Rivertown Days in Hastings!

July 15, 1.5 miles, Mile 814.5: Hastings, MN, just in time for Rivertown Days:
http://www.hastingsmn.org/

Hastings and its surrounding townships have longstanding issues from agricultural fertilizer and herbicides in the groundwater. Dakota County and other agencies are working with area farmers to reduce the agricultural chemicals leaching into the groundwater:
http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/EnvironmentRoads/Reports/Water/HANS.htm

Catching Up

May 5, 1 mile, below Mile 821, "Mississippi Makeover" at Spring Lake:
http://www.dakotaswcd.org/wshd_missmak.html

May 12, 1 mile, below Mile 820, Lee Grist Mill:
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=374

May 19, 1 mile, Mile 817, Nininger Townsite:
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=378

July 13, 1.14 miles, Mile 816: Streckfus Daymark:
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=379

March 30, 1.25 miles, below Mile 822:

http://www.co.dakota.mn.us/LeisureRecreation/CountyParks/Locations/SpringLake/default.htm

Shipping Season Begins

WINONA, Minn. (AP) -- The first commercial towboat of the spring is on its way through Lake Pepin on its way to St. Paul to officially open up the Mississippi River shipping season. The Deana Ann passed through Lock and Dam Number Four at Alma, Wisconsin, at 2:50 a.m. Monday. It was pushing 15 barges. The tow has encountered ice that was at least a foot thick in some areas of the lake. Once the Deana Ann makes it to St. Paul, it will mark a much earlier opening this year compared to a year ago. In 2008, the first tow did not reach St. Paul until April 11. The average opening in the last 10 years has been March 20.

March 23, 1.5 miles, Mile 824, SAC B-52 Crash Site:
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=362

March 24, 1.25 miles, below Mile 823, Spring Lake:
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=370

February 23, 1.25 miles, mile 828, Pine Bend Bluffs
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=366

February 24, 1 mile, mile 827
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=359

February 25, 1.5 miles, between mile 826 and 825, Ordway Natural History Area
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=357

Between Washington & Dakota Counties

February 16, 1.5 miles, below Mile 831:
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=347

Chunks have started to fall off this decommissioned toll bridge, so Washington County is proceding to have their side of the bridge demolished:
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/39381322.html?elr=KArksUUUU
Dakota County has debated restoring the bridge as a recreational resource, but the cost will probably prove prohibitive.

February 18, 1.25 miles, below Mile 830: Merrimac Island:
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=348

February 10: 1.0 miles, below Mile 834, Post Office Robbery by Barker-Karpis Gang
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=313

February 11: 1.5 miles, Mile 832, Wakotah Bridge
http://fieldguide.fmr.org/site_detail.php?site_id=329