Issuu

September 1998

The monthly newsletter for people who live, work or play on the Upper Mississippi River

Vol. 6, No. 9

$2.75

Master of the Lock

Drawdown Cancelled

By Mi Ae Lipe-Butterbrodt

By Gary W Kramer

I j Lockmaster Dale Ebner has spent 33 years working on the big river.

eing a lockmaster requires great flexibility and a willingness to "fill in to do just about anything," according to lockmaster Dale Ebner. "Anything" includes inspecting equipment, coordinating staff schedules, talking to salespeople ("who are always coming through the door"), conducting safety meetings and employee training, logging boats, mowing lawns, choosing contractors and filling out lots of paperwork. "I'd rather be outside than at the

desk," admits Ebner. Not necessarily on the river, though. "I used to get out on the river a lot," he said as he watched the Frank H. Peavey enter the 600-foot by 110-foot lock, "but now I just get away from it" on vacations and days off. One of Ebner's hobbies is rebuilding motorcycles, an avocation definitely not connected to the river. At work at Lock and Dam 6 at Trempealeau, Wis., his biggest challenge is mastering the computer systems. "Just when you got one (Lockmaster continues on page 2)

n uncooperative river forced the Army Corps of Engineers to suspend an experimental Mississippi River drawdown that was three years in the planning. The drawdown of Pool 13, which stretches from Sabula to Clinton, Iowa, was requested by the Fish and Wildlife Interagency Committee (FWIC), a five-state group of representatives from federal and state natural resource agencies. (Drawdown continues on page 3

What's Inside ... Reader Survey Results ....... 4 Big River Awards ........... 4 Fall Festival Map ........... 5 Current Events Heritage River, Fish Kills, Pfiesteria .................. 6 River Calendar & Almanac Harvest Fests, Hawk Watch ... 8

(Lockmaster continued from page 1)

down," he sighs, "they get in something new." A computer network operated by the Army Corps of Engineers' Rock Island District connects all the locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi. Each day the St. Paul District sends instructions to every lock and dam telling each one how to position its gates based on predicted water elevations for that day. At each lock and dam, information on every vessel locked through is logged into the computer, including name, type, commodities if commercial, time and date. Even when the system does occasionally go down, Ebner says, all 28 locks and dams are fully operable and safe. After all, the statistics used to be logged by hand before computers, and now messages can be faxed to the locks and dams. The Corps constructed most of the locks and dams in the 1930s to maintain a nine-foot channel for navigation. They are not, as many people believe, used for flood control or to generate electricity. A typical day for Ebner begins with a safety meeting with his staff, followed by an examination of the boat traffic expected that day. Then he begins coordinating people. Each lock and dam has 10 to 15 people working at one time, depending on the season. The staff typically includes one lockmaster, five head lock-and-dam operators, one equipment repairman and various lockpersons. There are no women lockmasters and no women equipment repairmen, in spite of Corps of Engineers efforts to advance women in those positions. There are several women lockpersons, Ebner said. "Most locks have one or two women locking," he said, so there should soon be a woman lockmaster somewhere on the river. There aren't likely to be any

women equipment repairmen soon, however. "I don't think any women have ever applied for that," Ebner said. There is little turnover in any of the positions, he points out, and there is only one lockmaster and one equipment repairman per lock. The lockmaster and equipment repairman typically work only the day shift and have weekends off,

Lock & Dam 6, looking towards Wisconsin.

but they are also on call 24 hours a day, ready to respond to emergencies like boat accidents, power outages or equipment failures. Head operators and the equipment repai_rman can fill in for the lockmaster on most duties in his absence, according to Ebner. The repairmen are especially valued and must be "all-around crackerjacks," locking boats, inventorying supplies, and maintaining and fixing everything on site, from the machinery that runs the dam's gates to its snowblowers. How does one become a lockmaster? "You begin as a lockman, then a head operator and then you can become a lockmaster or equipment repairman. But it's rare to become a lockmaster without having veteran status," says Ebner. Internal transfers from within the Corps at existing locks and dams are the norm, but "transferring up requires a willingness to move to different locations, and some people don't want to do that."

Big River

Ebner has 33 years of experience as a lockmaster. A native of La Crosse, Wis., he started at the St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam at Minneapolis in 1965. "Back then, there was one lockmaster for both" the upper and lower locks at St. Anthony Falls. As a lockman, he worked on both. In 1967, he transferred to Lock and Dam 6 and spent the next 12 years there. Then he worked at Lock and Dam 7, at Dresbach, Minn., before returning to Lock and Dam 6 in 1992. As with most aspects of life on the river, the seasons dictate the activities on a lock and dam. Depending on weather conditions, a lock and dam usually opens around the beginning of March and closes the first week of December. During a normal summer, Ebner gives tours to hundreds of schoolchildren. The tours are off this summer, because all of Lock 6's buildings are being overhauled and are under construction. Work that is difficult to do in the summer because of river traffic is scheduled for winter, such as gate and timber replacement. In the winter the lock and dam operates with a reduced staff. Daily commercial traffic through 6 varies tremendously. Between March and June of 1998, Lock and Dam 6 saw 1,775 lockages, with almost half for recreational traffic. "We have a 10- to 15-minute average for recreational traffic to lock through, and a 2-hour average for barges," says Ebner. Locks and dams 3 and 7 (near Red Wing, Minn., and La Crosse, Wis., respectively) have the most recreational traffic, because of 3's accessibility to Twin Cities boaters and also for the scenery on the Upper Mississippi. "We've seen an increase in recreational traffic in recent years, especially in pontoons and rental boats." Is there any advice that ÂˇEbner has

September 1998

(Drawdown continued from page 1)

for recreational boaters that would make life for lockmasters (and others) easier? "Give barges more room," he says. "They're so much bigger than you, and they can't maneuver or stop as easily as you." Emergencies have been rare, notes Ebner. In case of a spill or accident, the dam's gates would be lowered to cut off water flow. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Coast Guard would be alerted, and boat traffic in the area would be radioed and halted. All lock and dam workers are tested on spill response activities and regularly perform drills. Although there is always plenty to do, life at the Trempealeau lock and dam has been relatively quiet. Ebner says they have been pretty fortunate, even during the flood of 1993. "We had to do some sandbagging and replacing of riprap on the spillway," Ebner recalled, "and all the locks and dams were out of control [meaning that all gates were open and the river flowed freely] for a couple weeks in late spring. But that was all." Mi Ae Lipe-Butterbrodt is associate editor of Big River.

Big Riverâ„˘ Big River (ISSN 1070-8340) is published

monthly by Riverwise, Inc., 111 Riverfront, Suite 204, Winona, MN 55987; (507) 454-5949; fax: (507) 454-2133; email: editors@big-river.com; web site: http://www.big-river.com Reggie McLeod editor/publisher Molly McGuire assistant editor Mi Ae Lipe-Butterbrodt associate editor Bill Jacobs associate editor Kathy Delano design/marketing Nancie McCorrnish graphic design Mary Feathergill office manager Subscriptions are $28 for one year, $50 for two years or $2.75 per single issue. Send subscriptions, single copy orders and ch11nge-of11ddress requests to Big River, PO Box 204, Winona, MN 55987. Second-class postage paid at Winona, MN. POS1MAS'1ER: s e n d ~ ,eqwsts lo Big River, PO Box 204, W'mona, MN 55987. Big RiDer, Vol11me 6, Number_9, COf1J!right September 1998, ~Inc.Reproduction in dwllor.inpm1 fDithoat wrilli'n~ ~

drawdown based on a favorable They hoped that lowering the water two-week forecast, but were aware level in the lower end of the pool that beyond that was unknown. would stimulate the growth of such plants as smartweed, wild celery Unfortunately, she said, the high and sago pondweed. The plants water probably halted any plant would provide additional food for growth that had started. The FWlC monitored sites during waterfowl and shelter for fish. Planthe process and will analyze data to ners also hoped that muck on the determine any long-term benefits. exposed shoreline would dry out Recreational and compact, which would inusers did report some inconvecrease water clarity and further stimuThe plan was to niences. The late aquatic lower half of the gradually lower the growth. pool, especially the bottom, was The plan was to water level by one foot at gradually lower the affected the the lower end of the pool water level by one most. Some fishfoot at the lower ermen and peoover a five-day period, ple who lease end of the pool over then leave it there at cottage sites coma five-day period, then leave it there at plained of being least 30 days. unable to use least 30 days. There boat ramps, fish is a 62 day period off the shore or during the plant growing season where records indiget to favorite fishing spots. A fish kill near the Thomson Causeway also cate flow rates might be sufficient to may be related to the experiment. maintain the commercial shipping channel during a drawdown. Drawdowns have been done in the However, fluctuating water levSt. Louis Di~trict, but this is the first els interfered with the plan. The time the Rock Island District has tried one. The St. Paul District is studying drawdown began on June 19, but whether the long-range environmenwas suspended 13 days later due to tal benefits would offset the shorthigh _water. It was resumed on July term cost of a more extensive draw11, but abandoned on July 17, due to low water flow. down of perhaps two or three feet in Pool 8 (between Genoa, Wis., and Planners were disappointed, but not surprised. Charlene Carmack, a Dresbach, Minn.). community planner for the Corps Gary W. Kramer is a boater and part-time and one of the project coordinators, freelance writer who lives in Rock Island, says they knew the chances Ill. His last article for Big River was of success were lim"Minding Your Manners on ited. They the Missisproceeded sippi" (May with 1998). the

~Âˇ~"" September 1998

Big River

Reader Survey Results By Reggie McLeod

As we hoped, the first survey of Big River subscribers turned up a few surprises and a lot of good ideas. The first surprise was the terrific response. We were advised that we might have to pester folks a bit to get the needed 33% return, but we quickly racked up a 39% return without any extra coaxing. Thank you for this exceptional response. It tells us that our readers are very supportive of Big River and that they enjoy the opportunity to tell us about their relationship with the river. We plan to follow up with at least one survey a year. In the meantime, we welcome any comments, suggestions or letters to the editor you would like to share with us. We were not surprised to find that boating and birdwatching were the most popular activities listed on the survey. However, we were surprised to find that the results for the two were almost identical, with 41 % birdwatching more than 12 times a year and 39% boating; 10% birded and 13% boated 7 to 12 times a year; 29% birded and 28% boated 1 to 6 times a year; 19% never birded and 20% never boated. The other popular activities (at least once a year) were hiking (71 %), fishing (61%), swimming (55%) and biking (52%). The least popular activities (never) were snowmobiling (94%), sailing (92%), kayaking (90%) and water-skiing (81 %). We were heartened to find that 81 % recommended Big River to a friend or relative and that 96% planned to renew their subscription. Sixty percent of respondents live in a Mississippi River town or city. Sixty-seven percent are male. Employment status is almost evenly div.ided between company employed (24%), retired.(24%), self employed (23%) and government employed (21%), with part time (4%) and homemaker (2%) rounding out the total. Only 3% of respondents were 30 years old or younger, and 10% were older than 71. The bulk were 51 to 70 (50%) or 31 to 50 (36%). The survey will give us a better idea of who we are creating Big River for. We hope it will also help us find more folks who will enjoy reading this newsletter. The survey, comments and story ideas will provide us with valuable information for future stories and perhaps books and maps as well. We enjoyed reading the comments at the end of the survey, especially ones like "It is the best publication on the Mississippi River. Well done!" Many readers told us about the place where they live or about the things they do on the river. A few asked us to look into things, including Weaver Bottoms and mallard nesting tubes. thanks again for taking time to share your thoughts with us. We will do our best to answer your questions, pursue your story ideas and surprise you now and then. II

Big River

Announcing the Big River Awards

1 )

We are accepting nominations for our 1998 Big River Awards, designed to recognize to the best and worst examples of human activity on the Mississippi River every year. Named for a flow condition that requires dams to be fully opened, the Open River Award will be given to a person, group or project that has made the river more accessible, worked to improve the river as a natural resource or has increased our understanding of the river. The Golden Sandbag will be awarded (if that's the right term) to an egregious, wasteful or dowmight silly and misguided plan or activity that has the effect of keeping the river out of people's lives, obscuring our understanding of it or damaging the river ecology or economy. Anyone can nominate an individual, group, government body, corporation, plan, project or activity for either of the awards. Send a note explaining why you believe your nominee deserves the award to: Awards Big River PO Box 204 Winona, MN 55987 or by email to editors@big-river.com

or fax to (507) 454-2133

Nominations close on Nov. 1.

Judging will be done by a panel that includes our staff and three other river folks. A list of nominations will be posted on our web site at www.big-river.com, and finalists will be announced in the December Big River. Winners will be featured in our January 1999 issue.=

September 1998

St•• Cloud

Big River Festivals ~autumn

Husking Bee Oliver Kelley Farm, Oct. 17-18 & Oct. 24-25

Downtown Hoedown,

Sept. 3

Millstreom Arts Festival,

Sept. 27

... ~1998

, ~ Wabasha Bridge lighting Ceremony,

Harriet Island, Sept. 12

European Oktoberfest,

St:,Yatif

Sept. 19-20 Minneapolis,

Asian American Festival Harriet Island, Sept. 19

Candlelight Tour,

Fort Snelling, Oct. 20-22 Hasti s Prescott Prescott Daze, Sept. 11-13 Harvest Fest, Sept. 27; • ~\,..,..,,s Apple Festival, Oct. 10-11' · • Bay City ~pen House, River Bluffs History Center, Oct. 4 Red Wing Arts Festival Oct. 10-11; Red Wing • •Ma1de111 Rock Craft Fair, Nov. 7-8 Frontenac epin laura Ingalls Wilder Days, Sept. 19-20 Johnny Appleseed Days, Oct. 3-4 Lake City • Eaglewatch, Nov.-March Wabasha· Alma Swan Watch, late-Oct.-Nov. Watermelon Fest, Sept. 11-13; Volksmarch, Oct. 10 Kellogg· Minneiska• Buffalo City Fo~tain City Minnesota City• Victorian Fair, Sept. 26-27; Winona Trempealeau Wildlife Art Expo, Oct. 24-25 k Swan Watch Nov 7-8 Da ota · · ' Dresbacli La Crosse Oktoberfest, Oct. 2-8 Apple/est, Sept. 17-20

~,_'I-

ri''

Minnesota Tourism Info 1-800-657-3700

Iowa

----

Tourism Info 1-800-345-4692

Wisconsin

Tourism Info 1-800-372-2737

Effigy Mounds National Monument Hawk Watch, Sept. 26-27 . ._____ . ._____ Archaeology Week, Sept. 12-20 . ._____ . ._____ Lynxville Hog Roast, Oct. 10

. ._____ Haq,er's...Ferry, •

..._____

WISCONSIN RNER

Flea Market, Oct. 3-4, Oct. 10-11 Marquette • p ra1ne .. D u Ch'1en V'll . Carnage • Class1C, • s , a l ouis ept. 1 2-1 3 · lumberjack Fest, Sept. 5-6 McGregor, • Tour of Homes, Nov. 15 1 Arts & Crafts Festivals, Oct. 3-4; Oct. 10-11 Stonefield Village; •

German Fest, Sept. 26-27 Guttenberg•

'll Wisconsin Music Jubilee, Sept. 6 assvi e Harvest Festival, Oct. 11

---

•Potosi Masonic Fish Fry, Oct. 10

Riverfest, Sept. 11-13; Dubuque• East Dubuque Fun Day, Sept. 27 lnt'l. Dragon Boat Festival, Sept. 11-14 •Galena Old Market Days and Tour of Homes, Sept. 26-27 St. Joseph Pork Roast, Sept. 6 Bellevue " Art Along the River, Oct. 4

Taste of Savanna Savanna Oct. 10-11

Melon Days • Thomson Sept. 5-7

living History Day,

Sept. 19 Clinton• Fulton Fall Festival Camanche. Albany Oct. 10-11

(

l Illinois

Tourism Info 1-800-223-0121

September 1998

Big River

Duck Hunt Waterfowl seasons along the Mississippi flyway should be much like last year's. Based on last spring's breeding bird surveys, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recommended duck hunting season between Oct 3 and January 17, with slightly different seasons for geese. Although breeding bird numbers were down from last year, the numbers are still 20 percent higher than the 1955-97 average. Pintail bag limits are reduced to just one per day. As in the last two years, the FWS is recommending another Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day before or after the regular season. The tentative duck season in Minnesota is Oct. 3 through Dec. 1, with youth day on Sept. 19. Goose seasons will give hunters a good shot at burgeoning, locally-breeding giant Canada geese before the declining migrant Canada geese populations fly south. All hunters must register with the Harvest Information Program. FWS will ask some hunters to keep a daily hunting diary to help analyze the connection between waterfowl numbers and hunting. Legal, non-toxic ammunition approved this year are steel shot, nickel-plated steel shot, copper-plated steel shot and bismuth-tin shot. You can comment on the federal regulations until Sept. 7 by writing the Office of Migratory Bird Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Mail Stop 634 ARLSQ Washington, DC 20240. The ban on lead shot for waterfowl hunting in waterfowl production areas could be extended to some upland hunting in the areas. Although upland hunters usually don't shoot over wetlands, biologists worry flooding could carry lead shot into wetlands, where waterfowl can ingest it and get lead poisoning.

Under a rule proposed by the FWS, upland hunters, except deer and turkey hunters, would be required to use nontoxic shot, according to an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press (8-2-98).

Hot Boats Another product using hot pepper to repel zebra mussels and other pests is expected to be on the market soon. Developed by the New Mexico Tech Research Foundation, the fiery substance can be added to paint, caulk, glue and rubber-coating materials. Its heat comes from habanero peppers, which are about 60 times hotter than jalapenos and 10 times hotter than cayenne peppers. Cayennes are used in HOTBottom Paint, patented by Barnacle Ban, to deter barnacles and zebra mussels on boats and other aquatic structures (see Big River, January 1994).

Fish Kills Minnesota - Almost two miles of West Indian Creek in Wabasha County lost most of its brown trout in an unexplained kill in mid-August. Biologists estimate that almost half of the 4,000-or-so fish were at least six inches long and some were over 18 inches. The stream is the focus of special attention by the DNR to improve habitat and encourage the growth of large trout. At least 100,000 fish were killed in early August in a Mower County tributary of the Root River. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources attribute the kill to 130,000 gallons of hog manure applied to a pea field and then washed into the river by rain. Two other Midwest fish kills this summer resulted from manure applied to cropland then washed off by rain. A late July crappie kill in Lake Winona was blamed on a Flexibacter

Big River

columnaris bacteria, common in nutrient-rich lakes in southern Minnesota, according to the Winona Daily News (7-31-98). Storm sewer runoff gives Lake Winona its rich nutrient mix, resulting in excess vegetation and oxygen depletion, stressing fish and making them vulnerable to infection.

Route 55 Minneapolis - On August 10, members of EarthFirst! occupied three empty houses scheduled for imminent demolition to protest the expansion of Minnesota Highway 55 (Hiawatha Blvd.). Opponents of the rerouting argue that the new road through an old-growth burr oak savanna above the river bluff between Minnehaha Falls and Fort Snelling would destroy the forest and pollute the neighborhood and river (see Letter to the Editor, Big River, January 1998).

Heritage River Although President Clinton has designated the Upper Mississippi River one of 10 Heritage Rivers, many of the towns on the river won't benefit from the designation. For instance, river towns in southeast Minnesota aren't included, because the towns didn't sign up for the program. "The value of the designation wasn't clear," said Dick Larson, an aide to Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn. Gutknecht opposed the Upper Mississippi's designation, but none of the cities in his district, which runs from near Hastings, Minn., to the state's border with Iowa, asked to participate. Larson said the current procedures for funding river-related projects work fine, and the designation doesn't affect that. Besides, he said, there "was some suspicion about the designation" on the part of some

September 1998

. 'i!,.

property rights groups and others who worry that such programs are a way for the federal government to take over land. Heritage rivers are each to be assigned a "river navigator" whose job will be to help communities find federal programs to improve their riverfronts. Only towns that signed up will be able to ask the river navigator for help.

Pfiesteria Memories Scientists from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University have identified the effects of Pfiesteria toxins as a syndrome that includes memory loss and reduced reasoning. Reporting in the August 15 edition of British medical journal Lancet, Professor Glen Morris Jr. and his colleagues said they assessed 24 fishermen who complained of headaches, diarrhea, weight loss and memory problems. All had been working on the Pocomoke River and nearby estuaries in Maryland, waterways where fish have died or been observed with lesions associated with Pfiesteria. The investigators found that people with high exposure were significantly more likely to complain of the neuropsychological symptoms of Pfiesteria poisoning. They found that once exposure to the waterways was curtailed, the symptoms lessened dramatically, with neuropsychological test scores returning to the normal range.

Round Gobies Around ;#

Superior, Wis. - Biologists hoping round gobies wouldn't continue invading U.S. waters were dismayed to learn that a couple of kids in Superior caught more than 100 of the little fish recently. Researchers using trawling nets had previously caught nine gobies in the harbor off Minnesota Point, the Duluth News-Tribune reported (8-5-98).

September 1998

"It's indiciative of a major infestation in the Duluth-Superior Harbor," said Doug Jensen, exotic species coordinator for Minnesota Sea Grant at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Gobies are native to the Black and Caspian seas. They reproduce at a younger age, and faster, than native species in North America, and have been found in Mott Reservoir in Michigan and Wolf Lake in Indiana. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staffer Tom Busiahn told the newspaper he's seen many of them near the Chicago shoreline. Gobies have displaced sculpins in some areas, and may be one of the causes of the dramatic crash of the Lake Michigan perch population, researchers say.

ny, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press (8-1-98), if the company will drop its lawsuit charging that the city violated its rights by not acting on a special use permit application. Alter, based in Bettendorf, Iowa, has a scrap collection and shipping operation on a 20-acre parcel along the river at 801 Barge Channel Road. In 1995 it applied for a permit to build a shredder, mainly to grind up junked cars. The Neighborhood Organization to Stop Hazards of All Metal Shredders fought against the idea, and the city council passed a moratorium on shredders in 1996. Last year, it passed an ordinance banning shredders from the city.

Koch Corrected

Thomson, Ill. - The small river town of Thomson will apparently get the new maximum security prison state officials had proposed building at the Savanna Army Depot. People complained that the Savanna site would destroy rare prairie habitat (see "Big House on the Prairie" Big River, August 1998). Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar announced July 30 that the 1,000-cell prison, and an adjoining 200-inmate minimum security unit, will be built on a 150-acre site a mile north of Thomson, according to KCLN-KLNT radio in Clinton, Iowa.

Rosemont, Minn. - A newspaper advertisement touting its environmental record fetched Koch Refining Co. a letter from regulators asking for a correction. The ads trumpeted a 40-percent reduction in water emissions at its Rosemount refinery as part of an effort to counteract bad publicity over spills . â€˘ In a letter to Koch, reported by the St. Paul Pioneer Press (7-25-98), Rod Massey, acting manager of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Water Quality Division, suggested Koch correct the ad. Massey said water emissions at the plant are up 7.7 percent, not down 40 percent. Koch told the Pioneer Press that in its ad it used the industry-standard measure of emissions per barrel of refined oil, not total emissions. Production was up, the company said, so total water emissions were, too.

Shredder Scrapped St. Paul - Scrap metal trader Alter Trading Co. may not be able to build a metal shredder on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Paul, but it will get $90,000 to drop the idea. The city agreed to pay the compa-

Big River

Prison Sited

No Roads St. Paul - The plan unveiled for Harriet Island doesn't include automobiles, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press (7-30-98). The $13.5 million renovation plan includes a riverwalk, a huge greensward for festivals, and a grand staircase leading from the pavilion to the edge of the Mississippi River, but eliminates roads from the center of the park. William H. Roberts of Wallace, Roberts & Todd developed the plan, which the St. Paul Riverfront Corp. has approved.

Special Events and Festivals September 3 Downtown Hoedown, St. Cloud, Minn., (320) 259-4010. 4-6 Antique Motorcycle Swap Meet, Davenport, Iowa, (319) 359-1545. 5-6 Lumberjack Fest, McGregor, Iowa. 5-7 Melon Days, Thomson, Ill. 6 Wisconsin Music Jubilee, 10 a.m. - 4 p .m., Stonefield Village, Cassville, Wis. 6 St. Joseph Pork Roast, Bellevue,Iowa. 7 Charlie Maguire, the Singing Ranger, 5 p.m., DNR Outdoor stage, Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul. 11-13 Prescott (Wis.) Daze. 11-13 Watermelon Fest, Kellogg, Minn. 11-13 Riverfest, Dubuque, Iowa. 11-14 International Dragon Boat Festival, Dubuque, Iowa, (319) 582-5406. 12 Light up the Night, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., Harriet Island Park, St. Paul. 12 Riverfront Pops Concert, Davenport, Iowa, (319) 322-0931. 12 Great River Walk, Onalaska to Trempealeau, Wis., (608) 782-4630. 12 Mill Day, Pickwick, Minn. 12 Butterfly-Tagging Demonstration, Bellevue, Iowa, (319) 872-5830. 12-13 Villa Louis Carriage Classic, Prairie du Chien, Wis., (608) 326-2721. 12-13 Craft, Flea and Farmer's Market, Harper's Ferry, Iowa, (319) 586-2721. 12-20 Iowa Archaeology Week, Effigy Mounds National Monument, Marquette, Iowa, (319) 873-3491. 13 St. Paul Classic Bike Tour, 15 or 31 miles along the river, (651) 372-3424. 13 Victorian Wedding and Dance, 1 p .m ., Oliver H . Kelley Farm, Elk River, Minn., (612) 441-6896. 16-19 Bass Championship Fishing Tournament, Moline, Ill. 17-20 Applefest, La Crescent, Minn. 18-20 Wild Wings Fall Festival, Lake City, Minn., (612) 345-5355. 19 Asian American Festival, Harriet Island, St. Paul. 19 West Bank Milling District Walking Tour, St. Anthony Falls Historic District, Minneapolis, (612) 627-5433. 19 Living History Day, Clinton, Iowa, (319) 242-1201. 19-20 Laura Ingalls Wilder Days, Pepin, Wis., (715) 442-3011. 19-20 European Oktoberfest, Minneapolis, (612) 673-5123. 20 Mississippi River Landscape Painting, noon - 3 p.m., Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul, (612) 290-4160, ext. 221.

September 1998

23-27 North American Walleye Anglers Tournament, Red Wing, Minn. 24 Henry Bosse/Mississippi River Cyanotypes, Landmark Center, St. Paul. 26-27 Hawk Watch, Effigy Mounds, Marquette, Iowa, (319) 873-3491. 26-27 Oktoberfest, Bettendorf, Iowa. 26-27 Victorian Fair, Levee Park, Winona, Minn., (507) 454-2723. 26-27 Sorghum Weekend, Oliver Kelley Farm, Elk River, Minn., (612) 441-6896. 26-27 Three Rivers Rendezvous, Rochester, Minn., (507) 282-9447. 26-27 German Fest, Guttenberg, Iowa. 26-27 Tour of Homes, Galena, Ill. 26-27 Riverssance Fine Arts Festival, Davenport, Iowa. 27 Fun Day, East Dubuque, Ill. 27 Harvest Fest, Hastings, Minn. 27 Millstream Arts Festival, St. Cloud, Minn., (320) 363-5407. 28-Oct. 23 Fall Color Tours, Julia Belle Swain, La Crosse, Wis., 1-800-815-1005. 29 Nicollet Island Walking Tours, St. Anthony Falls Historic District, Minneapolis, (612) 627-5433.

Meetings and Hearings September 2 La Crosse (Wis.) River Marsh Coalition, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., North-South Corridor plans, S. Branch Public Library. 2 Hiawatha Valley Audubon Society, 7 p.m., Lake Lodge, Winona, Minn. 16 RiverForum for Community Involvement, 7 p.m. - 9:15 p.m., Kelly Inn, St. Cloud, Minn., (651) 297-4951. 16-19 Mississippi River Parkway Commission annual meeting, St. Louis, Mo., (612) 449-2560.

October 3 Rivers Council of Minn. annual meeting, Wolf Ridge ELC, Isabella, Minn., (612) 592-0848.

Workshops and Conferences September 20-24 Wetlands '98, St. Louis, Mo., (518) 872-1804. 24-26 River of Dreams: the Humanities and the Upper Mississippi River, St. Paul, (612) 962-5692. ~

Almanac By Kenny Salwey A two-foot-tall plant stands proudly before me on a heavily forested, north-facing river bluff. Twenty bright red berries form a cluster in its center. Each of its four branches holds five drooping leaves. It is September and this ginseng plant, like many others, has completed its growing cycle, and the power of the plant is now in its root. As I sit down to dig it, I marvel at the blueness of the big river. My gaze turns to the deep azure sky. A long, blue sigh escapes me, when I think of summer vanishing and autumn approaching. River kids are probably doing the same as they enter the schoolhouse door. In September, blue is beautiful - sky blue asters, New England asters, bluebells, blue cohosh, big and little bluestem, and leftover chicory plants. Grapes and elderberries hang plump and ripe along fencerows. Great blue herons, kingfishers and blue jays hunt the backwaters, along with large flocks of migrating blue. ed teal. , ~ fresh dug earth smells good. The root is large and well formed. I carefully plant all 20 berries. In 10 years someone will come here and find beau tiful ginseng

plants, and tile aide will be unbroken. â€˘ Big River

]