65th Anniversary Minnesota Riverboat Tour Recap
Posted: 08/19/25
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us on our Minnesota River tour, hosted on August 14 by the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District (LMRWD)! We are so grateful you could participate and value your continued partnership to protect important shared resources. If you weren't able to make it, have no fear. You can get caught up with our event summary and learn about how to stay connected throughout the entire planning process.
The tour brought together partners, stakeholders, and community members who joined LMRWD leaders on the open water to experience the river firsthand. Guests cruised down the Minnesota River, engaging in a facilitated program that highlighted the region’s pressing challenges and promising opportunities.
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Congratulating Award Recipients
In recognition of their work, three awards were given out at the event. View photos in the righthand panel.
- Watershed Vision Award: Ferin Davis Anderson, Natural Resources Manager, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. This award honors exceptional foresight, innovation, and leadership in stewarding water and natural resources, advancing resilient and sustainable solutions for the watershed’s future. Ferin combines cultural knowledge and science to lead watershed and wetland restoration, introducing innovative tools like LiDAR and drone mapping.
- Outstanding Public Service Award: Linda Loomis, Administrator, Lower Minnesota River Watershed District. This award celebrates an individual whose leadership, integrity, and dedication have left a lasting impact on water and natural resource management. Retiring after more than a decade of service, Linda guided coalition building, policy, and project delivery across the Minnesota River. A former mayor of Golden Valley, she led major infrastructure upgrades, chaired watershed commissions, and fostered civic engagement—shaping both community and environmental outcomes.
- Legacy Leader Award: Governor Arne Carlson (Honored but not present. This award recognizes an individual whose enduring contributions have shaped the watershed district’s identity, direction, and long-term success—laying a foundation for future generations through visionary leadership and community-building. As Minnesota’s 37th governor (1991–1999), Carlson made clean water a state priority, leading restoration of the Minnesota River and launching watershed-based strategies. His vision to make the river “swimmable and fishable” continues to inspire collaborative stewardship.
About the Program
The tour also served as the public kickoff to LMRWD’s upcoming 10-year Watershed Management Plan, driven by the district’s urgent call to action: “The River Will Not Wait.” In the wake of major flooding in 2024 and continued threat of sedimentation, the district used this moment to unveil a community-driven vision for the river’s future. Conversations from the boat are shown in photos to the right.
“This moment represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine watershed governance,” said LMRWD Board President Joseph Barisonzi. “The River Will Not Wait has shown us that the challenges ahead – including hydrologic shifts, cumulative land use impacts, enforcement gaps, fragmented governance, and unsustainable funding models – represent urgent, system-wide threats that must be addressed.”
Throughout the tour, guests engaged directly with local leaders to discuss the future of the Minnesota River and the collaborative solutions required to protect it. Guests learned about the official Comprehensive Watershed Management Planning Process and observed how excess sediment is threatening the river’s navigability, an essential feature for transportation, industry, and recreation.
The program also introduced attendees to the key messages behind The River Will Not Wait framework, which was officially adopted by the LMRWD Board to guide its next planning cycle. The event invited guests to explore the river through different lenses and tap into new and innovative ideas to shape the future of the river and surrounding basin.
"We are beginning a new chapter of watershed leadership that launches us into a future that demands bold action, collaborative solutions, and a shared vision,” said LMRWD Administrator Will Lytle.
What's Next?
The riverboat tour marked a pivotal step in the district’s long-term strategy to foster resilient, community-led watershed governance. The LMRWD Board plans to pass a resolution this week launching planning process where community voices will help shape the future of the river. The first meeting inviting more participation in the planning process will be October 29th —with details being sent closer to the date. Subscribe to our mailing list to stay in touch (submit your email on the home page).
Special Thanks:
LMRWD Staff and Board Managers, Citizen Advisory Committee, our hosts at CHS, Photographer Drew Arrieta (all photos copyrighted), District Engineer: Young Environmental Consulting Group, Facilitators: Resonance Consulting, Public Relations Support: Tunheim, Anson Northrup Staff, and all of our guests!
