Rep. Hansen and Sen. Sieben receive River Hero Awards

Friends of the Mississippi Rivers Board of Directors honored State Senator Katie Sieben and State Representative Rick Hansen in July with their River Hero Award for their work to pass landmark legislation for the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area.
Pictured (left to right): Peter Gove, Cristine Almeida, Rep. Rick Hansen, Sen. Katie Sieben, Whitney Clark.

Friends of the Mississippi Rivers Board of Directors honored State Senator Katie Sieben and State Representative Rick Hansen with their River Hero Award for their work to pass landmark legislation for the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area. Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) was founded sixteen years ago to protect and enhance the Mississippi River Corridor in the Twin Cities, which is designated as a National Park as well as a State Critical Area. This legislation is an enormous accomplishment for the river, lauded Peter Gove, FMRs board chairman.

Hansen (district 39A) and Sieben (district 57) were the lead authors of the Mississippi River Critical Area Reform bill that was approved by the legislature and signed by the Governor in May.

The Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area, a protected corridor that covers the Twin Cities metro area from Dayton to Hastings, was established by Executive Order in the mid-1970s. The new legislation serves to update and modernize regulations for the 30-year old law. The law directs the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to conduct rulemaking for the corridor and provides an appropriation of $500,000. The public rulemaking process will start by early 2010, and it will include mapping all the corridor bluffs and slopes and establishing new districts and development standards that better match the geographic character of the river.

Updating the Mississippi River Critical Area will bring the standards and protection strategies into the 21st Century, said Hansen. New tools, such as GIS mapping of bluffs and other corridor features, will ensure that the rules are clear for all parties involved in corridor development.

The Mississippi is such an important amenity for the communities in my district and so I want to make sure that the scenic and ecological qualities of the river are protected for future generations, said Sieben.

According to FMR executive director, Whitney Clark, Sieben and Hansen guided the legislation through numerous obstacles and setbacks. Representative Hansen and Senator Sieben deserve kudos for their willingness to listen to all the different interests and craft a bill with bi-partisan support that will make sure our river protections are strong, he said.

For background on the Mississippi River Critical Area and the new legislation, visit FMRs comprehensive web page on the issue.

Special thanks to Calhoun Beach Framing for donating custom framing for the awards.