Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) and the
Olmsted County Environmental Commission announce the recipients of the 2018
Environmental Achievement Awards. The recipients will be recognized at an
awards banquet tonight, January 17, at the Rochester Golf and Country Club. The
awards honor individuals, organizations, schools and businesses that have made
a significant contribution in 2018 towards environmental quality in any of the
following categories: renewable efforts, conservation, energy, water,
agriculture, education, and other.
The 2018
recipients are:
Keith Anderson
The Monarch
butterfly is easy to spot with its wings of bright orange, black, and white
polka dots. Every fall, these amazing creatures embark on a journey that
extends over 2,000 miles, migrating from their home range in Canada and the
United States to the forests of Central Mexico. More than just a pretty sight,
these insects contribute to the environmental health of our planet by
pollinating plants along the way. Unfortunately, populations have been in serious
decline as a result of habitat loss and a changing climate.
Keith
Anderson is trying to change that. One day in the spring of 2017, he saw a
monarch lay an egg. With his curiosity piqued, he went looking for and found
about a dozen monarch caterpillars. The next day, all of them were gone. This
motivated him to begin raising the butterflies indoors. Since that day, Keith
has raised over 1,000 butterflies from the eggs found in his yard alone. He has
shared chrysalises with Quarry Hill Nature Center, the MN Master Naturalists,
and local schools. His work is inspiring others in the community to raise and
release butterflies of their own.
Lincoln K-8 Faculty Beekeepers
Honey bees
are all-star pollinators. The U.S. Department of Agriculture claims that managed
colonies add at least $15 billion of value to U.S. agriculture annually through
increased yields and quality harvests. With the overall health of the species
in question, faculty members at Lincoln K-8 District-Wide School found a way to
introduce their students to these amazing insects.
In May of
2018, the school purchased a Flow™ Hive and built a foundation for it to sit
on. This style of hive allows the students to see what’s going on inside the
hive without disturbing it. The school worked with the Boy Scouts of America to
locate the hive at the Gamehaven Council Headquarters. Doing so provided more
space for the bees and ensured the hive wouldn’t get hit by an errant
playground pass. Additionally, the University of Minnesota Extension was crucial
to the project’s success in educating the teachers on how to properly care for
the bees. The school’s hive will serve as an active learning opportunity for
many classes to come, fostering an appreciation, rather than a fear of bees.
Curt Tvedt
Curt Tvedt is
a life-long learner with a passion for soil health. He has been incorporating
conservation practices since he began farming decades ago, but as of 2015, Curt
has learned that we can build soil back relatively quickly through no-tilling
and cover cropping. For the past three years, Curt has planted soybeans into
living rye in the spring and later crimped the rye to provide a mat of residue
for the soybeans to grow through. This protects the soil from heavy rains and
naturally suppresses weed growth. Eventually, he would like to increase his
soil health to the point of not needing as many inputs (labor, fuel,
fertilizer, etc.).
Curt has
started peer-to-peer education groups to promote conservation farming. As a
member of the Land Stewardship Project—an organization that promotes
sustainable farming—he has hosted field-days to share his successes through
presentations and demonstrations. Additionally, he has taken courses in
microbiology to better understand processes that build organic matter back into
the soil.
Sierra Student Coalition at UMR
The Sierra
Student Coalition (SSC) at the University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) believes
that through teamwork and creative collaboration, citizens can contribute to
scientific discovery and the advancement of a local policy designed to protect
people and the environment. In March 2017, the SSC began collaborating with the
following organizations to develop a community-driven air quality study:
- Rochester Sierra Club
- Rochester Energy Commission
- RNeighbors Association
- Zumbro Valley Medical Society
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
- Pediatric Asthma Epidemiology Research Unit
- Fresh Energy Board
- UMR Faculty and Staff
The Rochester
Air Quality Feasibility Project was modeled after an air quality study
conducted by faculty at the University of Iowa (UI). SSC students talked
extensively with the creators of the UI study and took their experiences into
account when deciding research methods, materials, and the study’s structure.
With the help of volunteers, the SSC collected air samples at multiple
locations across Rochester in August and December of 2017. In 2018, SSC
students worked with local physicians to analyze the data.
The Rochester
Air Quality Feasibility Project found that levels of particulate matter in the
air can vary considerably across neighborhoods in Rochester. The study provided
preliminary data that supports the addition of more air monitors in town.
De Cansler
“People
protect what they love, they love what they understand, and they understand
what they are taught.” These words from Jacques-Yves Cousteau stuck with De
Cansler throughout her teaching career and beyond. For many years, De used
monarch butterflies donated by the University of Minnesota Monarch Lab, as a
focal organism in her middle school science classes. The students were able to
literally watch science come to life as the butterflies progressed through
their life cycle’s various stages. In 2006, she furthered her monarch expertise
by spending a year-long sabbatical in the U of M’s Monarch Lab. The knowledge
she gained through the experience proved especially valuable once the Monarch
Lab stopped distributing eggs and larvae to classrooms in 2008.
De began
breeding and raising her own monarchs. She retired from teaching in 2010, but
her work with the butterflies continued. De has delivered countless eggs,
larvae, and chrysalises to schools and organizations across Southeastern
Minnesota at no charge. She has also shared her knowledge with teachers across
the country. Thanks to her work, thousands of students have a better
understanding of the natural world around them.
Homestead Trails Neighborhood Association
In 2010, the
Homestead Trails Neighborhood Association worked with the Rochester Parks and
Recreation Department to establish a policy that allowed residents to plant
vegetable and flower gardens on parkland and/or public lands. Once permission
was granted for their garden, the neighbors began work clearing a lot at the
junction of King Court SE and Neville Court SE in Rochester. The site had
previously been used as on old construction dump site and was filled with
concrete slabs, broken asphalt, old pipes, and more. The neighborhood received
multiple RNeighbors Project Grants to rent equipment heavy enough to remove the
debris. Fresh dirt and compost were brought in to improve soil fertility which
allowed the neighbors to begin plans of establishing a community garden.
An average of
35 neighbors help with the garden each year and an estimated 55 individuals
have been involved in the work since the project began. With time, sweat, and
patience, the Homestead Trails Neighborhood Association transformed this piece
of land from a waste site into a thriving food source and gathering space.
Key
accomplishments:
- The lot’s soil fertility was restored.
- At least 25 homes now have access to fresh veggies four
months of the year.
- Planting trees and restoring native grasses/flowers
reduce stormwater runoff.
- Native flowers bloom around the garden and attract
pollinators.
Andrew Pruett
Andrew Pruett’s
connection to Quarry Hill Nature Center goes back almost thirty years. At
twelve years old, he would ride his bike to the Nature Center to help feed the
animals. As a senior in high school, he cleared buckthorn from Quarry Hill
Park’s oak savanna. These days, Andrew volunteers as a beekeeper and cares for
the captive animals.
His passion
for honey bees stemmed from his father, who kept bees and received
subscriptions to the American Bee Journal—Andrew remembers reading copies cover
to cover. Years later, his passion was reinforced by his future wife, an
experienced beekeeper and former Wisconsin Honey Queen.
For the last
eight years, Andrew has overseen bee care at Quarry Hill Nature Center. He
feeds the bees, regularly checks on the queen, and monitors the overall health
of the colony. Andrew also keeps three hives on his own property to supplement
Quarry Hill’s hive if the population drops.
Since 2016,
Andrew has helped care for the Nature Center’s captive animals. He has
researched every animal in his care and readily shares his knowledge with the
public. Andrew hopes his efforts will inspire the next generation to appreciate
wildlife as much as he does.
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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