A bird's-eye and boat's-eye view of the river

On a perfect summer afternoon — Thursday, August 22, 2005 — the District sponsored its second annual lower Minnesota River tour aboard the party barge Betsey Northrup (powered by Ugh the Tug).

Some 130 guests and speakers — including politicians, government officials, and NGO members — boarded the barge at the Cenex Harvest States grain terminal slip in Savage, about 2:00 pm, and headed downstream toward the Mississippi.

Below deck, events got underway with a few words by District Administrator Terry Schwalbe and a blessing by Glen Wasicuna, elder of the Mdwakenton Sioux community.

A luncheon followed as the barge made its way downstream toward its home base of Harriet Island on the Mississippi in downtown St. Paul.

After lunch, speakers on the upper deck described the sights and sounds of the lower Minnesota — and invited guests to learn first hand just what the river and the river valley offer us.

Speakers and sunshine

The afternoon flowed on with education above board, immersion in the sun and breeze, and the irresistible feeling of being part of something we too often see as we hurry by and cast a quick glimpse at from the highway.

Speakers on our informal program included

• Cathy Larson, Metropolitan Council, on the lower Minnesota River model.
• Steve Tapp, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Greg Genz, Upper Mississippi Waterways Association, on dredging operations and dredge sites.
• Clint Gergen, Cenex Harvest States, on commerce on the river.
• Roy Fuhrmann, Metropolitan Airports Commission, on MAC water-management operations.
• Larry Samstad, District manager, on the history of the District.
• Leonard Wabasha, from the Shakopee Mdewakanton (Dakota) Sioux Community, on historical Indian sites along the river.

* * *