Sustainable Northfield City of Northfield

In this episode, Arich Fruehling (St. Olaf student) speaks with Emma Schultz, Angela Gupta, Jeff Halfner, and Beth Kallestead about emerald ash borers (EAB), an invasive insect. They discuss what EABs are, why the infestation poses a threat to Northfield’s ecosystems, and what is being done to resolve the issue. Further information is available below.

This episode was produced as part of an Academic Civic Engagement project through St. Olaf College by Arich Fruehling, Mackenzie Farrell, Grace Mennerick and Lauren Borst.

Thank you to Emma Schultz, Angela Gupta, and Jeff Halfner for their expertise and hopeful insights. 

How to Identify Ash Trees:

- Black ash and green ash are the most common types of ash tree in Northfield.

- Black ash has diamond shaped patterns in the bark, branches that grow directly

across from one another, and compound leaves with 7-11 leaflets each. Black

ash trees turn yellow to brown in Autumn.

- Green ash has scaly bark that is less flakey than black ash, and compound

leaves with less than 9 leaflets each.

- Ash Tree Identification (Minnesota DNR)

How to Identify Emerald Ash Borers:

- EABs are . - ½ inch long, metallic green in color, and have a purple body

underneath their wings.

- Emerald Ash Borer Look Alikes (Nebraska Forest Service)

Further Resources:

- Arrest the Pest (MN Department of Agriculture)

- Great Lakes Early Detection Network

- Emerald Ash Borer in Minnesota 2019 (MN Environmental Quality Board)

- Emerald Ash Borers (City of Northfield)

On this episode, Chloe Truebenbach speaks with Peggy Prowe, long-time leader of the Friends of the Mill Towns State Trail, and local bicycling activist Bruce Anderson, about the history of the Mill Towns Trail and biking in Northfield.

Learn more

Mill Towns State Trail (DNR website)

Mill Towns State Trail Preliminary Design (City of Northfield website)

Friends of the Mill Towns State Trail

Cannon Valley Velo Club (Facebook page)

Cannon River Offroad Cycling & Trails (CROCT)

On this episode Chloe Truebenbach speaks with Dave Bennet, the City of Northfield's Public Works Director and Engineer, and Scott Haugen, an Acquisition & Development Specialist for the MN Department of Natural Resources about the Mill Towns Trail development project.  Our next episode will be a continuation of this topic interviewing Peggy Prowe (long-time leader of the Friends of the Mill Towns State Trail) and local bike activist Bruce Anderson. 

Learn more

Mill Towns State Trail (DNR website)

Mill Towns State Trail Preliminary Design (City of Northfield website)

Friends of the Mill Towns State Trail

Chloe Truebenbach speaks with the Andrei Sivanich, Rick Estenson and Beth Kallestad about electric vehicles and the work of the local Rotary Club.

More information about the Rotary Club can be found on their website.

More information about the ReCharge Northfield: EV Experience Expo can be found here.

Thank you for listening!

Asa Gold and Grace Lindmark speak with Scott Wopata, Martha Larson, Betsy Buckheit, Abby Meuser-Herr, Steve Schmidt, Rolf Jacobsen, and Brian Nowak about the Community Action Center's Hillcrest Village, the importance of emergency housing, and the future of affordable and sustainable housing in Northfield.

More information about the Community Action Center's Hillcrest Village can be found on their website.

The information from the 2018 Rice County Housing Survey can be found here.

Thank you Asa and Grace for creating and hosting this episode. Thanks to Professor Jackson and St. Olaf College for letting us publish this project. Thank you to the student collaborators involved in the project: Cassidy Schnell, Joash Daniel, Juliet Olson, Rodrigo Escobar, YiWynn Chan, and Bailey Seashore. 

Thank you for listening!

Chloe Truebenbach speaks with the City of Northfield's Water Quality Technician Cole Johnson and Community Engagement Coordinator Kevin Strauss from Clean River Partners (formerly Cannon River Watershed Partnership) about stormwater pollution and how residents in Northfield can get involved in preventing stormwater pollution and the rain garden incentive programs.

More information about stormwater for the City of Northfield can be found on their website.

More information about the Clean River Partners can be found on their website.

The stormwater program comment period has already taken place, but more information about the incentive programs can be found here.

Thank you for listening!