our approach to community engagement with new banner exhibits in area li-braries, banks, and community centers, and research into new projects that connect people to water in our communities. The Cannon River Watershed Partnership is committed giving people the tools, opportunities, and experiences they need to clean and protect our rivers, lakes, and drinking water.

Watershed Wide CleanupIn total, over 200 volunteers cleaned up sites at 10 locations that included Cannon Falls, Faribault, Morristown, North-field, Owatonna, Red Wing, Shields Lake and Waterville. The weight total of trash removed was about 8,000 pounds. In 2018, we’ll be contacting more community clubs and business groups to join in local cleanups.

Arbor Day CleanUP in FaribaultApril 29, 2017 was designated by the City (per resolu-

tion) as Arbor and Beautification Day. The City Parks and Recreation and Utilities Departments organized volunteer service activities and public education and outreach events. 42 Volunteers cleared 400 pounds of trash and debris from Crocker’s Creek.

Master Water StewardsCoordinated and taught our first group of Master Water Stewards with two stewards from Faribault, two from Northfield, and two from Cedar Lake. Those “super volunteers” are already working on clean water projects in their own com-munities.

Rain Garden Classes CRWP hosted a free Earth Day rain garden intro class in Northfield.

Poster Contest 100 students in grades 2-5 in Northfield submitted origi-nal artwork on their ideas as to how to “Be the Solution to Stormwater Pollution” in Northfield. Local businesses donated prizes, and winning entries have been on display in Northfield’s City Hall.

• Coordinated and hosted the 1st Annual Downstream En-vironmental Film Festival in Northfield in February 2017.

• Wrote six newspaper articles published in 6 watershed papers, spoke on local radio programs, engaged with area residents and supporters on CRWP’s social media pages and website.

• Participated in K-8 Earth Day tabling event in Faribault with 323 students in attendance and 35 teachers/staff.

• Had a presence at area events such as Faribault’s Beauti-fication Day, Northfield’s Earth Day events and the Rice and Steele County Fairs.

CRWP Staff also:

Cannon River Watershed Partnership Page 5

CRWP Wastewater Program 2017Bush Prize Educational VideosIn 2014, the Bush Foundation recognized the Southeast Minnesota Wastewater Initiative (SMWI) for their commu-nity innovation. This recognition allowed for educational videos to be made for future communities undergoing a wastewater project. Four videos have since been produced using Bush Prize money that highlight steps in a wastewa-ter project. These videos are now available to view on the CRWP website, http://www.crwp.net.

Cedar Beach Project (Olmsted County)• Construction of a 23-home shared cluster treatment sys-

tem for residents of Cedar Beach, a sub-division on the shores of Lake Zumbro, became operational the end of 2016 with final landscaping completed during 2017.

• Grants and loan assistance came from the Land & Legacy Funds through the MN Public Facilities Authority. The project received a $749,688.75 Point Source Implemen-tation Grant, a $245,823 Small Communities Wastewater Construction Grant, and the remainder of the project costs as a low-interest Small Communities Wastewater Construction loan.

• The new sewer system includes a grinder pump at each home, a collection system, septic tanks with pretreat-ment at the treatment site, and mound construction for the final treatment. The pre-treatment helps reduce the size of the mound and provides better protection for the groundwater. Over 10,300 gallons per day of sewage is now being properly treated and not entering Lake Zum-bro or area groundwater.

Dresbach Township (Winona County)• A new engineering firm was selected through a Request

for Proposal process and a treatment site was identified using part of a MnDOT maintenance facility.

• A $300,000 planning loan came due and was refinanced with an additional $200,000 loan through MN Rural Water.

• The Facility Plan for this ~80 home & business project has been submitted to MN Pollution Control for approval.

City of Oronoco (Olmsted County)Through the MN Legislative bonding process, a $500,000 planning grant was awarded to Oronoco to study regional options for wastewater treatment.

City of Randolph (Dakota County) Sunset Bay, Oronoco Township (Olmsted County)Ryan’s Bay, Zumbro Township (Wabasha County)• A Project Priority List application was submitted to the

MN Pollution Control Agency before the March 2017 deadline for each of these projects.

• Since then, a Community Assessment Report (CAR) has begun and will provide treatment options for community members to choose from.

• A $60,000 Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) from the MN Public Facilities Authority allowed for complete funding of the CAR for each Randolph and Ryan’s Bay and a $36,000 TAG for Sunset Bay.

West Jefferson Lake Project (Le Sueur County) • In the spring of 2017, engineering designs were sub-

mitted to MN Pollution Control and by fall Plans and Specifications were also sent in

• A total of 120 petitions were signed by the end of 2017, committing those landowners to the project

New projects initiated in 2017, include:• Cascade Township (Olmsted County)• Cedar Lake (Rice County)

Sign for Cedar Beach Project (top). Positioning the first ring on the air release valve manhole for the Cedar Beach Project (bottom).

Page 6 2017 Annual Report

CRWP Conservation Program 2017

CRWP Sign at Tom Gregor Farm. Montgomery, MN. CRWP & Le Sueur SWCD Hayable Buffer Project funded by Bush Prize. Photo: Alan Kraus

Grazing Management Field Day at Phil Maring Farm. Sogn Valley, MN. Field days part of Natural Lands Mangagement Project funded by The Nature Conservancy. Photo: Alan Kraus

Buffer & Tillage Management Field Day. David & Mark Legvold Farm. Northfield, MN. In cooperation with Minnesota Ag Waters Resource Center & Minnesota Department of Ag. Photo: Alan Kraus

Cover CropsCRWP’s Conservation Program was very active in 2017 building on its efforts to expand the planting of cover crops by farmers in the watershed. Cover crops, such as annual rye grass, winter rye, radish, oats and clovers, keep vegeta-tive cover on the landscape and improve water quality by keeping nutrients in the soil and by keeping the soil in the field. With assistance from CRWP:• 16 farmers planted 1084 acres with cover crops• ~ 11,000 pounds of nitrate and 260 tons of soil prevented

from entering area streams• 8 farmers completed the second year of the MN De-

partment of Ag Grant - Interseeding Cover Crops into Standing Corn

• 48 people attended 2 CRWP field days on Interseeding Cover Crops

• 17 farmers at the field days responded that they will plant 980 acres with cover crops in 2017

• ~70 people attended 1 meeting where CRWP presented results of Interseeding Cover Crops

• Farmamerica, Minnesota’s farm interpretive center with over 3000 visitors annually, established a 15 acre parcel for a 5-year demonstration and study of cover crops

Monitoring Progress on Cover Crops• Survey results from all six SWCD’s indicated acres

planted with cover crops in the Cannon River Watershed increased

• 2016 survey – 11,816 acres • 2017 survey – 14,705 acres• Initiated contact with UMN to conduct monitoring with

satellite imaging

Buffers, Tillage, Soil Health, Natural Lands• With Minnesota Department of Ag and Minnesota

Ag Waters Resource Center - hosted 2 farm field days attended by 35 ag professionals and 7 farmers to discuss buffer vegetation, cover crops and strip till

• With Sustainable Farm Association - hosted a 2-day workshop attended by 12 ag professionals and 8 farmers on soil health improvement

• With The Nature Conservancy - hosted 3 field days at-tended by 39 people to discuss natural lands management

Partnership with SWCD’sCRWP provided cost share to all 6 SWCD’s that leveraged about $300,000 toward clean water projects in the Cannon River Watershed. Projects completed include:• 2 grassed waterways (Le Sueur, Dakota)• 2 sediment control basins (Goodhue, Dakota)• 2 critical area plantings (Dakota)• 192 acres cover crops (Waseca, Rice)• Prevented from traveling downstream: • 414 tons of soil • 215 pounds of phosphorus• Additional projects in Trout Brook Watershed (Dakota)

and the City of Owatonna (Steele) are planned for 2018

Cannon River Watershed Partnership Page 7

STEWARD $1,000+Richard and Lorraine

CarlanderFaribault FoodsJennie-O Turkey StoreRuth KrusenState Bank of FaribaultRoger StoickJill Trescott

BENEFACTOR $500+Diana and Mark AbbottJames and Mary BassettCountryside Animal HospitalMairi DoerrPaul and Katy GillispieJohn HamerJust Food CoopRich and Virginia LorangNeuger Communications GroupOutback Orchard Dale

RademacherRed Wing Shoes Company

FoundationMary SavinaDean and Sam SunderlinSt. Olaf CollegeGary and Bonnie Van ErpJoAnn WingerWaseca County

PROTECTOR $100+Matt Achor Bill AlthoffBrad Anderson Gene and Lois BakkoGene and Susan Bauer Jeff BeckmanDr. and Mrs. Earl BensonNancy and Steve BrakerPaul Bringgold Bob BruceAmber BrossardDawn BrossardEdward and Cynthia BuchwaldGreg and Sue CarlsonGlen CastoreJames and Judith CederbergCentral Farm Service

OwatonnaCollege City BeverageRichard and Lynn CookCorporate RecognitionCurt CoudronBart and Sue De MalignonEric and Jayne Hager DeeSam DeMasLee and Vicki DilleyNancy DungyEco GardensRick and Joyce ElsenDavid and Mary Ann EmerySusan EricksonRichard FalkFar-Gaze FarmsFerndale MarketRichard and Pauline FetterlyDavid and Lori FollandCindy Thompson

Terence Fruth And Mary McEvoy

Boyd FullerTim GallagherKevin and Barbara GardinerPatty and Larry GavinLaura Goering and Gregory

Blake SmithGreg’s MeatsBeret GriffithGeorge and Gretchen

HardgroveMerv and Marilyn HenkeHoffman, Hamer & AssociatesDan Hofrenning and Nancy

BrownHogan Brothers, Inc.Dr. Dick HustonDavid HvistendahlKevin Davis, Hy View FarmAndrea and Gary IsemingerPat JohnsonBill JokelaJosh Klecker Candace KnudsonAlan and Emily KrausDavid KuhnauCathy Larson and Steve AlbersSteven LarsonLarry and Kaia LehmanJoe McGoughKiesler’s CampgroundMelissa and Adam KingRichard and Janet MisgenJan MitchellGuenther and Allene MoeslerKarl and Cindy MolenaarStan and Carrie MorkMary NiermannJim NoonanWilliam NorthCity of NorthfieldAlan Norton & Kathleen

Doran-NortonMeg Ojala and John BarbourPaul and Anne Meyer RuppelAgnes PavekJanet PetriGeorge PincBrian and Anne PurringtonKristi and Michael PursellThomas and Margaret PursellBradley RademacherGyles and Carol RandallTodd MarkmanBret and Sue RiedelTracy and Robert BorashJanice Roetzel and Tim

O’ConnellKent Rossi, Attorney at LawRuss HalversonBrynhild RowbergAnne SawyerBarbara SawyerMarvin SchraderKatarina SchroeerJudy SchultzJack and Pamela Schwandt

Steven and Rose SchweisthalHeather ScottGeorge SivanichLee and Joyce SkaarSt. John’s Lutheran ChurchNoel and Lois StratmoenBarbara SaugerSteve and Elaine TrnkaThe Trust for Public LandsPat TieskoetterGary and Linda WagenbachGeorge and Jennifer WagnerRoss and Jane NelsonWarren “Buster” WestVern and June WilkerMark WilsonRoy and Myrna WinjumDarlene WittBill WoehrlinKyle Wolfe

FRIEND $50+Roy Anderson Daniel BergesonGary Beyer Tim BresnahanCharles and Lisabeth ButlerGloria Carter Bill and Nancy ChildMatt Chowen and Madeline

BairdBob GilbertsonGregory Colby and Carol

SchoenSheila and Norman Craig Michael DeenyDan and Cahrene DimickElaine and Scott Nesbit Helen EllingerCarol Emery Barbara EvansKevin and Peggy FinkRobert Flaten Paula GrandquistBeth and Gary HagemeisterPatricia and David HalsorMary Harkins and Barry VennPatti and Loren HaskinsJeffrey and Mary HerzogPenny HillemannFred HoweBonnie and Jim HvistendahlBarbara JenkinsWilliam A. and Jennifer Cox

JohnsonBeth and Stephen KallestadKaren KallestadGary KindsethKirsten and Jay JohnsonPamela KittelsonJulie KlassenRichard and Jo Ann KleberLarry KnudsenRobert and Anita KochWalt KosecMichael and Cathy

KowalewskiGloria KrusemeyerDavid and Judy Lee

John McCarthyMike and Ann McGovernSteven McKelveyKatherine and Ronald MentjesRobert NicholsonRichard and Raymonde NoerKris and Lynn NyhusBrad and Debbie OlsonJeff Ondich and Mary

DunnewoldBruce and Ruth PaulsonRichard and Marianne

PetersonPeggy ProweThe City of Red WingRice Co SWCDJane and Dennis RinehartPat RiceA. Christine RobbinsMatt Rohn and CharlotteMelin RohnMerry SawdeyDan SaynerRick and Deb ScheilKathleen SheaEd SostekGene and Rose Ann SteenhoekKathy Tegtmeyer - Pak and

Steve PakNels ThompsonNorman TorbensonDr. James WaddellFrank and Sue WeaverMariia Zimmerman

SPONSOR $35+Karen Achberger Brad AndersonMary and John Andrews Bobbi BakerRobert Chen Daniel CroomsGary and Connie DeGroteLynne and Bob DiebelRoger and Pat DuFourRandy Knox and CharleneErickson-KnoxTrish FerrettLee GanskeJeff GillenEleanor HaaseGail and Philip HeimMark JohnsonBob and Michelle KinerGeorge and Virginia KinneyDaniela Kohen and Joe

ChihadeMN/DOT HydraulicsBen and B-J NormanBobbie PetersonCharles and Genevieve

RoesslerWendy SmithKevin & Andrea Lorek StraussDiane StromAndrew WeisKevin and Mary WentworthMichelle WieberChristine Williams

MEMBER $25+Roger and Marge WilkowskeGerald BastyrBethel Lutheran ChurchBrad and Tracie SpinlerMary BurnsPaula CorsiKeith and Judy CoveyFlorence DaceyAnna DutkeDonald and Marcella DvorakBritt and Bjorn GangenessTony GillenDavid GoodnatureHailey GormanElvin HeibergRalph HendricksonJames HoldenSue and Joe HollingerThe Hougen-Eitzman’s/Big

Woods FarmVirginia HruskaStephen JanuszPatricia JohnsonBecky JokelaKaren FossumJeff KreisGeri LarsonBaird StraughanVirgil LuehrsL.L. MantheyRosalia MolskiDavid PaxsonMichael PhillipsKelly RuschGary and Cherry SchwartzPeg SchwendemanMike SlavikDouglas and Lael StarkweatherTed and Sue TumaJay ValentynMonica WallaceBrian WarnkeWaterville Sportsman ClubPatrick and Beverly WatsonA DeWayne and Theo WeeTom and Pam WetzellAaron Wills and Molly

McGovern WillsKathy Zeman

DONORDan and Janice FoleyRick GnemiBecky Boling and Douglas

GreenPeter Hark and Mary Jo

Cristofaro-HarkCarl and Mary Caroline HenryDiana and Dave HeringScott JohnsonKaren MaderNancy and Thomas SchmidtKathryn and Victor SummaBarry and Pamela VigWaterville Lakes AssociationJanet Watchman and Joel

WeisbergShawn Willy

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