Meet Darby and Geri! Darby and Geri Nelson are two of the kindest most generous people you’ll ever meet. Darby is an aquatic ecologist, biology professor emeritus, author, and former Minnesota state legislator who was born near Lake Vermilion and grew up in Morton, Minnesota. The son of two teachers, helping others learn is in … Read more
Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing… about in boats — or with boats. In or out of ’em, it doesn’t matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that’s the charm of it. Whether you get away, or … Read more
There were so many great environmental provisions to like in the House and Senate Omnibus Bills from the regular session. Unfortunately, they didn’t match, so nothing was passed. They are being taken up now during the Special Session and we hope this will lead to omnibus bill passage. However, we also know how much … Read more
In the wake of George Floyd’s unnecessary death at the hands of police and the subsequent expressions of community outrage, the easy thing for me (a white male executive) to do is express sorrow and solidarity with Mr. Floyd’s family, friends, and the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. I have done that. I … Read more
Art has the power to inform and connect us, reaching across language and culture, in ways that facts and figures cannot. This was the inspiration behind Freshwater’s new Water Steward program, Art for Water. With support from a Hennepin County Green Partners grant and the Rice Creek Watershed District, Freshwater piloted our first cohort of … Read more
The Freshwater Board of Directors is pleased to announce the completion of the Freshwater Strategic Plan 2020-2025. This new plan addresses Freshwater’s mission: inspire and empower people to value and preserve our freshwater resources. The Board adopted four statements of our Freshwater vision – the future that we work to achieve: there is clean and … Read more
The proposal to export water from Dakota County’s groundwater has raised more than just our eyebrows here at Freshwater. The DNR rejected the proposal earlier this year, and recently Dakota County established a one-year moratorium on any such proposal to pump groundwater and send it outside the County. From 2019 – 2020, our Freshwater team … Read more
The most recent lecture in our Moos Family Speaker Series on May 13, proved to be a highly informative discussion on how toxic runoff can enter our waters and efforts to hold the polluters accountable. Dr. Valery Forbes, Dean of the College of Biological Sciences and Freshwater Board Member, expertly hosted the event with its … Read more
During the 2020 Legislative Session the Legislature came close to passing key environmental bills, but unfortunately, the chaos of Covid-19 allowed disagreements between the House, Senate, and Executive Branch to impact other essential, unfinished business. As they reconvene in the Special Session, important social topics addressing the social unrest over systemic racism are sure to … Read more
Freshwater friends, members, and supporters: Protecting the health of our community is of the utmost importance to us. As such, most Freshwater staff will continue to work remotely, and there will be no in-person meetings held at Freshwater’s offices. Similarly, Freshwater, consistent with Governor Tim Walz’s Stay Safe Minnesota executive order, will not be attending … Read more
