Land Stewardship Project

Land Stewardship Project
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Long Range Plan
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
      • LSP Board Committees
    • LSP Steering Committees & Working Groups
    • Contact Us
    • Past LSP Projects
    • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
    • LSP Publications
    • Financial Statements
  • The Latest
    • Community Care
    • Songs for the Soil
    • CSA Farm Directory
    • Upcoming Events
    • News
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • LSP in the News
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Land Stewardship Letter
    • LIVE-WIRE Sign-up
    • Myth Busters
    • Fact Sheets
    • Farm Crisis Resources
  • For Farmers & Landowners
    • Farmland Clearinghouse
    • New Farmers
      • Farm Beginnings Class
      • Journeyperson Course
      • Farm Dreams
      • Accessing Farmland
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Beginning Farmer Profiles
    • Retiring Farmers & Landowners
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Farm Transition Planning Course
      • Conservation Leases
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Land Transition Tools
      • Transition Stories
    • Soil Health
      • Cover Crops
      • Grazing
      • No-till
      • Microbiology
      • Soil Builders’ Network
      • Soil Builders’ E-Letters
      • Soil Health Steering Committee Members
    • Cropping Systems Calculator
    • Conservation Leases
  • Creating Change
    • Community-Based Food Systems
      • Ear Bites
    • Policy Campaigns
      • Soil Health & Climate Change
      • Healthcare
      • Factory Farms
        • Anti-Competitiveness & Price Gouging
        • LSP Powerline Story Center
      • Federal Policy
        • A Farm Bill For Us
      • State Policy
        • MN Farm, Food & Climate Funding
      • Developing Leadership
    • Justice & Stewardship
    • Organizational Stewardship
    • Building People Power
  • Get Involved
    • Take Action!
    • Upcoming Events
    • Land Stewardship Action Fund
    • Connect with LSP
      • Stay Connected
      • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
      • Shop
      • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
      • Legacy Giving
    • Network with LSP Members
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Soil Health
    • Farmland Clearinghouse
  • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
  • Stay Connected
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
Search
More...

One Year after Major Winona County Fish Kill, Citizen Action Has Made an Impact

July 26, 2023

Share

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • email

LEWISTON, Minn. — A lot of proverbial water has passed under the bridge in the 12 months since a major fish kill was discovered south of Lewiston: local residents banded together to learn more about the area’s vulnerable water resources; several groups teamed up to raise awareness of threats to streams, rivers and wells; and finally, a major new law was passed during the 2023 session of the Minnesota Legislature that improves the fish kill reporting process. But as the Upper Rush Creek fish kill anniversary passes, more work is needed to prevent future disasters and to hold polluters accountable, say the citizens involved with the issue.

“I am encouraged that this bill created a protocol for responding to and handling fish kills,” said Richard Ahrens, a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) member and a retired beef and crop farmer who lives roughly one mile from where at least 2,500 fish, mostly brown trout, were found dead on Upper Rush Creek south of Lewiston on July 25, 2022. Ahrens, along with other LSP members, helped draft recommendations to policymakers and participated in advocacy at the Minnesota Legislature to pass the “fish kill” bill. “It is our hope that the measures contained in the fish kill legislation will stir the waters of complacency in an effort to ensure healthy waters for aquatic and human health,” Ahrens added.

An angler reported the Rush Creek fish kill to state agencies immediately. However, it took nine months to determine that manure runoff after a rainstorm had caused the kill. In addition, this fish kill is one of many that have occurred in the region in recent years. In fact, summer season often becomes fish kill season in areas like southeastern Minnesota. In 2019, 1,500 fish were reported killed in Garvin Brook, just east of Lewiston. In 2021, 250 trout were found dead in Trout Valley Creek, just south of Weaver. And in 2015, one of the most productive trout streams in the state, the South Fork of the Whitewater River that passes to the west of Lewiston, was the site of yet another disaster that was estimated to have killed nearly 10,000 fish. Fish kills can result from numerous manmade sources, including pesticide and manure runoff, and prompt investigations are imperative before evidence is wiped out.

In 2022, Winona County residents, working with LSP, organized a campaign to improve the process for reporting fish kills. They held informational meetings, drafted a letter that was hand-delivered to Gov. Tim Walz’s office, and worked to push through legislation at the Capitol. Lee Stoe, an avid fly angler, was one of the LSP members who got involved. At the beginning of the legislative session he met with and lobbied the chief authors of the fish kill bill, Rep. Sydney Jordan and Sen. Jen McEwen. He also testified at the Capitol in favor of the bill. LSP members worked with a coalition of organizations that included the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Minnesota Trout Unlimited and the Minnesota Well Owners Organization to collectively draft policy proposals that shaped the final language of the bill. Stoe said when he and other citizens started looking into the fish kills, they came to realize that water in the region faces numerous threats that need to be addressed, from chemical pollution to sedimentation caused by erosion.

“While looking for reasons for the fish kill, I found out about dangerously high nitrate levels in private wells in Winona County. I knew I needed to take action,” said Stoe, who, along with his son and grandson, had gone fishing on Upper Rush Creek just a few weeks before the 2022 fish kill. “I’m happy to know that our successful efforts will help protect not just the fish, but also the people.”

The bill that was passed, among other things, directs the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Department of Health to propose and finalize a comprehensive investigation protocol. It also requires an on-the-ground response from the state within 24 to 48 hours of a fish kill, as well as a more comprehensive list of what samples to collect and what tests to run. The law strengthens the issuing of public notices to downstream residents when a fish kill occurs. State agencies must also make recommendations to the Legislature on what laws and regulations need to change to prevent future fish kills from occurring, particularly in the karst region of southeastern Minnesota.

“These citizens responded to a disaster in the community by taking action and getting this law passed,” said Sean Carroll, LSP’s Policy Director. “This shows the power of grassroots people power. Now we need to continue to address the root causes of this problem: manure mismanagement from the industrial farming system. Right now, it’s too easy for a few factory farms to get away with pollution, and that’s bad for the many other farmers who are stewarding the land well. In fact, it’s bad for all of us, because it threatens the water we all depend on. Our public policy needs to continue to do more to support the many farmers across southeastern Minnesota who are stewarding the land and protecting our water. Policy also needs to hold the factory farms who threaten it accountable.”

The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a private, nonprofit, membership-based organization founded in 1982 to foster an ethic of stewardship for farmland, to promote sustainable agriculture and to develop healthy communities. It has offices in the Minnesota communities of Lewiston, Montevideo and south Minneapolis.

-30-

Garvin Brook near Lewiston, Minn., site of one of the Winona County fish kills.

Category: News Releases
Tags: CAFO • drinking water • factory farm • fish kill • groundwater • maure • Minnesota Legislature • nitrates • Rush Creek • water quality • Winona County

Contact

Sean Carroll, LSP Policy Director, e-mail, 612-400-6359

Upcoming Events

×

June 2025

Saturday June 21

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Saturday June 21
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Owl Bluff Farm, 12314 County Road 4 Houston, MN 55943

The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and Owl Bluff Farm will co-host an open house to celebrate the completion of the state’s first farm-scale deep winter greenhouse. The event, held on the farm about 45 minutes east of Rochester, is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required at z.umn.edu/OwlBluffOpenHouse.

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Wednesday June 25
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch
Hoosier Ridge Ranch, 15998 Wabasha County Rd 26, Altura, MN 55910, USA

Over the last 50 years, livestock have left many farms. Eric Heins is doing the reverse: bringing cattle – and their poop, pee and hooves – back to his land. Come see how Eric is using his Normande-shorthorn crosses in a variety of grazing situations. During this Land Stewardship Project-Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, you can view permanent pasture, where Eric (like everyone) is battling the cool-season grass takeover. You’ll also learn how Eric is using his cattle in cover crop mixes, prairie and woodlands.

Since purchasing the farm in 2020, Eric has converted the cropland to pasture. He also custom-farms a diverse rotation of crops, covers and small grains on neighboring farms, including an established prairie on Iowa Department of Natural Resources land. A possible bonus: Eric is hoping to have virtual fence collars by the time of the field day, but no guarantees!

A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss

  • Cash-flowing the conversion to pasture on owned versus rented cropland
  • Stockpiling pasture for winter grazing
  • Mechanical buckthorn clearing for silvopasture
  • Grazing agreements on DNR prairie and neighboring cropland
  • A sudangrass mix after a canning pea crop
  • An extended rotation with oats, barley and Kernza

For details and to register, click here.

Saturday June 28

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Saturday June 28
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Dream Acres, Co Hwy 8, Spring Valley, MN 55975, USA

Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters to kick-start the Driftless summer with an evening of good food, good music, and good times. We’ll have activities for all ages that will get you out in nature, exploring the connection between our region’s farms and your community’s food, land, and water. Bring a side or dessert to share for dinner, and the Dream Acres wood-fired oven will provide locally-sourced pizzas and flat breads. Dinner will be followed by live music and contra dancing by the Crater City String Band.  

To reserve a spot, click here.

Camping sites are available at nearby Masonic Park and Forestville Mystery Cave and Lake Louise State Parks. Camping at Masonic is rustic,first-come-first-serve, free, and does not require a reservation. Fillmore County, who manages the park, only asks that you call the dispatchers at507-765-3874 when you arrive with your vehicle information and phone number in case of emergency. State Park reservations cost $25 a night and can be made online.

July 2025

Saturday July 12

All Day
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Saturday July 12
Fishing, Farming & Food: Rush Creek’s Fish Kill Anniversary & Why it Matters
Rush Creek area in southeastern Minnesota

The Land Stewardship Project will mark the anniversary of a major fish kill in southeastern Minnesota that spawned citizen action and led to new public policy around how such events are reported. We will have fly fishing classes, birding opportunities, discussions about how regenerative farming systems can support healthy soil and clean water, good food, and fun music.  

More details are forthcoming. For more information, contact LSP’s Kate Rowe at krowe@landstewardshipproject.org.

Tuesday July 15

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Organic Fruit & Vegetable Field Day
Tuesday July 15
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Organic Fruit & Vegetable Field Day
1805 Dudley Ave, Falcon Heights, MN 55113, USA

Join U of M researchers and Extension for updates on organic fruit and vegetable research and tour the Student Organic Farm and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in Saint Paul. Topics include: organic insect management, integrating livestock into vegetable farms, new crops for Minnesota, irrigation strategies, and more. Free to the public.
 
For details and to register, click here.

View Full Calendar

Recent Posts

  • ‘Returning Cattle to the Land’ Field Day June 25 in Altura June 3, 2025
  • Make Your Voice Heard at Upcoming NRCS-SWCD Meetings June 3, 2025
  • Rolling Out the Welcome Mat for New Neighbors May 30, 2025
  • Land Line: Modern Dust Bowl, Corporate Indifference, Farmers’ Market Stores, Soybean Giant, SNAP & Local Foods, Carbon Markets, Farm Economy’s Twin Tale May 28, 2025
  • MN Ag Bill Supports Market Access, Land Access & Soil Health  May 21, 2025

Montevideo

111 North First Street
Montevideo, MN 56265

(320) 269-2105

Lewiston

180 E. Main Street
Lewiston, MN 55952

(507) 523-3366

Minneapolis

821 E. 35th Street #200
Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 722-6377

  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Land Stewardship Project. All rights reserved.

https://landstewardshipproject.org/one-year-after-major-winona-county-fish-kill-citizen-action-has-made-an-impact