(Press Release) Lake Pepin Benefit Concert: Supporting Lake Pepin's future and honoring its past

[Lake Pepin, 5/3/2019] – The Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA) is capping off its Spring Member Drive with an outdoor benefit concert at Liberty Tree Farm in Stockholm, WI on Saturday June 8th. The concert will feature The Pistol Whippin’ Party Penguins, a Minnesota string-band with original songs about the river, performing on an open-barn stage surrounded by hardwood trees.

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Viewpoint: Citizens should attend Lake Pepin Restoration meeting

Red Wing Republican Eagle, 3/ 28/2018

By Rylee Main, Executive Director, Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance

1. What is the restoration project?

The restoration project at the upper end of Lake Pepin is designed to improve fish and wildlife habitat in the areas most impacted by shallow, muddy water. Constructing new islands and extending peninsulas will protect vulnerable areas from wind to create pockets of clear, undisturbed water that support healthy beds of aquatic vegetation.

The project is viable because special federal funds are available to utilize dredge material from the navigation channel to construct the base of the islands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is covering 65 percent of the projects costs plus an expected $6 million for material transportation. Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance is responsible for fundraising the local cost-share, estimated between $3-5 million.

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Project is first step to restore Upper Lake Pepin

Rochester Post Bulletin, 3/8/2018

Author: Mac Becco (formerly Consoer), Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance

Like many waters in southern Minnesota, it is impaired by excess sediment and phosphorus, both of which threaten cascading impacts that could eventually lead to ecological collapse. Sediment accumulation is a particular concern since it is causing social impacts, such as reduced accessibility to upstream areas and adjacent communities.

A sustainable solution will require upstream mitigation, but local restoration is also necessary to manage the cumulative impacts and sustain current uses on the lake.  

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Impaired lake looking for friendship

Red Wing Republican Eagle, 1/11/2018

Author: Sarah Hansen, RW Republican Eagle

A decade ago, neighbors living in the beautiful riverfront community of Wacouta began to notice that their island was growing.

Sediment had collected on its shores and was increasing the footprint of the small island in the bay. Down river, sediment collected in the bed of Lake Pepin as well.

By 2009 these concerned residents were heavily involved in the sediment runoff issue — so much so that they organized to form the nonprofit Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance. Since then, the aim of LPLA has been to save this beloved and geographically unique body of water from further pollution.

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Losing Lake Pepin: Time for unity, action against sedimentation

Red Wing Republican Eagle, 3/10/2018

Author: Mac Becco (formerly Consoer), Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance

As reported by Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance, boat groundings in upper Lake Pepin reached an all-time high last summer. Some readers commented that the danger is most formidable for visiting and infrequent boaters. While accurate, the rest of us aren’t immune from the underlying ailment facing Lake Pepin. Sedimentation is nearing ecological and social tipping points that will be disastrous for everybody. It’s time for us to heed the warnings and mobilize together for action.

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