Comments on: Fishing on the Cannon River http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/3330/ Blogging and podcasting the people, issues, and events of Northfield, MN Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:53:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Bright Spencer http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/3330/#comment-60423 Bright Spencer Sat, 31 May 2008 14:45:38 +0000 http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/3330/#comment-60423 I just this minute found my entry into the Cannon River poetry contest of 2002, I think. The only eyes which have seen this besides me and my dh, are the people at River City Books who were accepting the entries. The Cannon River-Every Ounce Counts It's not too syrupy, We cannot bounce upon it It changes a lot when The ducks all pounce upon it It's kinda like a skirt When you look from the sky Like the land has a pretty Little flounce around it Though it's really just a stream We cannot renounce the steam It's purely water to keep clean As we like to announce about it. Needless to say, I didn't win the contest. A lady won who had a lovely story about generations of her family living around the river and the many memories associated with it. Sorry to have forgotten her name. Maybe someone around here knows. I just this minute found my entry into the Cannon River poetry contest of 2002, I think. The only eyes which have seen this besides me and my dh,
are the people at River City Books who were accepting the entries.

The Cannon River-Every Ounce Counts

It’s not too syrupy,
We cannot bounce upon it
It changes a lot when
The ducks all pounce upon it

It’s kinda like a skirt
When you look from the sky
Like the land has a pretty
Little flounce around it

Though it’s really just a stream
We cannot renounce the steam
It’s purely water to keep clean
As we like to announce about it.

Needless to say, I didn’t win the contest. A lady won who had a lovely story about generations of her family living around the river and the many memories associated with it. Sorry to have forgotten her name. Maybe someone around here knows.

]]> By: Bright Spencer http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/3330/#comment-59905 Bright Spencer Tue, 20 May 2008 20:25:46 +0000 http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/3330/#comment-59905 Here is a link to see what the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is doing to protect their waters. http://www.minnehahacreek.org/ 2007-2017 MCWD Plan Completed Here is a link to see what the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is doing to protect their waters.

http://www.minnehahacreek.org/

2007-2017 MCWD Plan Completed

]]> By: Skip Zimmerman http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/3330/#comment-59253 Skip Zimmerman Wed, 07 May 2008 16:58:51 +0000 http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/3330/#comment-59253 According to the DNR/Department of Health sites below, there is some concern around Mercury contamination for men, women not planning to be pregnant, and the general population over 15 years old who are eating white suckers, redhorse suckers and walleye under 20 inches, caught in the Cannon River between Faribault and Northfield. Everything else seems to be okay. For pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, and children under 15, the risks are greater, and carp also join the list of concern. The contamination levels do not appear to be high on the DNR/Department of Healths scale, but extant and perhaps moderate nonetheless. There does not appear to be any concern around PCB contamination, which is the other chemical for which the DNR/Department of Health tests. I can't speak to what else is in the river or its fish, but would counsel caution. Runoff from the multiple non-organic farms along the Cannon's banks and those of its tributaries scares me enough to consider only a catch-and-release approach to local fishing. And...if it's not clean enough to support a healthy trout population (nope, not the Cannon!), then I'm probably not even likely to fish it anyway. You can see the DNR/Department of Health reports on the Cannon and other rivers at the following links: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/eating/riverspecpop.pdf http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/eating/rivergenpop.pdf According to the DNR/Department of Health sites below, there is some concern around Mercury contamination for men, women not planning to be pregnant, and the general population over 15 years old who are eating white suckers, redhorse suckers and walleye under 20 inches, caught in the Cannon River between Faribault and Northfield. Everything else seems to be okay.

For pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, and children under 15, the risks are greater, and carp also join the list of concern. The contamination levels do not appear to be high on the DNR/Department of Healths scale, but extant and perhaps moderate nonetheless.

There does not appear to be any concern around PCB contamination, which is the other chemical for which the DNR/Department of Health tests. I can’t speak to what else is in the river or its fish, but would counsel caution. Runoff from the multiple non-organic farms along the Cannon’s banks and those of its tributaries scares me enough to consider only a catch-and-release approach to local fishing. And…if it’s not clean enough to support a healthy trout population (nope, not the Cannon!), then I’m probably not even likely to fish it anyway.

You can see the DNR/Department of Health reports on the Cannon and other rivers at the following links:

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/eating/riverspecpop.pdf
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/eating/rivergenpop.pdf

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