Despite the bits of snow on the ground, summer is just around the corner for organizations in Minnesota that provide critical services to our parks, trails and natural areas. Groups like Conservation Corps  are ramping up their hiring for summer workers.

If you know a teenager, let them know about Conservation Corps. Youth ages 15-18 spend four weeks learning about natural resources and then working hard building trails, clearing brush, and generally making Minnesota an even better place to live. Kids from all over Minnesota participate. Unlike some fancy summer camps, the Corps actually gives its members money, in the form of a small stipend.  Applications are due in April.

Young adults, ages 18-25, have a huge range of opportunities in the Conservation Corps’ AmeriCorps program, and not just for summer. In fact, they’re hiring now for spring field crews in northern Minnesota.

Conservation Corps was originally known as Minnesota Conservation Corps, or MCC. It was a program housed inside the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In the last ten years, the program was spun off from the DNR into a private nonprofit organization, but it’s never been more critical to getting the state’s natural resource work done.

Jobs versus the environment? Hah! Conservation Corps has jobs for the environment, and they’re hiring.

All caucuses are at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7. Find your precinct caucus on the Secretary of State’s website.

Precinct Caucuses Launch the Election Season
Major parties are required by law to hold precinct caucuses on “caucus night,” as set by the Secretary of State. Each party determines its own procedures.

Everyone who lives within a voting precinct and is a qualified voter (or will be by the next election) can participate in one party’s precinct caucus in any one year. (Precinct = local voting district)

First layer of democratic elections
The precinct caucus is the first step on the road to the final selection of candidates and platforms.  The next step is either a county or legislative district convention, followed by a congressional district convention, a state convention and finally, in presidential election years, the national convention.  At each level, issues and candidates are discussed and voted on by the delegates selected from the prior level.

Why should I attend my caucus?
Caucuses give you and your neighbors in the precinct an opportunity to discuss issues that are important to you – a chance to say how you would like to see a problem addressed.   It is also your opportunity to influence the candidate selection within your party.

You can introduce resolutions on issues you support; this is the beginning of building a party’s platform.  The caucus is also the beginning of the formal process of selecting candidates to represent your party in the general election in November.

You may take an active role by becoming a delegate to the next level of meetings and perhaps join a committee to plan the next meeting. You may choose to go only to observe the process.

How do I decide which party caucus to attend?
Find out the positions of the parties on issues that are important to you and decide if you are in general agreement with one of the parties.  When you sign in at a caucus, you will be stating that you do support the basic tenets of that party, have done so in the past or plan to in the next election.  This is not a lifetime commitment, nor even an absolute requirement to vote for only one party at the general election. You may also go to either party caucus as a non-voting observer.

When and where are the caucuses held?
In even years, caucuses for the major parties (as defined by state law) take place at 7:00 p.m. on the date established in every voting precinct of the state. Usually, they are held in early February. This year Precinct Caucuses are on Feb. 7th!

Here are some resolutions regarding environmental issues that you can download and share at your caucus:

• Prohibit toxic chemicals in children’s products
• Maintain community and township rights
• Keep Minnesota on the path to clean energy
• Increase renewable energy and energy conservation
• Protect the Legacy Amendment
• Preserve existing state budget laws in the state Constitution
• ‘Prove it first’ resolution on sulfide mining
• Protect Minnesota’s water from sulfide mining pollution
  • Fact sheet on sulfide mining
  • Sample script to introduce your resolution

If you’re planning to propose a resolution:

1. Give a brief introduction to the issue, why it is important, and generally what is says. Pass out resolution and factsheet (if you have one).
2. Read your resolution in full to fellow precinct members.
3. Answer questions to the best of your ability during discussion period (if needed).
4. Vote to pass the resolutions for which you agree.

Bonus tip — go early to pass out copies of your resolutions and answer questions before the caucus begins!

Learn more about how caucuses work and what to expect

Register online

Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to network with state policy makers and volunteers and staff of MEP’s member organizations, discuss our legislative priorities, and hear from our state legislative and agency leaders about their views on current environmental issues.

The reception begins at 6 p.m. at the Summit Brewery’s Ratskeller Community Room. Enjoy an appetizer buffet and Summit beer and root beer. Bring your staff, spouse and friends – all are welcome! A brief program featuring guest speakers Rep. Denny McNamara, Sen. David Senjem, Rep. Kate Knuth and DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr will begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $25. Register and pay online. Please contact Patience Caso at the MEP office, 651-290-0154, with questions.

From Patience Caso, MEP campaign director, and Eric Bergstrom, legislative and campaign outreach

Welcome to the 2012 legislative session! You care about Minnesota’s Great Outdoors and you believe in making and safeguarding investments for future generations. Your voice is critical to protecting and defending our environmental policy foundation — your elected officials need to hear from you.

This year, we’re counting on you to join the members of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership and advocate for:

- Clean Energy & Good Jobs: Solar Works for Minnesota
Invest in clean energy to support our schools, help our local economy and create good jobs

- Safeguard Investments for Minnesota’s Future
Defend water, air, and land protections and the Clean Water, Land and Legacy funding

Act now to let Governor Dayton and your state legislators know that these investments are vital to Minnesota’s future. Not sure who your legislators are? That’s OK! When you fill out this form on Protect.MN, MEP’s campaign website, your message will automatically go to the right legislator.

Your input can make a difference! Deadline to take action is Feb. 7.

The spectators look confused. School spirit is suddenly stunningly low.

The cheerleaders plead all together, “What’s that spell?!”

Mumble-mumble-grumble, the spectators reply.

And yet TMDLs are the critical key that is unlocking the restoration of hundreds of Minnesota’s streams and lakes. Here on the North Shore, our polluted rivers are on their way to getting cleaned up, thanks to TMDLs.

Last week I tried to demystifying one acronym, BUIs. This acronym is harder because even if you know what the letters stand for, it’s still incomprehensible. TMDL stands for “Total Maximum Daily Load.”

The cheerleaders shouldn’t even bother asking “What’s that spell?,”  just “What’s that?”

Total Maximum Daily Load is a measurement, typically a weight in tons or pounds or grams. It’s the amount of any given pollutant that a river or lake can handle on its own and not get any dirtier. Agencies that work to protect our waters have said, essentially, yes there will be pollution, but it won’t be all that bad. Here’s the PCA’s official definition.

But TMDL is more than a number, it’s a process. Up here on the North Shore, we just finished the TMDL process for the Knife River, which flows into Lake Superior between Duluth and Two Harbors. The Knife is too muddy, especially when the waters are high. The sediment-laden water is hard on fish and icky for swimming. Fishing and swimming are beneficial uses of the river, and the sediment has impaired those uses. In comes the Clean Water Act and the MPCA to clean it up.

Through the TMDL process (LINK: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-types-and-programs/minnesotas-impaired-waters-and-tmdls/minnesotas-impaired-waters-and-total-maximum-daily-loads-tmdls.html), we now know how much sediment is in the river, how much should be in the river, and what we can do to reduce the amount of sediment to acceptable levels…down to the Total Maximum Daily Load.

The same process of field research, modeling and math has happened on 226 rivers and lakes across the state, for pollutants ranging from sediment to fecal coliform. Another 710 TMDL projects are underway.

I can tell you from our experience here on the North Shore, the more that common citizens on the ground get involved in the TMDL process, the better the result will be. Get involved. Then you will have something to cheer about.

We always say our coalition works for our core Minnesota values — clean water, clean energy, and a healthy environment for our children and grandchildren — that transcend our differences. We know that despite what some state leaders claim, Minnesotans want our environment to be protected. Your support is even further evidence of this.

Thank you. We know there will be tough days ahead, with continued threats to the Great Outdoors we love, but with your contributions our partnership grows stronger and together we can better fend off these assaults.

Your continued participation is important to us all; please consider subscribing to our Action Alert network. You’ll be notified when it’s important to contact your elected officials about hot environmental issues.

Thank you again for your generous support.

We are pleased to announce that key supporters and Board Members of Minnesota Environmental Partnership have generously issued a challenge for tomorrow’s Give to the Max Day:

•  Starting at midnight, the first $6,000 in contributions to MEP on Nov. 16 will be matched dollar for dollar!

We need your help to meet this challenge. Please visit our Give to the Max page, GiveMN.org/MEPartnership, and double your dollars all day on Nov. 16.

Together, our donations will make twice as big an impact for Minnesota’s #1 high-impact environmental nonprofit.

Thanks so much for your support. We couldn't do it without you.

Now imagine if we could go even further: What if our homes were powered just with clean energy?

With your help tomorrow on Give to the Max Day, Minnesota Environmental Partnership can continue advocating for 100% of new electricity in Minnesota coming from renewable sources.

Let's work together to make powering our homes with clean, renewable energy a reality.

Learn more at GiveMN.org/MEPartnership.