Find Scott County’s home page at www.co.scott.mn.us June/July 2015 Scott County SCENE Page 17

EmergenSCENEBy Chris Weldon

Scott County Emergency Manager

When you work in emergency management, you’re always trying to stay aware of threats and hazards that can affect your community. One way to do this is to study large incidents that have already occurred elsewhere. Unfortunately, large incidents seem to occur often, but it is our responsibility to look at those disasters and evaluate what could have been done differently in order to save more lives.

There have been several large tornadoes that have wreaked havoc on communi-ties, such as the Moore, Oklahoma tornado in 2013, the Rochelle, Illinois tornado on April 9 of last year, or the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado on May 24, 2011. Each of these tornadoes was inarguably devastating. All involved EF 4 to EF 5 tornadoes that ripped through populated areas, and each caused numerous deaths, but one of the recent tornadoes stands out from the others: the tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011.

Why does Joplin stand out? Because Joplin was the seventh deadliest tornado in United States history, leaving 158 people dead in its wake. Again, those other tor-nadoes were killers too, but luckily they weren’t one of the 10 deadliest of all time.

When sirens sound, take shelter

In fact, those other tornadoes don’t even make the top 25 deadliest tornadoes. And that is why Joplin is so interesting to emergency managers… it isn’t the fact that Joplin is the seventh deadliest of all time that draws attention to it, it’s the fact that Joplin’s tornado is the only tornado on the list of the 25 deadliest tornadoes of all time that happened after 1955. When you think about that for a bit, it’s either a string of amazing luck of not-as deadly tornadoes, or some-thing may have changed after 1955 that made tornadoes a little less deadly.

There were a few intercon-nected things that happened around 1955. The first? A string of bad luck. On that list of 25 deadliest tornadoes in the United States, you’ll find three that happened in 1953, and another that happened in 1955. Almost 20 percent of the deadliest tor-nadoes in United States history happened in a three-year period… and that opened a lot of eyes.

Other things happened around 1955 as well. In March 1948, two Air Force officers at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma were able to study atmospheric read-ings from a tornado that hit the base days earlier… and they correctly predicted that more tornadoes were about to occur. Hours later, a large tornado hit Tinker Air Force Base for the second time in five days. The world had its first successful tornado forecast.

The military had a means to predict tornadoes, but the technology was crude and usually wrong, which led budding TV stations to ignore the predictions. But on September 5, 1954, weatherman Harry Volkman went on TV and relayed one of those tornado predictions to the public. The storm did produce tornadoes, and the first tornado warning to the public went out. Soon, every TV weatherperson in the country began reporting tornado warnings. Shortly afterward, the use of outdoor warning sirens to alert people of severe weather began. The results were clear; tor-nadoes, even large ones, began to cause fewer and fewer deaths.

That’s a nice history lesson, but it doesn’t explain Joplin. Why, after over 55 years of not having a tornado make the list of the top 25 deadliest, why did we sud-denly have Joplin? There are many theories as to why Joplin’s tornado caused so many deaths, but one of the leading theories is people didn’t take the warnings on television or the outdoor warning sirens seriously.

The National Weather Service Central Region Service Assessment of the Jop-lin tornado surveyed survivors shortly after the disaster, and the responses to that survey showed the majority of Joplin residents did not immediately take protective action upon receiving a first indication of risk, regardless of the source of the warn-ing. In short, they did not take their advance warnings seriously. When asked why they didn’t respond to warnings, residents cited the fact that sirens and warnings have happened in the past and “…nothing really ever happened.”

In Scott County, we don’t set off our sirens often (unless it’s the first Wednesday of the month). When we do set them off, it is because we believe conditions outside are not safe in that area. Our sirens go off for weather only if we have measured wind speeds of 70 mph or more, a spotter or radar has indicated a tornado, or the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning. We then only set sirens off in the area which is within the “warning polygon.”

All sirens go off for three minutes when activated, and then they automatically turn off. There is no all clear with our sirens during weather events and we will only set them off more than once if we know a threat is present. If you hear the sirens (other than on a Wednesday at 1 p.m.), it means you should immediately go inside and seek additional information.

When it comes to weather, we’re lucky to live in an age where we have a good warning system in place. We will never know how many lives our advance warn-ings save, but we do know they have saved lives when people take them seriously. If you hear an outdoor warning siren in Scott County, please don’t ignore it. Seek shelter immediately and look for additional information; it could save your life.

Storm warning sirens save lives when people take shelter.

Have you been looking for a positive teen role model in your community? Here are 100 outstanding teenagers that have been visiting elementary students in Scott County and teaching them about saying no to peer pressure; the truth about alcohol, tobacco, and advertise-ments; learning how to be safe on the internet; learning ways to solve conflict without fighting; building communities in the classroom; and developing posi-tive characters. Thank you to all the teen teachers that have contributed their time and skills. If you are a 9th-12th grader at Shakopee, Jordan, Belle Plaine, New Prague, or Prior Lake/Savage Schools and are interested in teaching elemen-tary age students, contact Sara Wagner at the Scott County Extension Office at (952) 492-5388.

Belle Plaine High SchoolVanessa Anderson, Cassandra De-

Fauw, Kayla Fahey, Attrea Ferro-Schug, Kali Gorman, Samantha Gregory, Maddy Hartman, Madelyn Hovorka, Emily Ince, Arianna Jones, Samantha Kellogg, Gabrielle Malecha, Alyssa Meierbachtol, Kimberly Mohrbacher, Emily Roggeman, Kaylee Schields, Rebecca Schmitz, Caitlyn Schoon, Sky-lee Schwingler, Kaylee Shields, Taylor Thompson, Jillian Trog

Jordan High SchoolJon Armoral, Becca Atkins, Tay-

lor Beauch, Paige Bulman, Michelle Jablonsky, Haley Kreuser, Katie Kreus-er, Brady Rutherford, Willie Staple,

Emily Stocker, Casey Trutnay

New Prague TeachersJess Allar, Maggie Becker, Kristy

Bencizick , Amir Chraibi, Joseph De-Jong, Tom Frawley , Jenna Hertaus, Julia Hertaus, Mikayla McDonough, Katie McGannon, Ashley Nye, Ty Schoenbauer, Jordan Schwakopf, Sky-lar Whitcomb

Prior Lake/Savage High SchoolMaggie Anderson, Madeleine

Dumke, Connor Gordon, Anna Gordon, Carly Grifferson, Taylor Hendrix, Alexa McCutcheon, Rachel McKirnan, Paige Pribble, Abby Ruelle, Ellie Sullivan, Alyssa Zoeller

Shakopee High SchoolSamantha Anderson, Carri Ander-

son, Katy Bice, Sophie Boisjolie-Gair, Dannick Boyogueno, Devyn Hender-son, Emily Chak, Lizzy Felker, Allison Gustad, Devyn Henderson, Krystal Jan-ski, Sophia Johnson, Mya Kehr, Sarah Kickert, Lauren Kotz, Emily Lam, Ok-sana Lelyukn, Olivia Loesch, Isabella Lovinger, Koushik Mamidala, Saman-tha Matzke, Sarah Messer, Nalika Nom, Breanna Otto, Mikaela Pavlicek, Sara Pflipsen, Emily Ries, Kaitlin Rubash, Marissa Ruff, Megan Schmidt, Tanya Sinha, Amy Sivongsa, Samantha Slavik, Kendra Solander, Zachary Steffensen, Tyler Steffensen, Katie Suel, Sithara Sunny, Bridget Thomas, Thida Uk, Ka-tie Weckman

Scott County students and Youth Teaching Youth teen teachers would like to thank all our donors for helping us have a successful 2013-2014 school year. Over 100 high school teen teach-ers visited over 2,200 elementary stu-dents this year in Scott County. Your donations have funded high school teen teacher trainings, leadership develop-ment opportunities, classroom scholar-ships, updating curricula, and producing videos for classroom use.

$1,000 donors: Scott County Pork Producers, Minnesota 4-H Foundations, Minnesota 4-H Helping Hands Grant

$650 donor: Prior Lake Lions Club$500 donors: Shakopee Rotary, Pri-

or Lake Veterans of Foreign Wars $250 donor: Shakopee Eagle’s Club $150 donor: New Prague American

Legion Auxiliary$100 donors: Floors to Go, Com-

plete Transport Services, Prior Lake/Savage Rental Company, Dallas Bohn-sack, DR Doug Vayda Orthodontist

$75 donor: Shakopee American Legion

$50 donors: Cully’s Coin Laundry, Devine Touch Massage, Prior Lake La-dies VFW Auxiliary, Stasney Electric, New Prague American Legion

$25 donors: James W. Arhart DDS, American Legion Aux Post 643, Hairch-itects – New Prague

If you would like to make a donation or for more information about the 4-H Youth Teaching Youth program, please contact Sara Wagner at the Scott County Extension Office at (952) 492-5388.

Donors provide assistance for Youth Teaching Youth

Teens serve as role models in Youth Teaching Youth program

I would like a photo of Youth Teaching Youth, but if there are none available, this space is open

Veterans’ SCENEBy Jerry Brua

Director of Veterans Services

Find Scott County’s home page at www.co.scott.mn.usPage 18 Scott County SCENE June/July 2015

The VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Shakopee has been open and seeing veterans for one year this month! This facility is a wonderful asset for Scott County and our surround-ing communities. Since their opening, our office has received many positive comments on the service they provide to our veter-ans. The Clinic’s patient load has steadily increased over the year, but they still

VA clinic in Shakopee marks one year

have more capacity and welcome new patients as well as transfer patients from the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. The Clinic is located at the 1111 Town Square (in the mall) in Shakopee. They provide physical exams, primary medical care, prescription/medication management, mental health services, laboratory services, immunizations, on-site radiology, EKGs, tele-health services, and part-time podia-try. If you’re a veteran currently receiving medical treatment in the VA system, just call the Shakopee VA Clinic at (952) 445-4070 to make an appointment. Veterans wanting to enroll for VA medical care at the Shakopee VA Clinic or the VA Medi-cal Center in Minneapolis should contact their County Veterans Service Office. In Scott County, please call us at (952) 496-8176.

Honor FlightFor those of you who are not aware, Twin Cities Honor Flight takes veterans to

Washington, D.C. to visit the Veterans monuments. This trip is free to veterans, but all veterans will need a guardian to accompany them (guardian must pay $500). The veteran must be able to walk on and off from the airplane and bus (with some help). Wheelchairs are provided for those who need them. Honor Flight was once exclusive to WWII veterans, but they now take applications from Korean War vet-erans, with priority still going to WWII veterans. They are currently looking for applications for the spring 2016 flight. You can get more information and an ap-plication form at www.honorflighttwincities.org

And a big thanks to the Jordan American Legion Honor Guard for their partici-pation in the Scott County Flag raising ceremony on May 26!

Games and Chores: Growing Up in Scott County -- Children’s games and chores are integral elements of human history. “Games and Chores: Growing Up in Scott County” is the story of hard work, fun play, and education through the eyes of children who grew up here. Using photographs, objects, and interactives, this exhibit shows different times and different lifestyles through labor and recreation, confirming how very different childhood used to be. Exhibit runs through March 2016.

Take a glimpse into what it was like growing up in Scott County

Kids’ Historical Craft Workshops -- June 16, 18, 23, and 24; July 9, 14, 29, and 30; August 4 and 6 (see the Scott County Library website at www.scottlib.org for times and locations). The Scott County Historical Society and Scott County libraries are teaming up this summer to present hands-on programs for children and families. Learn how to make a WWII parachute toy, explore the pioneer art of tin punching, and practice your navigation skills by experimenting with a wet compass. Free!

Stans Garden Party -- Saturday, July 11, 1:30-3:00 p.m. (weather permitting). Stop by the Stans Garden (located next door to the Scott County Historical Society) for an old-fashioned garden party! Check out our newly redesigned garden space and enjoy lemonade, lawn games, and a craft activity for kids. Free!

SCHS Family Day -- Saturday, August 8, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Lagoon Park and Mini-Met Baseball Park in Jordan. Pack up your picnic basket and get ready to enjoy a day of fun in the sun! Event will begin with a special performance by the River Valley Theatre Company, followed by a variety of games and activities, including geocaching, hoop rolling, and croquet. At 1 p.m., check out a special 1860s-style “base ball” game between the Jordan Millers and Arlington Greys! Beverages and snacks will be available for sale during the game. Presented in partnership with the River Valley Theatre Company, River Valley

YMCA, and Three Rivers Park District.

Look for the Scott County Historical Society this summer at city festivals and the County Fair! All Things Minnesota Book Club – meets at 6:30 p.m., the third Thursday of each month at SCHS.

Scott County Crazy Quilters meet the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. All types of handcrafters, from beginners to masters, are welcome. Quilters do not meet in December.

X Marks the Spot: Mapping Scott County -- Discover the wealth of information available in maps! Whether showing the County’s growth, its industries, the dislocation of Native peoples, recreation areas, or highways, maps tell us much about this place we call home. This exhibit features plat maps (dating back to 1854), Sanborn Insurance maps, topographic maps, maps used in advertising and tourism, and more! Exhibit runs through August 2016.

Check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ScottCountyHistoricalSociety and follow us on Twitter @ScottCountyHist. Unless otherwise noted, events take place at SCHS. Fees may be charged for some events. Call (952) 445-0378, e-mail info@scottcountyhistory.org, or visit www.scottcountyhistory.org for more information. The Scott County Historical Society is located at 235 Fuller St. S. in Shakopee.

The Scott County Employment and Training department has been working with Dakota County Technical College to expand the number of post-second-ary, customized training opportunities that can be provided to Scott County residents – and here’s a good one to con-sider if you’re looking to brush up on your business skills!

Virtual realityIn today’s business work, teamwork

includes virtual collaboration, regard-less if you are working internationally or simply within the same office build-ing. But working virtually has signifi-cant differences whether you are a team member or a team supervisor. Team members need new tools and techniques to make their work more efficient, and supervisors need new skill sets to man-age virtual teams and get more produc-tivity from individuals who they may not see on a regular basis or directly su-

pervise. This two-part course includes a course for team members and a course for supervisors. (Three hours for each part.)

Making Virtual Teams Work July 17

Scott County Government Cen-ter, Professional Development Center, Second floor, 200 West Fourth Ave., Shakopee.

Session one: Team members, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Session two: Supervisors, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Cost: $199 for one session, $299 for both sessions

Register by going to www.dctc.edu -- go to “Continuing Education,” then click on “View Courses,” then “Reg-ister.” You can also call Stephanie at (651) 423-8495.

Class ID: 38318

Brush up on skills with business training course

I will get a photo of the clinic

Find Scott County’s home page at www.co.scott.mn.us June/July 2015 Scott County SCENE Page 19

Historical SCENE

Remembering July 4th celebrations in Scott CountyBy Stephanie HerrickCurator of Education

Summer is here, and that means it’s almost time for one of the most festive holidays of the year… Independence Day! This holiday has been celebrated in the United States since 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. In Scott County, community Fourth of July celebrations date back to the earliest days of the county. These celebrations were put on by churches, bands, baseball teams, fire departments, and various civic groups. What was it like to celebrate the Fourth 100 years ago? You would certainly see some fa-miliar sights: Parades, picnics, baseball games, and fireworks. But you might also listen to patriotic speeches, partici-pate in contests, and dance at a grand ball (not to mention you’d be wearing a suit or dress instead of shorts and san-dals!). For children, the Fourth of July was almost as good as Christmas—they were given special treats, toys, even a new outfit to wear. In the book As I Remember Scott County, Agnes Eilers Morlock of Jordan remembered the Fourth of July as “… probably the only time my brother and I got pop and caps for our cap guns. We were given 25 cents and a trip to town…”1 Meanwhile, Anne Juni of New Prague recalled how “Ev-ery girl got a new dress. We called it our Fourth of July dress. Store fronts were decorated with flags and red, white, and blue bunting. It was a regular carnival atmosphere.”2 From the morning parade to the evening ball, the citizens of Scott County could always count on Indepen-dence Day to be a grand celebration.

ParadesJuly 4th festivities typically began

with a parade. Like Fourth of July pa-rades today, the parades of the late 1800s and early 1900s featured march-ing bands, floats, performers, city offi-cials, community groups, and of course, Uncle Sam. However, the general pub-lic was also invited to take part; citizens walked or rode in their carriages. Anne Juni noted that “Every child in the pa-rade was given a small flag.”3 Some-times parades included special out-of-town guests. The 1913 New Prague parade featured forty members of the state militia, who arrived by train from Minneapolis and dazzled everyone with their exhibition drills.4 5

Prizes were often awarded to the best floats. An ad in the 1907 Scott County Argus lists the various prizes up for grabs, including “Best Industrial Float,” “Best Comic Group,” “Best Carnival Float,” and “Best Comic Individual” -- winners would receive up to $5.6

SpeechesThe parade usually ended at a park

or on land borrowed from a local farm-er. A special platform was erected for the day, and there, patriotic speeches, songs, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence took place. This was a major part of the day’s festivities. The reader was usually a notable member of the community—a prominent busi-nessman, reverend, judge, or politician. Samuel Bowler was Belle Plaine’s Dec-laration reader in 1874, while Julius Coller was Shakopee’s reader ten years later.7 8 (The former was said to have done the Declaration proud, despite be-ing “John Bull,” a.k.a. British born.9) One year two little girls—Lucretia B. Anderson and Jennie Stover—read the Declaration. According to the Shakopee Argus, they “acquitted themselves on the occasion with great credit.”10 That was in 1867; at the same celebration, Reverend Samuel Pond gave his own Independence Day speech full of “fine passages.”11 Indeed, the Fourth of July involved lots of speeches, some meant to inspire patriotism and some meant to address the issues of the day (such as temperance). The newspaper once ran out of room trying to list all of the speeches, toasts, and responses given in Jordan that year!12

Picnics, games, and racesOnce the speeches concluded, a brass

band took its place on the platform and filled the air with lively music. Picnic food went on sale; groups of local wom-

en usually prepared the food and sold it as a fundraiser for a church or civic organization.

Often there would be a baseball game. In 1908, Shakopee’s Fourth of July was sponsored by the “Base Ball Association.” The local Rock Spring team played two games against a Saint Paul team; they lost the first game but won the second.13 A third game was scheduled for July 5, but didn’t happen because, according to the newspaper, “…the boys were not in the best of form after playing two games on the Fourth and otherwise celebrating the national holiday.”14

Across Scott County, there were races and contests of all kinds: Horse races, boat races, bicycle races, tug of war games, glass ball shooting, and more. The 1913 New Prague celebration featured numerous foot races for men, women, and children, including boys’ and girls’ races, a sack race, a three-legged race, a farmers’ foot race, men’s and women’s races, a ladies’ egg race, a fat men’s race (“for those 200 pounds or over”), and a married women’s wheel-barrow race.15 Winners would receive between 50 cents and three dollars in cash as their prize.

Of course, some people preferred to spend the afternoon in a more leisurely manner by the lake. An 1884 Fourth of July picnic at Spring Lake featured spe-cial boat rides “for parties wishing to go out on the lakes.”16 Swimming and fishing were also popular Fourth of July activities, just as they are today. Music, dancing, fireworks

Music and dancing were an integral part of every Fourth of July celebra-tion. Local brass bands played all day long (one such was the Shakopee Cadet Band led by Hubert Stans) while peo-ple danced on the platform or pavilion.

The music was a huge draw—in 1908, the Scott County Argus noted that the bandstand and dancing pavilion “…as always, attracted the largest share of at-tention from the picnickers…”17

In the evening, people gathered to watch fireworks. This didn’t always go as planned; in 1880, the Shakopee Cou-rier reported that “…everything went off in good shape except the fireworks at night—they didn’t go off at all…”18 Not to mention that fireworks back in those days were incredibly dangerous and often caused serious injuries. How-ever, a successful fireworks display was met with great delight. Local newspa-pers often declared that year’s show the best the town had ever seen.19 20 Some-times audiences were also treated to a “balloon ascension,” which was basi-cally a hot air balloon launch and dem-onstration. Fourth of July ads in Scott County newspapers throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s mention these balloon ascensions. However, like fire-works, balloon ascensions were also equal parts dazzling and dangerous. In 1890, the Shakopee Courier described a successful balloon show: “The balloons went off towards Minneapolis, only one burning up on the way…”21

After the fireworks, people flocked to dance halls and opera houses for the big Fourth of July closing event: the “grand ball.” Couples paid 50 or 75 cents for a ticket and danced all night to live orchestra music. And they really did dance all night: An 1898 article in the Belle Plaine Herald said that the crowds dancing at both Weibeler’s and Hallinan’s halls “…enjoyed themselves until the next morning.”22

Just like today, the Fourth of July celebrations of the past brought commu-nities together. Ads proclaimed that “all are invited” and newspapers described the record crowds that turned out year after year. July 4th offered the citizens of Scott County a welcome break from work and an opportunity to have fun with their friends and neighbors. As one ad said: “Rain or shine, you will be mer-ry all the time.”23

To learn more about Scott County history, visit or contact the Scott County Historical Society. We also invite you to take part in our free Family Day event in Jordan on August 8, which will include an 1860s-style baseball game.

(Endnotes)1 As I Remember Scott County, ed. Marcia Spagnolo (1980), 99.2 Ibid. 132.3 Ibid. 132.4 The New Prague Times, 7/10/1913.5 The Jordan Independent, 7/10/1913.6 Scott County Argus, 6/28/1907.7 Shakopee Argus, 7/9/1874.8 Shakopee Argus, 6/26/1884.9 Shakopee Argus, 7/9/1874.10 Shakopee Argus, 7/11/1867.11 Ibid.12 Shakopee Argus, 7/9/1874.13 Scott County Argus, 7/10/1908.14 Ibid.15 The New Prague Times, 6/26/1913.16 Shakopee Argus, 6/25/1884.17 Scott County Argus, 7/10/1908.18 Shakopee Courier, 7/4/1880.19 Shakopee Courier, 7/11/1890.20 Belle Plaine Herald, 7/6/1898.21 Shakopee Courier, 7/11/1890.22 Belle Plaine Herald, 7/6/1898.23 The Jordan Independent, 7/3/1913.Jacob Ries Bottling Works displayed its wares on a wagon pulled by horses

during a 4th of July parade in Shakopee. Much like today, the parades of the late 1800s and early 1900s featured marching bands, floats, performers, city officials, community groups, and of course, Uncle Sam.

A July 4th button from the Nicolin Opera House in Jordan dated 1904.

The Cadet Band of Shakopee was featured during a Fourth of July celebration. Bands marched in parades and provided music for dancing during the July 4th celebrations.

Find Scott County’s home page at www.co.scott.mn.usPage 20 Scott County SCENE June/July 2015

DeliveringWhat

MattersWhat’s in a website?

In this tech-driven day and age, more and more people expect that every orga-nization has a website; that every site is user-friendly and easy to understand; that the information they seek is up-to-date and simple to find; and – increasingly – that they can transact business through a website. And why not? Amazon (among oth-ers) has shown the world that almost everything is possible via the internet, and fewer and fewer people actually balance their checkbook with a pen and paper instead of using their bank’s online services.

And although government is not a private, profit-driven industry, it too is re-evaluating how it can better serve citizens who want a good online experience… whether they’re looking for addresses, requesting services, finding out about avail-able programs, making reservations, or even following up on a pothole complaint. While the public sector isn’t ready to deliver for a full “Amazon-esque” type of online experience, we’re certainly trying to do better.

Scott County is currently redesigning its main website to better meet the expec-tations of the contemporary resident… which includes designing a site that is fully mobile-friendly. We’ve been doing the research, looking at best practices, assess-ing what’s possible (now and in the near future), and contracting with an outside vendor with extensive experience in developing websites for local governments. It’s a huge, but hugely exciting, project that we expect to launch in early 2016.

You’ll have plenty of opportunities to weigh in on several features and characteristics of the new website, be here’s the first thing we want to know… what kinds of transactions would you like us to make available online? Not everything may be possible, but we’re building a framework to improve how you do business with us. (We know that the standard 8 to 4:30, Monday through Fri-day hours don’t work for a lot of people… even when those hours are extended to 6 p.m.) Nothing will replace the one-to-one, in-person services you currently use, but we hope to have expanded online option for several services and programs you need.

Have you checked out Speak Up, Scott County yet? You can find it by click-ing the link on the County’s current homepage (www.co.scott.mn.us), or go di-rectly to it by visiting http://www.co.scott.mn.us/countygov/speakup/Pages/home.aspx. We’ve posted the first in a series of questions for you, all in trying to identify what features you would value most in a new website... in short, what “matters” to you. Your feedback could really help us design a new site that gives you what you want, and what you need. Click today to see the first round of questions, and check back often for future questions – it’s an easy and free way to get your opin-ions heard!

Since the 1940s, the SWCD in Jor-dan has been selling high-quality seed-lings to Scott County residents. In the last 20 years alone, the SWCD has sold more than one million young starter trees and shrub, and this year was no different! Residents, many for the first time, purchased and planted almost 40,000 seedlings for wildlife habitat, property borders, and landscaping. They also purchased 25 rain barrels and more than 150 native seed mixes through the local conservation effort.

Thirty-three varieties of coniferous and deciduous young trees and shrubs were offered this year. Annually, the tree program -- which starts in the fall of each year -- concludes with sale pickup in late April where local staff and Scott/Carver Master Gardeners offer advice and planting tips. To join the effort, call the Scott SWCD office at (952) 492-5425 to be added to the e-mail list. The 2015-16 tree offerings will be posted in early October.

County residents purchase, plant nearly 40,000 seedlings

Will Koppelman (at right) and his dad, Tim, picked up a bundle of Red Osier Dogwood seedlings at the 2015 Scott SWCD’s tree sale.

In the name of lush, green grass and summertime fun, it’s easy to be seduced into using more fertilizer and more wa-ter than is necessary. But too much of a good thing can harm our lakes, streams, and groundwater.

In our beautiful state, where we boast more than 10,000 lakes, it’s important to conserve water whenever possible and keep our lakes and rivers in good shape for boating, fishing, and wildlife habitat. Indeed, this spring’s drought-like conditions reminded all of us that our water resources aren’t unlimited.

For example, when you turn on your tap, water is pumped from underground water resources to your faucet. These underground water resources also pro-vide water to our lakes and streams below the ground surface, so it’s im-portant to consider how we’re using water during the high demands of the summer.

Did you know that lawn irrigation accounts for about 40 percent of do-mestic water use during the summer months? Or that mulching does not contribute to thatch, but actually re-cycles nutrients back into your lawn to naturally fertilize it? So let’s make it our goal to use less water and use it wisely during the summer months (heck, how about all year-round?). Try these tips to cut down on your water bill and con-serve water too:

When you’re outdoors…• Use a mulching mower and mulch

grass clippings into your lawn.• Use fertilizers with “slow release”

nitrogen and no phosphorus.• Use a broom -- not a water hose

-- to clean grass clippings and fertilizer granules off sidewalks and driveways.

• If you irrigate, water longer but less frequently… up to one inch one time per week, less any rainfall.

• Water less by keeping your lawn at least three inches in height (let it grow to four inches, and mow down to three).

• Make sure your sprinkler is

watering the lawn and not the driveway or street. Water landing on hard surfaces will pick up pollutants and carry them to the nearest lake, river, or wetland.

• Water in the early morning to keep it on the lawn and in the soil. Know your area’s sprinkling restrictions.

• Install a rain barrel to catch rainwater off your roof and re-use it for window washing, gardening, and lawn sprinkling.

• Install a rain sensor for your irrigation system so you don’t water the lawn during rainstorms.

• Grow native plants that can withstand the dry summers in Minnesota. Turn some of your turf into a native garden. Find out how at www.BlueThumb.org.

• Wash your car on the lawn or take it to a commercial car wash.

In the home…Keep drinking water in your refrig-

erator rather than running the faucet un-til water gets cold.

Shut off the tap when brushing your teeth and when soaping up in the shower.• Install a low-flow showerhead

that uses less than two gallons a minute of water.

• Wash a full load in the clothes washer and dishwasher to get the most for your washing.

• Compost your vegetable and fruit scraps rather than using the sink garbage disposal.

• Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl of water rather than running the tap.

• Fix any leaky faucets or toilets. You can save over 100 gallons of water per week!

Contact the Scott Soil and Wa-ter Conservation District in Jordan at (952) 492-5425 for more information. And remember -- everything we do on lawns, driveways, and yards eventually ends up in our rivers, lakes, and wet-lands. Everyday decisions do matter!

Water conservation begins with lawns, in our homes

Lawn irrigation accounts for about 40 percent of domestic water use during the summer, but lush lawns can also be maintained using the tips below.

Do you know anyone who takes great photographs but might be too shy to toot their own horns? Scott County is in the process of redesigning its entire web-site, and we’d love to showcase all of the local talent we know is out there. We’re asking amateur shutterbugs to consider sending us great shots from all around Scott County, in all seasons, featuring great activities… fun events… or just the beauty of our natural resources.

In exchange for your photos (for which the County will want exclusive use on the website or any other me-dia), we’ll give the artist full credit every time we use the photos. Interested? Just drop an e-mail to Lisa Kohner, Scott County Public Affairs Coordinator, at lkohner@co.scott.mn.us with any questions, concerns, or just to begin submitting your photos!

Great Scott County photos sought for new websiteNeed artwork