A NONPROFIT, TAX DEDUCTIBLE ORGANIZATION P.O. Box 3, Kasota, Minnesota  56050
NEWSLETTER
Vol 25, No. 2	February, 2001

Prairie Dirt

The first trip just after the turn of the millennium, I wasn't even sure if the Car Park would be accessible. The last time I'd been down the road had been in October. But I was pleased to find that Phil or possibly even Unimin had been at work through the ferocious snow-and-wind storms, and even more pleased to see that quite a few visitors had been there, to judge by the tire and foot tracks in and around.

There are snowdrifts that completely overrun the wall and entry to the Prairie. They have been packed by the wind solidly enough to bear the weight of a large man, although if he works at it a little, he can break through the crust and sink to mid-thigh. There is no sign either there or elsewhere on the Prairie of any attempts by any off-road vehicle of any size or configuration. I would like to believe that the word has gotten around about the restricted use of the Prairie Conservation Zone, and the riders are showing us and Unimin the courtesy and respect for others and respect for private property for which off-roaders are legendary.

We have not groomed any trails on the Prairie this year for some reason that has so far defied detection. But the mowed trails from last summer are quite conspicuous by their lack of grass sticking out of and to some degree anchoring and building the snow cover. In Zone Five nearest the Wall, this has allowed the prevailing winds to alternate with foot traffic of both two- and four-legged kind, to the effect that keeps the paths open if a little less than smooth. We've had a number of skiers through here. Either that, or one, very determined skier. The skis leave a nice, smooth trail, but the older it is and the more sun it has seen the more it comes to resemble a rail of ice that you can try to walk on or along to equal if different peril. Deer trails follow and branch off the paths in every direction. Again, there is either a lot of deer roaming around the Prairie this year, or there a few deer who are very restless. On the paths, the deer tread the snow down and break it up more than pack it down in place. Trying to follow deer trails can be difficult, and can often lead one into places that may or may not have been more gratifying for the deer. The same wind that sweeps the open stretches is piling snow deeply in every hollow and the lees of every hill or halfway respectable stand of vegetation. The east side of each rise has deep snow. Southeast tends to wind-sculpted and hardened drifts. Northeast is mostly deep powder. The variety makes hiking challenging in different ways in different areas, and a little forethought is helpful.

This time of year the sun never gets too high and for about half the daylight hours it is grazing the tops of the bluffs and making long, deep blue shadows on the rolling land, or touching the crest of a drift or an outflung seedhead with the soft gold of sunset at three in the afternoon. The combination of sun and wind work down the grass stems to open up the snow cover over these fair days and where the grass is thickest and the sun strongest the snow cover disappears. These are the areas that will be covered with pasque flowers in two months, while the shaded hollows are still filled with snow.

The skiers keep to the mowed paths through Zone Four and have fared well up into Zones Two and Three where Unimin extended the paths just before the Open House in September. In some instances they flounder and turn back and in others they bull through to smooth running across another windswept meadow. There are not a lot of signs of others slogging along the way I do, but it is quite beautiful and worth the effort.

We've had some new issues brought to us in the last month. Karen Larson has resigned from the Board and we will be considering naming an interim replacement or perhaps just letting the vacancy stand until the Annual Meeting.

Clifford Timm, an old Kasota native, sent a proposal via the Kasota Historical Society to look into acquiring privately-owned land south and southwest of the Prairie, principally bottomland, to create a public recreation area centering around a small oxbow lake that he thinks could be made a prime fishing area. There are questions of practicality and cost. The low areas are subject to periodic flooding; the higher are farm fields. Most are owned by old homesteader families like Klaseus and Timms. Our natural interest would tend more to the bluffs and terrace prairie pastures above, like the DNR Kasota Prairie parcel. But of course the bordering riverbottom parcels are very important from many ecological aspects. I am going to try and follow up and see if I can get more information from Cliff or others.

We were also informed of a plan to strip mine the bluffs opposite St. Peter, all the way from Whiskey River to the old Holiday House, apparently. Some outfit called Crane Creek, if I read my notes correctly, already has permits for an asphalt plant and will take out the bluffs for the gravel, and then quarry limestone after that. Scott Shelly, representing a new group called Preserve the Minnesota River Valley, met with us and will keep us informed. It's interesting to me that when the new and improved Hwy #22 reopened after being under construction for o! so very long, I was rolling down the hill towards St. Peter and just about where you turn left to go to the Holiday House and the Rabbit Road, saw they also made a right turn lane where there is no road going right. This is, allegedly, the access to an industrial monstrosity that does not yet exist and for which hearings have yet to held. But the State Dept. of Transportation knew about it long enough in advance of the property owners and taxpayers affected by the proposal to plan, approve and spend two years building a highway. Knew and conceded it to be inevitable. Now the purpose of the hearings is what, again?

There have been so many things going on lately. I just get so tired and sad sometimes that I can't function. I need to go to the Prairie more. I know all that other crap will still be there and maybe even more urgent and out of hand. But at least I would be calm and centered enough to cope or at least endure.

SKP Membership meeting

Present: Joyce Eaton, John Palmquist, Marilynn Chatleain, Mark Halverson, Jenny Ward, Jim Eaton, Eric Steinmetz, Bob Idso, Judy Cooper, Margo Ross

1. Eric called the meeting to order at 8:10 p.m. January 11,2001.

2. Since there was no formal agenda, the group adopted an informal agenda.

3. Mr. Palmquist thanked the membership for all of the support SKP has given to the Kasota Historical society in the past. He reported on a letter from a former Kasota resident named Clifford Timm who has a proposal to acquire and save a piece of property along the river just south of the Kasota Prairie. Mr. Palmquist suggested that Mr. Timm's proposal was outside the mission of the Historical Society. He thought that it was more in line with the mission of SKP . An extensive discussion ensued. It was decided to direct President Steinmetz to contact Mr. Timm and try to find out what, if any, role SKP might play.

4. Scott Shelly came to speak to the group on behalf of a new group called "Preserve the Minnesota River Valley". This group is concerned about a proposal by Crane Creek Construction to start a new mine and asphalt plant just across the river from downtown St. Peter east of the Rabbit Road. They intend to mine the whole hillside between highway 99 and highway 22. They already have a temporary permit. He just wanted to introduce himself to us and ask us for advice, possible access to our mailing list, and possibly some seed money in the future. This group has just been incorporated as a non-profit organization. The group suggested that Mr. Shelly put together something more formal and submit it to us. Bob Idso will be the contact person for them. We will try to have them on the agenda for the next SKP Board meeting.

5. Idso moved to accept the minutes of the last meeting as written. Tracy seconded. Motion carried.

President's report
Steinmetz reported that Karen Larson resigned from the board. The membership thanked Karen for her years of dedicated work on behalf of the SKP organization and the prairie. The Board will discuss filling the vacancy at the next board meeting. Eric has been contacted by Dollars for Scholars regarding a pledge for scholarships next spring. He told them that we intend to fund scholarships but we would not have a definite answer for them until after our next meeting.

Treasurer's Report
Mark Halverson reported that we have about $28,000 in our checking account. He suggested that we invest about $20,000 in two separate investments. We also have $10,000 in a CD at 6%; Qwest stock $8,087; real estate trust $1, 925; and Parnasis mutual fund $19,874, for a total of $29,886 in stock. That gives us a total of about $68,000 in cash and investments. We have had a net gain of 18% in our stock investment over the past two and one half years. The best performer has been the Qwest stock. We lost about $5,000 on our Excelsior Henderson investment when the company went belly up.

Gambling Manager's Report
Marilynn Chatleain. See written report. Business has been slow at the Blue Moon. Business has been good at the Bowlero bowling alley in St. Peter. Marilynn reported on expenditures for inventory, taxes, compensation, and accounting and lawful purposes donations including $12,500 for the SKP treasury and $500 for the junior bowling league to go to a tournament. Bowlero had a theft of money from one of the games, which they made up to us. She made recommendations for approval of expenditures for the coming month. A discussion ensued. Eric reported that the new bar in Mankato that we have been hoping to do business with is proceeding rather slowly. Report moved by Chatleain. Seconded by Joyce Eaton. Motion carried. 9.) We have not heard anything back from UNIMIN since our last proposal to them. Eric will check with UNIMIN before the next Board meeting. 10.) Tracy moved that we adjourn at 9:46 P.M.. Judy Cooper seconded. Motion carried.

St. Peter Lake Threatened

We are looking, for environmentally conscious individuals willing to stand up and speak out for one of our local natural resources which is being threatened by local bureaucracy. Lake Hallett is a DNR protected lake owned by the state of Minnesota. Unfortunately the City of St. Peter is grandfathered in to use as a storm detention basin. The Lake Hallett Association was formed in 1998 in an effort to protect this valuable resource. Although we have made some progress in forcing the City of St. Peter to address some of its storm water issues disastrously this lake is still endangered by the very people who should be protecting the assets of our community. The city policy makers seem to have no interest in protecting this natural resource and instead feel it's value lies in its use as a storm detention basin.

Lake Hallett aka Hallett's Pond has been St. Peter's "best kept secret" for decades. This is a 12-acre lake with a measured depth of 35 feet located across from McDonald's in St. Peter. This lake has met the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) criteria for being a lake since the 1930's but was officially classified as a protected wetland in the 1960's In 1970, before the city started dumping storm water into i,t, the city tested the water and it tested cleaner than the cities' drinking water. According to the DNR website: www.dnr.state.mn.us in 1999, this lake was still one of the cleanest in all of Southern Minnesota. In July of 1998 a secchi disc reading (a tool for measuring water clarity) measured visibility at an incredible 18 feet! When was the last time you went swimming and could see your feet? This lake teems with game and pan fish that the Public Health Department tested in 2000 and found to be very safe to eat. For decades children and adults have discovered the joys of fishing, swimming, boating, snorkeling, scuba diving and exploring this jewel in the midst of the city.

The City of St. Peter began dumping 100 acres of storm water into this lake in the 1970's. Acreage was steadily added until 1995 when, against all state storm water rules at the time, a new housing subdivision on Sunrise Drive was added to bring the total acreage to 390 acres. The addition of further acreage was put mostly to a halt when this was brought to the attention of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Apparently the MPCA does not monitor projects under 5 acres so the city has continued to divert the storm water from small construction projects to the lake. Although this lake is still quite clean it is starting to show the effects of storm water pollution such as algae blooms, the proliferation of curly leaf pond weed, and a noticeable decrease in secchi disc readings.

Although officials from the City of St. Peter have publicly announced that they would like to maintain the water quality in Lake Hallett, their actions speak much louder than their words. Some examples:

1 . In the Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the Wastewater Treatment Plant presented by the city to the MPCA in 1999 Lake Hallett was misrepresented as a "storm detention basin' although it has officially been a DNR protected lake for 4 decades.

2. The city did have the lake water tested in summer 1999 and publicly declared the water clean. It took over 6 months for the Lake Hallett Association to obtain a complete copy of this public document from the city. When this was finally relinquished the high levels of diesel range organics (DRO's) were brought to the attention of the MPCA and the public. Despite numerous requests to our knowledge no effort has been made to determine the cause of or to stop this contamination.

3. The City has yet to pursue the adoption of a a shoreland ordinance to protect Lake Hallett and the Minnesota River although they were advised that this is required by state law 18 months ago.

4. They have failed to follow even the most basic requirements of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency before starting construction affecting both Lake Hallett and the Minnesota River. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit required by the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 was not even pursued until the MPCA brought this to their attention.

5. They refuse to even consider any alternatives to using the lake as a storm detention basin although doing so would save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and ensure the protection of this natural resource. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Natural Resources have all recommended diversion of storm water away from the lake. Unfortunately they do not have the power to force the issue.

6. They are choosing to ignore 3 decades of research, information and technology and instead stay with the original 1970's plan of using this lake as a storm detention basin against the recommendations of experts in this field. They are also not taking into account the marked increase in storm water due to new construction in the watershed since 1970.

7. A petition signed by over 500 voters was presented to the City Council on July 26th 1999 asking the city to divert the storm water away from the lake and make this city owned property a park. The only response to this petition was that according to city charter this decision was not up to the voters but to the elected city council.

Unfortunately the city policy-makers cannot be held personally liable for their actions or inaction while in office. The financial responsibility lies entirely with the taxpayers. The consequences lie with our children. The loss of this valuable resource will be shared by us all. The St. Peter City administrator has informed us the City is sponsoring an open house on their plans for this area on February 21, 2001 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the City Hall, 227 South Front Street, in St. Peter. We have been told that Hugh Valiant from the Department of Natural Resources, Bill Thompson from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the City Council Representatives, and the City employees will be there to answer your questions. Please attend, stand up and speak out for YOUR lake before it's too late. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Trudi Olmanson, President
Lake Hallett Association

SKP Holiday Concert

Despite subzero temperatures and intermittent snow an overflow crowd was on hand at the Blue Moon in Kasota the evening of Friday, December 22 for the SKP Holiday Concert. The concert featured Mark Naftalin and Dave Ray. Mark is best known for his stint with the Butterfield Blues Band and Dave as a member of the seminal folk/blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover. While the two have known each other since they attended high school together in Minneapolis, they rarely play together primarily because Mark lives in the San Francisco area while Dave still resides in Minneapolis. The two first performed as a duo at a previous SKP sponsored event a few years ago. Mark's holiday visits to his family's home in Minneapolis (his father was Mayor for a spell) provide an opportunity to pick up a gig or two while in Minnesota. Mark's wife as well as his sister accompanied him to Kasota.

The two played mostly as a duo and drew primarily from their extensive catalogue of blues standards, although a bit of jazz influenced material was mixed in. Dave played electric guitar and did most of the vocals. Mark did the keyboards and threw in a vocal now and then, doing a short set of traditional "Holiday Music" on the piano. Besides playing an electric keyboard set up as a piano, Mark spent a good share of the evening on an authentic Hammond B-3/Leslie speaker combo that the SKP Treasurer (Mark H.) donated to the evening's cause. Naftalin stretched out with a few jazzy solos on the Hammond.

(Mark Naftalin wails on the Hammond B-3)

The crowd was roughly a mixture of half SKP members and half general public (although several people who arrived as nonmembers left as members). Several attendees were drawn to the event as the result of an extensive article that appeared in the "St. Peter Herald" before the event. Some of the extra event posters featuring Kris Higginbotham's fine design and artwork were turned into collectibles, as several people had them signed by Mark and Dave. Mark himself requested a few of the posters for his archives.

Bob Idso was on hand with SKP membership forms and the full (but dwindling) line of SKP merchandise. Sales were respectable and several new members came on board. Conspicuously absent and sorely missed was SKP member Joyce Eaton who rarely misses an event at the Blue Moon or an SKP function. However, this evening the Eatons' were occupied by a gig Joyce's son Clint (also an SKP member as is the birth right of all Eatons) and his band -- "Ill Gotten Booty" -- were playing at a new (for them) venue in Faribault (by the way this writer caught a bit of one of IGB's gigs a few days ago and must report that the band is getting VERY good).

Throughout the evening there was ample opportunity to commiserate with old friends and meet some new ones. The crowd was strong until late in the evening. As the event drew to a close, an appearance was made by "Billy the Christmas Bass" and clones who later sang a couple tunes from their limited repertoire. A good time was had by all and much enthusiasm was shown for doing an event of this nature again before too long.

Mark Naftalin & Dave Ray perform and the SKP Holiday Concert

Longtime compadre's Mark Halverson (SKP Treasures) and Bob Idso (SKP Secretary) are pleased with the event.

Notice of Vacancy

Interested parties should send a letter of interest and optionally a resume' or vitae setting forth any claimed qualifications to Mark Halverson, SKP Treasurer, P.O. Box 3544, Mankato, MN 56002-3544 or present the same it to any other SKP officer.

Dear Save the Kasota Prairie,
On behalf of all the St. Peter Area Youth Bowlers and Jr. coaches I wish to thank you for the donation of $500.00. We will be using the money to cover the expenses for our Youth Bowlers to go to the State Tournament in Owatonna this year on April 1, 2001.

Thanks so much for your support.
Patty Berg

Next Meeting:
Thursday, Feb 15, 2001
At the Blue Moon, Kasota
8:00pm Membership Meeting

2000-2001 SKP Board of Directors
Eric Steinmetz, President
Judy Cooper, VIce President
Mark Halverson, Treadurer
Bob Idso, Secretary
Joyce Eaton
Karen Larson
Jim Tracy