| What
and Who is CURE?
Clean Up
the River Environment. CURE is a non-profit,
non-government, citizen-driven organization. The mission
of CURE is to focus public awareness on the Upper
Minnesota River Watershed and to take action to restore this area
of the river's water quality, biological integrity and
natural beauty for the benefit of all.
CURE is
successful for many reasons, the biggest being we
are helping to solve an identified problem. The Upper Minnesota River
Watershed is dirty. No one will argue that they do
not want clean water. That is not the question. The
question is "How do we clean up the rivers and
maintain our rural economy?"
CURE
believes the rivers are a resource of untapped economic
potential. We realize that all of us (society) have
created this problem in a relatively short period in
history. To solve the problem, everyone, (farmers,
landowners, city dwellers, business) must stop pointing
fingers and take action.
One of
the strengths of CURE lies in its Board of Directors.
This diverse group consists of 15 members from
throughout the watershed.
The CURE
Board of Directors have taken some important steps in
working with their mission statement. It consists
of two parts - "focus public awareness"
and "take action to restore".
CURE has been successful in focusing public awareness.
To accomplish the second part of the mission statement,
the Board decided to take action.
CURE
received it's official IRS 501©(3) status in April 2000
and officially separated from the Land Stewardship
Project (LSP) in July 2000. The board recognized the
superb, nurturing support LSP had provided to CURE since
the group's inception. Absent the skills, talents,
motivation, dedication and finances of the LSP
organization, CURE would not be what it is today - a
strong grass roots group recognized across the state,
even nationally, for its effort to improve Minnesota
River basin water quality.
But the
CURE board believed the organization had evolved
sufficiently that it was ready to take a significant
step forward, towards controlling its own destiny,
ensuring its sustainability and helping make more
immediate improvements in Upper Minnesota River
Watershed water quality.
The board felt CURE would be able to fulfill its mission
more effectively by securing and managing its own
resources and making its decisions independently.
CURE then
broadened the group to include a broader variety of
stakeholders by holding Farmer
Input Meetings to gather information to create
support for a voluntary, incentive-based conservation
program targeted at reducing sediment and runoff from
conventional, production agriculture land. We asked
farmers to spend a day with us and tell us:
- What
farming practices can make you as a farmer
more profitable
- What
farming practices can keep the sediment,
phosphorus, nitrates, and fecal coliform out
of the river
|
We have
taken the information we
gathered and through the work of former Congressman
David Minge, incorporated this information into the
Conservation Security Act which we hope will be part of
the next 2002 Farm Bill.
We have
also learned that in order to achieve our mission we
must work closely with and become educated voices in
local government. We, therefore, have begun working more
closely with the Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers
Board (MRBJPB). CURE was honored to be asked to host the
MRBJPB Summer Annual Conference.
CURE
applied for and received a $75,000 one-year grant from
the McKnight Foundation for operating support. Our
organization development work is in progress. We were 1
of 7 groups chosen nationally to participate in a
two-year intensive organizational development-training
program facilitated by the Institute for Conservation
Leadership.
As we are
taking action steps we are continually heightening
awareness of the problems and beauty of the Minnesota
River and its tributaries. We hold general information
meetings on river-related topics such as pollution,
history, art, and recreation. We sponsor an annual
River Revival, which is a
celebration of the river. And, we coordinate River
Bank Clean Ups that are attended by the area
National Guard units, Boy Scouts, and many other
volunteers. Our most successful annual event is the Spring
Observation Trip where we provide guided canoe trips
on the tributaries and the main stem of the upper
Minnesota River. We are currently working with local
communities to incorporate our events into their annual
town festivities.
CURE has
promoted and supported the Minnesota
River Expedition. A group of Montevideo High School
students have participated in this life long educational
experience. The concept has begun to stretch farther and
now includes other area schools. |
