Branch Program 9/29/2014

Legacy Focus Day
Water

Everyone wear something blue!
Celebrating, protecting, informing about contaminants in the rivers and lakes, new technology and rising waters in “The Land of Lakes.”

Minnesota Waters: Opportunities and Threats
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Presidents’ Hall

Speaker: Dr. David Mulla, Professor and W.E. Larson Chair for Soil and Water Resources, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota

Dr. Mulla studies non-point source pollution of surface and groundwater, precision farming and conservation, and alternative farm management practices for improved soil conversation and water quality. He has done research in 20 different countries and works closely with the legislature in authoring bills on the environment.

Peril in the Ponds, Frog Deformities, and Water Issues
10:45-11:45 a.m.
Presidents’ Hall

Speaker: Dr. Judy Helgen, Retired Research Scientist and Biologist, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

In the mid 1990s, fifth grade students were netting frogs by a pond as part of a science class field trip near Henderson, Minnesota. To their shock, many of these frogs had abnormal or missing body parts. Their teacher notified Dr. Helgen, who spent 20 years researching this now-global phenomenon. She will describe her research, which revolved around the factors exposing frogs in wetlands, where frogs and many other creatures live during a critical time in their life cycle.

Luncheon
12:00-1:15 p.m.

Luncheon Hostess: Mary Ann Christenson
Guest Hostess: Karen Landro
Nominating Committee – Porch

Change Happens: Why Water and Climate Change Education is Crucial for Middle School Students
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Presidents’ Hall

Speaker: Beckie Fuller Alexander, Middle School Science Teacher, Breck School

Water in its frozen form has a special attraction for our speaker. While the rest of us simply endured the long, cold winter of 2014, Alexander used the freedom of her sabbatical year to head north. She revisited glaciers to photograph change over time. The loss of glacial ice volume portrays a sense of urgency that can make current water and climate issues relevant to today’s students – future agents of change.

For reservations, call 651-220-4777 or email aauwmpls@qwest.net before 1:00 p.m. on the Thursday before the event.