LCCMR to hear from experts on gulf oil spill and MN's migrating birds and other natural resources issues

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SAINT PAUL, MN (09/25/2010)(readMedia)-- The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) – the group that makes project funding recommendations to the state legislature on expenditures from Minnesota's Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund – will be meeting on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 to hear from experts on a number of timely natural resources topics. Topics to be presented upon include the recent gulf oil spill and its potential impacts on Minnesota's migrating bird species, the concept of ecosystem services, and the ecology of the Mississippi River Gorge. The Commission will also be viewing and discussing the status of the Bell Museum's film "Troubled Waters" – a project that received a $349,000 from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund in 2008 through the LCCMR's process. All LCCMR meetings are open to the public.

Information gathering activities such as these expert presentations play a critical role in guiding the LCCMR's process for determining which projects are the best public investments for the hundreds of millions of dollars generated to-date by the Minnesota State Lottery for environment and natural resources projects around the state.

When: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Wednesday, September 29, 2010.

Where: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm: Room 200 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN; Approximately 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Stone Arch Bridge and Ford Dam areas, Minneapolis, MN (Specific details on Minneapolis locations will be posted at http://www.lccmr.leg.mn/Meetings/LCCMRMeetings.html)

What: Expert presentations and panel discussions on various natural resources topics including the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, its potential impacts on Minnesota's migrating birds, and what can be done in Minnesota to help alleviate those impacts; ecological economics, particularly the concepts of ecosystem services and externalities; and the ecology and hydrology of the Mississippi River Gorge. Additionally, the LCCMR will be viewing and discussing the status of the Bell Museum's film "Troubled Waters".

Who: The LCCMR will hear presentations from representatives of the University of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Audubon Minnesota, U.S. National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For additional details contact Mike Banker or check the meeting agenda posted at http://www.lccmr.leg.mn/Meetings/LCCMRMeetings.html, where any updates or revisions to the agenda will be posted.

Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR)

The LCCMR is made up of 17 members (5 Senators, 5 Representatives, 5 citizens appointed by the governor, and one citizen each appointed by the Senate and the House). The function of the LCCMR is to make funding recommendations to the Minnesota State Legislature for special environment and natural resource projects, primarily from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. These projects help maintain and enhance Minnesota's environment and natural resources. The LCCMR developed from a program initiated in 1963. Since 1963, over $650 million has been appropriated to more than 1,300 projects recommended by the Commission to protect and enhance Minnesota's environment and natural resources.

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