By Marya Hart
Stewards advocate for policies related to water, forests, and wildlife.
Water and Wetlands
At their most recent meeting, the Waters and Wetland Stewards reflected on their progress over the past year and drew up a plan to achieve even more in the months ahead. One of the issues the team is focusing on is agricultural pollution. They're currently composing a letter to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency regarding proposed changes to feedlot regulations in the state. The team is calling for increased state oversight to enforce regulations and to require environmental impact statements and groundwater contamination studies, at the very least.
Another topic of conversation has been microplastics pollution, a threat which feels more overwhelming the more we learn. Did you know, for instance, that the amount of plastic in Lake Superior is greater than the amount of plastic in the North Atlantic? Or that microplastics have been found in 81% of tap water samples as well as all tested brands of salt and beer? The team is still learning about impacts and solutions, but here’s one thing they do know: if you like to fish, you can help right now. The Minnesota Sea Grant Program is asking the fishing community to sample the stomachs of fish you catch between April 2020 and April 2021. If you don’t like to fish, you can still help by refusing plastic straws, avoiding single-use shopping bags (yes, even during the pandemic, since research shows no substantial link between reusable bags and virus transmission), and keep recycling. Learn more about microplastics here.
Forests and Wildlife
The Forests and Wildlife Stewards recently submitted comments to the Minnesota Forest Resources Council (MFRC) on its draft Report on Climate Change and Minnesota's Forests. The report offers a unique chance for Minnesota to play a role in reducing the threat of climate change through appropriate management of our forest ecosystems.
The Stewards are supportive of many of the goals and immediate actions outlined in the report to mitigate the threat of climate change. However, there is a critical omission in the draft that must be addressed: the concept of proforestation. Proforestation provides the most effective solution to the dual global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. It is the only practical, rapid, economical, and effective means for removing atmospheric carbon dioxide among the multiple options that have been proposed, because it removes more atmospheric carbon dioxide in the immediate future and continues to sequester it long-term.
For this reason, the Stewards are urging the MFRC to consider including the concept of proforestation in their report. We are also encouraging the MFRC to consider adjusting its management practices to achieve higher biodiversity resilience.