Clean Up the River
Environment’s (CURE’s)
17th annual “River
and History Weekend”
will be held
on Saturday, May
17th and Sunday, May
18th and will
feature guided canoe
trips of the
Minnesota
River, the Yellow
Medicine River and
Hawk Creek. The
Upper Sioux Agency
State Park, south of
Granite Falls, will
serve as departure
points for the canoe
trips and the site
of Saturday night
story
telling, music and
discussion programs
around the campfire.
The event is free
and open to the
public.
For more
information, call
CURE toll free at
1-877-269-2873 or
visit:
http://www.curemnriver.org/events.htm
Upper Sioux Agency
State Park Manager
Terri Dinesen has
lined up historical
speakers who will be
positioned along the
Minnesota River
between Kinney’s
Landing (south of
Granite Falls along
Hwy
67) and the State
Park to tell stories
to canoeists as they
float by.
CURE Board member
John White of Clara
City is organizing a
voyageurs canoe trip
on the Minnesota
River on Saturday
May 17th for foreign
exchange students
who have been living
with host families
in
the region since
last fall.
The Prairie Woods
Environmental
Learning Center will
be bringing its “Big
Canoe” for the
foreign
exchange students to
use. “This is a safe
and easy, beautiful
and historic stretch
of the Minnesota
River,” according to
White. “Families
with young kids and
seniors are invited
to canoe with us on
a
historic and
entertaining two
hour float”
Anyone who is
interested in
joining this
excursion is being
asked to gather at
the Upper Sioux
Agency
State Park tipis at
12:30 p.m. on
Saturday May 17th. A
shuttle service will
be provided. CURE is
also
working on lining up
a “Let’s Go Fishing”
pontoon boat for the
trip for those
unable to use a
canoe.
For more adventurous
thrill seekers, a
kayak and canoe trip
is being organized
for the Yellow
Medicine River also
leaving at 12:30
p.m. on Saturday May
17th from the tipis
at Upper Sioux
Agency
State Park. “This is
a trip where you
expect to get wet,”
says CURE Volunteer
Gary Lentz who has
led dozens of trips
down this rocky and
oak tree lined
tributary to the
Minnesota River.
Lentz advises
that because of the
rocks, only poly
fiber canoes or
kayaks be used on
the Yellow Medicine.
A shuttle
service will be
provided to all
paddlers.
All of
Saturday’s guided
trips will converge
on the campground at
the Upper Sioux
Agency State Park
where a pot luck
barbeque, camp out
and camp fire sing
along event is being
organized by CURE.
The event will begin
at 6 p.m. with the
second annual
“Gathering of the
Waters Ceremony”
where
those in attendance
will be asked to
pour vials of water
from their home
river or aquifer
into a common
bowl. Everyone is
encouraged to bring
their own vial of
local water to
contribute to this
ceremony.
Afterwards, exchange
students from
Scandinavian,
European, South
American and Asian
countries
will be asked to
share what their
countries are doing
to reduce global
warming and produce
clean
energy. A dialogue
about the future of
nuclear power, coal
fired power and
renewable energy
strategies will be
moderated by Duane
Ninneman, CURE
Renewable Energy
Consultant. The
public is
invited to attend
and take part in
this dialogue
beginning at 6:30
p.m.
At 8 p.m. music
making and story
telling will begin
featuring old
fashioned campfire
sing along songs
and famous ghost
stories told by
Gregg Wyum of Dawson
and Butch Halterman
of Montevideo.
Fixings for roasting
marshmallows and
making smores will
be provided.
Everyone is
encouraged to
bring their own lawn
chairs and musical
instruments for this
event.
To round out the
weekend, Lentz will
guide another canoe
and kayak adventure
on Hawk Creek on
Sunday, May 18
starting at 11:30
a.m. from the tipis
at Upper Sioux
Agency State Park.
The last five
miles of Hawk Creek
are well known to
area kayakers who
love its steep
cliffs and rocky,
hairpin turns
in the riverbed.
Once again, Lentz
reminds trip goers
to “prepare to
capsize” and to
check for adequate
water levels before
attempting the trip.
All Canoeists and
Kayakers are
encouraged to bring
their own
watercraft,
lifejackets and
paddles. A
limited number of
boats may be
available through
CURE but
reservations are
strongly encouraged.
For more
information, call
the CURE office at
877-269-2873.
CURE is a locally
based non-profit
organization founded
in 1992 and funded
by individual and
business
contributions and
foundation grants.
CURE’s mission is to
celebrate, protect
and restore the
Upper Minnesota
River Watershed.
This mission is
achieved through
education and
engagement with
the river
environment and
through meetings
with watershed
stakeholders that
lead to public
policy
changes at the
local, regional, and
federal level.
