National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium Application Letter of Support REAP Grant Copyrighted
November4, 2019
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 10.
ITEM TITLE: National Mississippi RiverMuseum &AquariumApplication
- Letter of Support for lowa REAP Grant
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending approval of a letterfor
support from Mayor Roy Buol to the National Mississippi
River Museum &Aquarium for its lowa DNR REAP
Conservation Education Program (CEP)grant application.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receiveand File;Approve
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Letter of Supportfor NMRM lowa DNR REAP CEP City Manager Memo
GrantApplication-MVM Memo
Staff Memo Staff Memo
Letter of Support Supporting Documentation
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
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DuB E 'iII �'
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Letter of Support for National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium lowa
DNR REAP CEP Grant Application
DATE: October 29, 2019
Bee Branch Project Communications Specialist Kristin Hill requests City Council
approval of a letter of support from Mayor Roy Buol to the National Mississippi River
Museum & Aquarium for its lowa DNR REAP Conservation Education Program (CEP)
grant application.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
�.�N'� �k�►, �/��/�tti`
Mic ael C. Van Milligen �� �
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Kristin Hill, Bee Branch Project Communications Specialist
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
All•Ameriea City
U� � nwnonn�cavK iinc;ur:
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Maste iece on the Mississi i �°°''Z°12*Z°13
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TO: Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Kristin Hill, Bee Branch Project Communications Specialist
DATE: October 24, 2019
RE: Letter of Support for National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
lowa DNR REAP CEP Grant Application
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to request approval for a letter of support from Mayor Roy
D. Buol to the National Mississippi River Museum &Aquarium for its lowa DNR REAP
Conservation Education Program (CEP) grant application.
BACKGROUND
The Bee Branch Watershed is approximately 6.5 square miles -- all within the city limits
-- and includes over 12,000 properties. More than 50 percent of Dubuque residents
either live or work in the watershed. Spaces like the mile-long Bee Branch Creek
Greenway provides opportunities for recreation and education. It can serve as an
outdoor classroom to learn about watersheds, stormwater runoff, ecosystems, wildlife,
conservation, pollution prevention, and stewardship.
DISCUSSION
As communications specialist for the Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project,
I've been working with community partners including the Dubuque Community School
District, St. Mark's Youth Enrichment, the National Mississippi River Museum &
Aquarium, and others to provide educational, recreational, and volunteer opportunities
in the Bee Branch Creek Greenway. Activities have included creek cleanups,
educational tours, and science programming.
For example, on June 27, 2019, students participating in the St. Mark's Heroes Summer
Academy spent the morning at the Upper Bee Branch Creek. I talked to the students
about the Bee Branch Creek Greenway, why it was built, and how it prevents flooding. I
then took them on a tour and discussed the measures we put in place to protect water
quality and promote a healthy habitat for waterfowl, fish, and other aquatic wildlife.
Following the tour, staff from the Museum & Aquarium led a science experiment with the
kids. After learning about where the creek water comes from and the things that have
been incorporated into the project to protect it (nutrient separating baffle boxes,
bioswales, etc.), the students were asked to make a hypothesis about the creek's water
1
quality. Then to test their hypotheses, they sampled the water for invertebrates which is
an indicator of stream health.
More recently, also through a partnership with the Museum & Aquarium, a group of
students from Western Dubuque High School spent the morning of Oct. 9 cleaning up
the shoreline of the Lower Bee Branch Creek. The students collected 368.8 Ibs. of trash
and gained a better of understanding of where liter ends up after it rains.
The expansion of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium's Conservation
Education Live Animal Outreach Program aligns with the City's vision of the Beekeepers
Program and creating educational opportunities that promote watershed health and
stewardship. IYs strong and varied portfolio of environmental education programs
provide the Dubuque community with invaluable informal learning opportunities, foster
good habits and responsible behavior, and cultivate an appreciation for our natural
resources.
REQUESTED ACTION
I respectfully request City Council approval of this letter of support from Mayor Roy D.
Buol to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium for the lowa DNR REAP
Conservation Education Program grant.
Enclosure
CC: Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager
Randy Gehl, Public Information Officer
2
Dubuque
THE CITY OF � Office ofthe Mayor
AIFMe�ipCiry CiryHall
D�L E 'j� ��, 50 West 13'h Street
Dubuque, lA 52001-4845
www.cityofdu buqu e.org
200]•2012•2013
Masterpiece on the Mississippi zoi�*zoi9
October 23, 2019
Mr. Kurt Strand, President & CEO
Dubuque County Historical Society
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
350 E. 3rd Street
Dubuque, lA 52001
SUBJECT: Letter of Support for The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium's
application to the lowa DNR REAP CEP grant program for their Conservation
Education Live Animal Outreach Program Expansion project
Dear Mr. Strand,
I am pleased to provide this letter of support on behalf of the City of Dubuque in support of
the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium's application to the lowa DNR REAP
CEP grant program.
Through our work in the Bee Branch Watershed we promote respect for our environment by
providing educational opportunities that engage the community in watershed health and
safety, pollution prevention, fostering good habits and responsible behavior, and cultivating
an appreciation for and a connection to our natural resources.
The Museum & Aquarium's Conservation Education Live Animal Outreach Program
Expansion project joins the City of Dubuque in a shared vision of creating an educated and
informed public concerning the ecosystem health of the Upper Mississippi River Watershed
and surrounding natural resources.
The Museum & Aquarium's strong and varied environmental education programs provide the
Dubuque community with invaluable informal learning opportunities, promote stewardship,
and expand conservation education in the region.
Sincer ly,
� N� �
Roy�. Buol
Ma�lor
RDB:jh
cc: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager
Kristin Hill, Bee Branch Communications Specialist