Rochester Public Utilities (RPU)
and the Olmsted County Environmental Commission announce the recipients of the
2019 Environmental Achievement Awards. The recipients were recognized at an
awards banquet Thursday evening at the Rochester Golf and Country Club. The
awards honor individuals, organizations, schools and businesses that have made
a significant contribution in 2019 towards environmental quality in any of the
following categories: renewable efforts, conservation, energy, water,
agriculture, education, and other.
The
2019 recipients are:
Pam
& Michael Pagelkopf
Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteers, Pam and Michael Pagelkopf,
were excited to respond to the call from Sara Holger with Minnesota Project Get
Outdoors. She was looking to have a nature-based program developed for a small
number of preschools in the Rochester area. The Pagelkopfs created “Nature with
Pam and Michael” in 2011. Two schools are visited September through May with
programs utilizing puppets, animal pelts, skulls, antlers and horns along with
creative games, snowshoeing and binocular gazing. The programs engage the
children with all five senses.
Resourcing with the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (in
Olmsted County), Pam and Michael created “Touch ‘N Feel” in 2018. They currently visit sites in Rochester and
Byron providing more children a hands-on experience with pelts, antlers, horns,
skulls, bones, and many miscellaneous nature items.
In addition to their preschool involvement, Pam and Michael have
been building and delivering field desks for the Minnesota School Forest
Program. Since 2010, they have built and
delivered 1,172 field desks to 42 School Forest sites across Minnesota
traveling 6,800+ miles.
318 Commons
318 Commons is a mixed-use retail, office, classroom, and
residential development located in downtown Rochester. This past year, the
facility participated in Rochester’s Voluntary Energy Benchmarking Program. The
program asked organizations and businesses across Rochester to share their
utility consumption data publicly to develop an understanding of energy
performance, encourage best-practice sharing, and accelerate the pace of energy
conservation projects in Rochester.
318 Commons is conserving energy to a degree that separates
themselves from other participants in the program. They are the only
privately-operated facility in the top-20 performing facilities in Rochester.
On a square foot basis, 318 Commons is consuming less than half of the energy
of an average building that participated in the benchmarking program. The
facility utilizes high-efficiency boilers, a two-pipe heat pump system, and
conducts regular service checks. 318 Commons also educates its residents on
best-practices regarding energy consumption.
Sandy
Bauter
Sandy Bauter has been a member of the Rochester Chapter of the
Minnesota Master Naturalists since 2015 and currently serves as the treasurer
and outreach chair. If you’ve attended an environmental event in Olmsted
County, chances are you’ve seen Sandy and her spinning wheel of native animal
species. She has educated hundreds of community members at Earthfest, the
County Fair, and Whitewater State Park.
Sandy also volunteers at Quarry Hill Nature Center where she has
been a docent since 2016 and assisted the facility librarian with book
inventory and organization during the Nature Center’s year-long renovation in
2017/2018. At Quarry Hill Park, Sandy is a “Weed Warrior,” spending many hours
controlling invasive species. Additionally, Sandy volunteers her time driving
injured birds to the Raptor Rehabilitation Center in St. Paul.
Sheldon
King
For the past 100 years, Lake Zumbro has been one of the most
popular bodies of water for boaters and anglers in southeastern Minnesota.
Formed by the installation of the Lake Zumbro Dam, this 600-acre reservoir is
an important local recreational waterbody as well as a source of renewable
hydroelectric energy. Over the years, the lake has experienced a lot of
pressure from the discovery of zebra mussels in 2000 to increased
sedimentation. The lake was declared an impaired waterway by the MPCA in 1998,
and by the U.S. EPA in 2002. In 2001, Sheldon King took notice of the declining
state of Lake Zumbro and decided to do something about it. Over the past 18
years, he was a strong advocate for the restoration of Lake Zumbro. Some of his
significant contributions to improving the lake have included:
- Starting
Lake Zumbro Forever Inc. with volunteer board members dedicated to
restoring and preserving the lake
- Holding
legislative nights on the lake and lobbying at the State Capitol for
funding
- Starting
the Lake Improvement District (LID) to implement assessments on fellow
lake residents dedicated to improving its environmental character
- Raising
money from public and private entities for restoration work
For years, Sheldon has been instrumental in restoring and
preserving the beauty of the lake, ecological integrity, recreational quality,
and the overall value of this unique natural resource. Shelden will remain
active in efforts to restore the lake for current water enthusiasts and help
preserve the resource for future generations.
Rochester
Golf & Country Club
It takes a lot of water to keep the grass green on a golf course.
But thanks to a recent investment in their facility, the Rochester Golf and
Country Club (RGCC) will be using considerably less groundwater. In 2019, the
RGCC completed the installation of an extensive drain tile system throughout
their golf course property. This tile system collects stormwater and funnels it
to a holding pond where it can be used as an irrigation source when needed.
This project has reduced the demand on their deep well by over 60%, saving
water and electricity in the process. Playing conditions have improved on the
course making this a win for their business and water conservation.
Community
Food Response
Community Food Response’s (CFR) mission is to help mitigate hunger
in Rochester and the surrounding communities. Since 1993, CFR volunteers have
been “rescuing” prepared food from restaurants and grocery stores that would
have otherwise ended up in the garbage. The organization has operated out of
Bethel Lutheran Church since the program began, with a second location opening
at the Exchange Co-op in 2017. There are no income or residency restrictions to
receive food at either location.
CFR has over 40 food donors and is supported by over 900
volunteers who pick up food, open, sort, and distribute it at both locations.
In 2019, the organization collected approximately 125 tons of food and provided
over 89,000 meals.
Heidi
Kass & Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick – Rochester Seed Library
Heidi Kass and Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick have a passion for helping people grow their own food. In the spring of 2018, they initiated a collaborative effort with staff and volunteers from the Rochester Public Library (RPL), UMN Extension, Rochester Garden and Flower Club, and the History Center of Olmsted County to create the Rochester Seed library. The concept was simple. Residents with a library card could “check out” up to 10 packets of seeds per year. The volunteers spent the rest of 2018 planning and interacting with the community to figure out what types of seeds were in high demand.
By mid-February 2019, the group had packaged over 6,500 seed packets—with 44 varieties to choose from. A large seed donation came later, bringing the total packets closer to 8,500. RPL was a crucial partner, serving as the fiscal host and obtaining grants that were used to buy seeds and promote the program. RPL also serves as the physical location for the Seed Library which officially opened on March 2, 2019. Throughout the spring and summer, nearly 700 unique card-holders checked out seeds. Over 400 community members also participated in seed-related programs. The Seed Library is preparing for another year of distribution in 2020.
Sandy
Hokanson
Sandy Hokanson has been a member of the Zumbro Valley
Audubon Society for the past 10 years, and a wildlife artist for over 30. She
is a professional graphic designer who volunteers her talents to create
wildlife trail signs, with an emphasis on birds. These signs can be found at
numerous parks in Rochester, Olmsted County, and beyond. Complete with
captivating photographs, vibrant artwork, and helpful graphics, these
educational displays rival anything you could find at a large zoo or nature
center.
Within the Zumbro Valley Audubon Society, Sandy has
served as a board member and as the organization’s president. She has used her
creative skills to design and maintain the organization’s website and Facebook
page. She leads field trips and assists with monthly bird walks at Quarry Hill.
Sandy also organizes the Nature Art Show at Quarry Hill Nature Center, donating
a portion of the event’s proceeds back to the Nature Center.
Sisters
of Saint Francis – Assisi Heights
The natural landscape of Assisi Heights provides a
peaceful haven in the middle of an ever-growing city. Deer, wild turkey, and
numerous other animal species can be spotted on the property to the south and
west of the Motherhouse, in an area known as the “Green Space.” Thanks to a
proclamation of Conservation Easement this past July, much of this land along
with the Motherhouse, Chapel, and Wilson House will be preserved in its current
condition—72 acres total. This decision by the Sisters of Saint Francis is
representative of a shared mission to strive for justice and reverence for all
of creation.
Members of the Environmental Team at Assisi Heights
have collaborated with the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa, as well as
the Friends of Indian Heights Volunteers to clear invasive buckthorn and garlic
mustard from the property. The Sisters also utilize solar energy, maintain a
large kitchen garden, raise bees, and have made energy-saving enhancements to
their building.
For more information on energy and water conservation or the
Environmental Achievement Awards, visit www.rpu.org.
About Rochester Public Utilities
As the
municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides
high-quality and reliable electricity to over 50,000 customers. Water customers
number more than 39,000. RPU continually investigates innovative technologies
to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.
Current initiatives include fuel cell research, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.
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