Messages from the Central Wisconsin Experience for the Park Rapids Area

Managing human use and impact on our groundwater resources.

League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area will host two speakers who will discuss groundwater sustainability concerns in the area.

The City of Park Rapids has had to deal with excess nitrates in one city well. Many rural residents need to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking because of nitrate concerns. Is this the “tip of the iceberg” or are there ways to manage our groundwater that will allow for industry, agriculture and citizens to share this valuable resource?

The program will be presented Thursday, Oct 24 at 6 p.m. at the Northwoods Bank Community Room. (1200 1st St E. Park Rapids) There will also be displays from  Ecowater on water treatment, Dean Christofferson on City water treatment, and staff from Luke Stewe’s office on well testing in Hubbard & Becker Counties.

First speaker will be Dr. George Kraft, a hydrologist with a 30-year career as  Professor of Water Resources University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, performing research, advising on policy and doing Extension education on groundwater sustainability issues. His work has concentrated on nitrate pollution of groundwater and drinking water, and how groundwater irrigation pumping has caused a decline in streamflows and lake levels in central Wisconsin. He has published extensively on groundwater concerns, and is sought after as an advisor on scientific and policy workgroups.

Dr. Kraft’s presentation reflects on a 30 year record of research on how irrigated farming, mainly for potato, other vegetables and field corn have affected groundwater quality and quantity in central Wisconsin. In central Wisconsin, the main issues are extensive nitrate pollution, as over 40 percent of wells in some townships exceed standards, and drying of lakes and streams by unlimited irrigation.

He will discuss how politics and a strong industry lobby have stymied even discussing the causes and effects of water challenges, let alone suggesting policies on how to manage them. Though Park Rapids area industry, geography, geology and politics may differ from those that exist in central Wisconsin, that region’s experiences may be a help in advancing more proactive discussion and avoiding pitfalls.

Second speaker will be Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Area Hydrologist Darrin Hoverson. His responsibilities include surface and groundwater resource management, water resource compliance and regulation as well as providing technical analysis, assistance and information to the public, local and state units of government and other water resource professionals. Having grown up in the Park Rapids area, being an active member of this community and with his 12 years of work at the DNR, Hoverson provides a deep understanding of the area’s natural resources, thee community and local issues and concerns. His education includes a Master’s in Water Resources from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, and a Bachelor’s degree in Aquatic Biology from St. Cloud State University.

Hoverson will provide a brief history and update on DNR groundwater management efforts within the Pineland Sands & Straight River Groundwater Management Areas, ongoing and future monitoring and groundwater studies and private/public partnerships.  He will focus on DNR’s roles in ensuring the sustainable use of the region’s groundwater and groundwater dependent resources.
  
League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area  (LWVPRA) is a non-partisan volunteer organization, whose mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government and influence public policy through education and advocacy. All programs are free and open to the public.  Please direct any questions about LWVPRA activities, events or on how to join LWVPRA (not for women only) by emailing 
lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org.

Sept 24th...National Voter Registration Day!

Drop by the Park Rapids Library on Tuesday September 24th to visit with League of Women Voters members about voting in Minnesota.

Many followers of our political scene are focused on the 2020 Presidential Elections, but some of our local government units do have elections in November of 2019. Also there is only about 170 days before Minnesota has its first presidential primary.  A new law changes how our political parties chooses the delegates to the party presidential nominating conventions. The Primary will be on March 3, 2020. Yes, there will also be a Precinct caucus held on February 25, 2020, one week before the Presidential Nomination Primary. (https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/how-elections-work/presidential-primary/)

League of Women Voters Park Rapids, as part of on going mission for the last 100 years of educating all voters, will be set up on Tuesday 9/24/19 at the Park Rapids Library all day from 9:30-5 to help people register to vote, check their registration, and help with any of your voting questions.

Our volunteers can also help you understand the multiple ways that we can vote in Minnesota from in person to absentee by mail..  National Voter Registration Day is a vital reminder to help us all prepare for our upcoming elections at any level of government.

League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area,  (LWVPRA), a non-partisan volunteer organization, whose mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government and influence public policy through education and advocacy. Help us celebrate our 100 year anniversary: (Minnesota granted women the right to vote in presidential elections on March 24, 1919, and later ratified the 19th Amendment on September 8, 1919.)
Please direct any questions about LWVPRA activities, events or on how to join LWVPRA (not for women only) by emailing   lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org. Follow our activities, events on our website: lwvparkrapidsarea.blogspot.com/

Census 2020 Program

Nice turn out on Tuesday from Hubbard County residents to learn about Census 2020.  A big thanks to Headwaters Center for Life Long Learning for hosting the program.  Sarah Priest, partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, shared highlights of the 2020 Census preparation and ways we can partner to make sure we get a complete count in Hubbard County.  Sarah provided training the next day the local Complete Count Committee. She told us that Hubbard County needs 276 census workers. We have 51 people hired so far.

 League of Women Voters Park Rapids helped with advertising the program and provided some of the treats too.. Florence Hedeen is helping to organize our local Complete Count Committee.

Florence Hedeen, Nancy Carrol and Carol Moen discussing the program

For more information about the Census follow this link:  https://2020census.gov/en

Census 2020

LWV PRA members/supporters are urged to attend and learn more about the Census.  The following message was prepared for use by the Headwaters Center for Lifelong Learning publicity on this program.  HCLL will present a program on Tuesday September 10, 2019 at the Park Rapids Theater at 1 pm on Census 2020. Sarah Priest, Census Partner Specialist, Duluth Area, will be the featured speaker
The League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area (LWV PRA) is partnering with Hubbard County, the City of Park Rapids and Park Rapids Schools, in an effort to increase area participation in the 2020 Census.  

Through the local Complete Count Committee (CCC) we intend to share informational flyers and applications for persons wishing to assist in ensuring a complete Census count for Hubbard County. 

The League, along with the CCC, will be physically present with Census materials at public gatherings that attract hard-to-reach populations and answer questions from persons who may not understand the mechanics of gathering Census data and the use of the collected Census data. 

Then On September 11, Complete Count Committee training with Sarah Priest, Census Partner Specialist, Duluth Area, will be held locally. Anyone who is interested in learning more about this opportunity may contact Florence Hedeen,  CCC Coordinator, LWV PRA, fbhedeen@gmail.com, or at 218-732-9226. 

Citizenship Ceremony in Fergus Falls

New American Citizens were sworn in on Thursday July 11, 2019 at a ceremony at the Federal Court House in Fergus Falls, MN.  Four League of Women Voters members: Judy S., &  Florence H., from Park Rapids: Judy from Minneapolis and Joan from Fergus Falls attended the ceremony.  After the swearing ceremony  in our League members  were there to help each of the 16 new citizens to register to vote. Minnesota has seen 8,800 new citizens sworn so far this year. 

Congratulations to the new citizens and thank you to our League members for helping out.

Help LWVPRA Harvest our lost History!

At the end of April League of Women Voters Park Rapids sent 3 delegates to the state League Convention in St. Paul.  We were so inspired by an exhibit of 100 years of League history that League of Women Voters St. Paul put on.  They incorporated the Traveling Exhibit that the LWV Minnesota with the help of the Minnesota Historical Society put together with their own local history: which consisted of  their scrapbooks, an old voting machine, old civic text books plus several posters of a narrative of their own 100 years of Educating Voters posters.

Display of LWV St Paul's History

LWV Park Rapids, the Nemeth Art Center and Hubbard County Historical Society are putting together a “show” in May of 2020 to highlight the Centennial of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote.  The League of Women Voters was officially formed the day after the amendment was ratified. It is not often that an organization reaches its 100 birthday. 

But we need your help. LWV Park Rapids was officially formed in 2000 by 15 women in the area.  A couple of women had been members of League several years before.  But that history has been lost.  Therefore we are seeking out community members who can help us in several different ways:

Search your memories, old family stories and your scrapbooks.

• Do you have any information about the League of Women Voters in Park Rapids before 2000?
• Do you have any stories about women in your family voting for the first time?
• Do you have any posters, campaign buttons or other memorabilia from women candidates in the area?
• Can we find an old voting machine, ballot box, old voter registration, etc?

If you can help us, please visit us at our booth at Crazy Days on July 25th. We will be near the Hubbard County Historical Society whose members will be selling root beer floats.

League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area  (LWVPRA), a non-partisan volunteer organization, whose mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government and influence public policy through education and advocacy.  All our programs are free and open to the public.  Please direct any questions about LWVPRA activities, events to our group by emailing lwvparkrapids@lwvmn.org. LWV membership is open  to men and women and we welcome new members.  Follow our activities, events on our website: lwvparkrapidsarea.blogspot.com/

At the last business meeting on June 12th.. we had 2 of our newer members step forward.   Joel Vohres and Judy Stenger will take over as President and Vice President...Thank you both so much for being willing to take this on, This will  protect our non profit status.

We also have Carol Moen as our new membership chair, Barb Wiebesick  as our new voter registration co chair and Joel will also take over as our Action Chair.

All of our new chairs will be in learning mode for the next season...so the rest of our members need to step forward and offer encouragement and support their efforts.


President and Vice President/Co-President: No candidates have volunteered for these positions, and Carolynne is retiring. She has volunteered to train/help, but we need a couple people to step up.
Treasurer: Sue Cutler will be completing her second year of a 2 year term.
Secretary: Anna Mae Holzworth will be completing her second year of a 2 year term.
Nominations committee chair: Bill Steen and Rhoda Jackson have volunteered & Carter Hedeen will stay on
Membership committee chair: Carol Moen has volunteered.
Action committee chair: Joel Vorhes has volunteered
Voter forum committee chair: CC White has volunteered.
Voter registration committee chair: Barb Wiebesick has volunteered.
Planning and Events Committee: Florence Hedeen has volunteered