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Links from the March-April 2021 issue River Cam Philanthropist — You can watch the Mississippi from the Sawmill Museum in Clinton, Iowa, whenever you want, thanks to the generosity of a Fort Wayne man who has now sponsored webcams at three Upper Mississippi River museums. Craig Herold, formerly of Winona, Minn., is donating the webcams in memory of relatives, museum director Matthew Parbst told the Clinton Herald (1-5-21). Herold-funded webcams also watch over the river at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa, and the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn.
Dirty Songs? Lewiston, Minn. — Austin, Minn., singer-songwriter Bret Hesla and the band Six Feet Deep have recorded two songs commissioned by the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) to help farmers tune in to soil health. Hesla immersed himself in the subject at farms operated by LSP members in Austin and Goodhue, Minn. “Got Cover Crops” and “Back to Soil” have accompanying videos online. Winona’s Kobi Dansingburg produced and edited the videos. There is no charge for public use of the music or videos.
RV Explosion St. Croix, Minn. — Sales of recreational vehicles for camping took off in the pandemic, and the industry expects sharp growth to continue in 2021 — but where will all those RVs find a camping place? At least one Minnesota campground is adding more RV spaces. Veterans Campground on Big Marine Lake is acquiring 2.4 acres from Washington County’s Big Marine Park Reserve to get more RV camping space for military veterans. The 30 additional RV spaces would relieve a three-year wait for the current 156 spaces. Veterans Campground is 12 miles north of Stillwater, Minn., and six miles west of Marine on St. Croix. Once known as Disabled Veterans Rest Camp, the 69-acre Veterans Campground is run by a nonprofit for veterans and their families. The camp dates to 1926, when it was donated for World War I soldiers who lived with “shell-shock,” now known as post-traumatic stress disorder. The campground drew 35,000 visitors in 2019. After a two-month pandemic shutdown in early 2020, RV manufacturers hustled as sales jumped six percent over 2019. This year the industry expects a stunning 17 percent rise, to more than 500,000 units. Travelers craving a safe vacation may have trouble finding an RV camping space. Reserve early, urges Monika Geraci of the Recreational Vehicles Industry Association. Camping numbers rose in Wisconsin in 2020. Bookings for 2021 are up again, according to Craig Trost of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Wisconsin takes reservations up to 11 months in advance. “We do remind RV campers that our state parks do not have full water and sewer hookups, so plan ahead!” Trost cautioned. Wisconsin RV campgrounds with electric hookups include Interstate, Willow River, Perrot, Merrick, Wyalusing and Nelson Dewey state parks and Governor Knowles State Forest. If locked out of early reservations, keep an eye out for “last-minute cancellations,” Trost advised. Wisconsin’s campground finder is at TravelWisconsin.com. Minnesota’s is at ExploreMinnesota.com. Both Iowa and Illinois use ReserveAmerica.com.
Bumble Bee Spring — A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On To learn more about native bees and native plants, check out the beautiful and very complete book, "Bees — An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide," by Heather Holm, published by Pollinator Press, 2017. Also see https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com
Growing the Right Plant in the Right Place — Prairie Moon Nursery
Links from the January-February 2021 issue Take a virtual trip on the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Follow the attempt to reel in the state fish in every state. FishAllFifty
Watch Shane Westen pedal down the river in a Hobie Outback Kayak.
Keep up on Mississippi source-to-sea paddlers with the Facebook group Mississippi River Paddlers.
Links from the November-December 2020 issue Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website The WDNR is seeking volunteers for its self-service Adopt-a-Kiosk program for CWD testing. ——— Here's more info on River Actions's River Webinar series: Archaeologist Ernie Boszhardt will lead us on a virtual introduction to beautiful Little Bluff in Trempealeau, Wis. Sponsored by Mississippi Valley Conservancy. Discover Little Bluff Check out Lake Pepin Alliance's membership drive.
Links from the September-October 20220 issue • River Action will forego its annual in-person Upper Mississippi River Conference this year, opting instead for three online webinars. Webinars will cost $10 per session or $25 for all three. • The Conservation Grazing Map helps farmers and ranchers find public lands that are available for grazing livestock. The tool is a joint effort by the MDA, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
•Like the overlook story in this issue? See overlook stories that we have published in the past. See all the overlooks on our Travel Map
Links from the July-August 2020 issue Mississippi River area webcams Headwaters of the Mississippi at Itasca State Park. (Minnesota DNR) National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn. National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa St Louis Arch viewed from Illinois. (Camera installed by the local government.) The eagle trio near L&D 13, Fulton, Ill. (Stewards of the Upper Mississippi River Refuge) Mississippi River Flyway Cam, Brice Prairie, Wis. (Raptor Resource Center) Watch the river at St. Paul. (City of St. Paul) Driftless Area Education Center at Lansing, Iowa Dubuque County Courthouse Peregrine Falcons
Fishing information Fishing information is available at “Learn to fish” on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website. Explore fish in streams and climate data with FishVis by the USGS.
Links from past issues: Paddler Sampling: LouAnn Harris stand-up paddle— What I Learned; The Mullet Jay Kangler - Escape with Jay videos Max Berthou and Mark Pozlep link to Waterways Journal Maya Dizak and Michael McGuire and The Big Wet Trip on Instagram Dan Faust - Glory Days Mississippi River Paddlers Facebook Group
From Big River
Links to more information from stories in Big River Links to Mississippi River Resources Links from Reggie's Canoecopia presentation
Upper Mississippi River Restoration - Environmental Management Program (UMRR-EMP) Mississippi River Organizations Down the Mississippi: People taking all kinds of trips down the river Weather on the Upper Mississippi Water levels on the Upper Miss. 90-Day Journey of a Raindrop on the Mississippi River by Gayle Harper. Blog, Surrendering to Serendipity Download complete issues from 2006 and 2007 More Stories Published in past issues of Big River
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