Rivers

I drove through southeastern Minnesota last week on my way to Decorah, Iowa. Once south of Rochester, Highway 52 begins to meander as it follows the ups, downs and curves of the Driftless Area, that small piece of the state not levelled during the last glacial period. The autumn colors of the trees, fields and corn were highest on my mind as I drove, but it was the creeks and rivers I crossed that caught my attention. There are so many – the Zumbro, Root, and, just over the border, the Upper Iowa Rivers. And I crossed creeks – Watson, Rice, Mill, Kinney – and there were more. I thought about all this water flowing through the land, going through different farms and communities, and all headed toward the same place, I assumed: the Mississippi.

As I drove, I thought about these routes that traverse the state. Roads and highways are second nature to my daily activities, my sense of direction, my choices; but rivers and creeks are like an alternate universe. It’s like The Matrix: I think life is happening on the road, but really, it’s happening on the rivers and creeks.

The MN Watershed Association says water knows no boundaries; it goes where it wants to go. So, we have Watershed Districts; each district’s boundaries follow those of a natural watershed and consist of land in which all water flows to one outlet.* These boundaries cross cities and the watershed district I live in gives me a whole different set of neighbors to consider.

What if we organized ourselves around our rivers and creeks? We place high priority on our streets and highways; what if our priority were instead these waterways? What if we followed the water and built our cities and transportation networks accordingly, organizing our communities so that they embrace the rivers? What if we talked everyday about our river or creek?

Take a look at your watershed district. https://www.mnwatershed.org/where-is-my-wa

*MN Watershed District Association

-Julia