Dear neighbors,
Happy first day of summer! I hope you’re able to spend some time enjoying our great outdoors this weekend.
I’ve spent most of my week working with the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), a nonprofit organization that brings together lawmakers from all 50 states to share ideas and collaborate on environmental issues. I’m part of a smaller group of legislators from states that border the Mississippi River called the Mississippi River Legislative Caucus (MRLC).
The other members of MRLC and I spent the week talking about improving river health and sustainable infrastructure development. We’re all responsible for protecting and restoring water and soil quality along the Mississippi, and our efforts are more successful when we work together.
On Tuesday, we toured the Lake City Catholic Worker Farm in Red Wing, a community-based farm that uses restorative agricultural practices and plants diverse crops. Sustainable farming practices like these help reduce nutrient pollution, one of the major threats to the long-term health of the Mississippi River. I appreciated the change to see innovative sustainable farming methods in use! You can learn more about the Lake City Catholic Worker Farm at www.lakecitycw.com.
I spotted lots of pollinators during the tour!
On Wednesday, I participated in a roundtable discussion about water quality in Dubuque. I had the opportunity to talk about some of initiatives that have worked here in Minnesota and what we’ve learned with elected officials from Iowa.
If you’d like to learn more about the Mississippi River Caucus and the work we’re doing, please visit www.ncel.net/mrlc.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or input.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative