Popular river guard and flow of dreams of water catchment area training are faced with financing uncertainties – Grand Forks Herald

Two popular and extremely successful water catchment bids for students in the Red River Basin are in financial floating after the program's employees learned that they will not receive any funds from Minnesota from July 2026.

Program lawyers, however, say that they will examine other options to keep River Watch and his connected River of Dreams program afloat until they hopefully get government funds on the right track.

The International Water Institute, based in Fargo, manages the River Watch High School program and the River of Dreams program for fifth and sixth class students.

“It's like the institute's signature program,” said Chuck Fritz, Executive Director of IWI. “We will do what we can do (without financing), but ultimately I think that it is about demonstrating the support and success of the program (shown).

“Didn't we do enough work to show that? I don't know.”

In his 30th year, River Watch began in 1995 as a pilot project in the Sand Hill River Watershed District in the northwest of Minnesota with funds from the district and the Red River Watershed Management Board (RRWMB).

The RRWMB – or “Red Board” based in ADA, as it is known briefly, consists of seven water catchment areas in the Minnesota part of the Red River basin with a focus on flood protection and water quality programs.

What begins with four schools, Win-E-Mac, Fertile-Beltrami and Climax-Hat develop into a River watch program with 30 high school in Minnesota and North Dakota. River of Dreams, a spin -off program that started in 2016, with around 1,700 elementary school students – 1,000 in Minnesota and 700 in North Dakota – take part this year.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

“We have about 80 teachers in River of Dreams and about 30 in River Watch,” said Asher Kingery, Iwi project specialist, whose job is closely linked to both programs. “We are connected on a fairly permanent basis over 100 classrooms. There is a lot of momentum with the training of water catchment areas, and we are the group that has been used for a long time and the group is used as an example.”

River Watch students monitor water quality and macro -vertebrate in the water catchment areas in which they live and share the data with the IWI, which in turn shares with state agencies in Minnesota and North Dakota. The students also take part in other activities such as canoeing and an annual river watch forum that takes place in the Alerus Center in Grand Forks in February.

Post / Asher Kingery

Meanwhile, the pupils of the river of dreams decorate miniature canoe and send the tributaries of the Red River, where the boats may reach the Red River, Lake Winnipeg and even Hudson Bay. Each canoe decorated by students bears an identification number and a link in which people who find a canoe can report discover before returning them to the water.

River of Dreams students also write short stories to insert their hand-decorated canoes before sending them on their way.

Of course, the mission is to teach the students that water connects all.

Post / Marshall County Central

“We deliver the water catchment areas so that the teachers are able to do what they are good and we can do what we are good,” said Kingery. “(River of Dreams) is the coveted project for children when they come to fifth grade. Often it is the first day of school, they know that they will start a canoe this year and … they pumped.”

Jeff Lund, superintendent of the Marshall County Central School District in Newfolden, Minnesota, said the programs offer a “worthwhile learning experience” for both the river guard and the students of River of Dreams.

MCC teacher who are involved in the two programs even went to St. Paul to testify the financing support in the legislator, said Lund.

“From the school administrator's point of view, we appreciate authentic learning experiences, and this gives children – especially those who have a great interest in science – the opportunity to practice these skills,” said Lund. “Perhaps these are things that you could do in a future career, and so these options are invaluable.

“You have the feeling that you are part of something. You learn the process and help all of these companies with this information. You have a system in which you share your information and it is very helpful.”

River Watch and recent times have had River of Dreams “great support” from Minnesota since 2008 when the voters approved the clean water, land and legacy amendment, said Fritz of the IWI.

With the financing of legacy changes, the IWI of 150,000 to $ 170,000 per year has risen in clean water funds from the legislator Minnesota for River Watch and River of Dreams in Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as part of its Minnesota surveillance program, said Fritz.

This is up to this year.

In contrast to previous meetings, the legislature in Minnesota has no money for the river guard for the Biennium 2026-27, said Glenn Skuta, director of the MPCA water sheath department. In the past, the Red Board has worked with the legislators to maintain the appropriation of the river guard in the Legacy Finance bill, which contains funds from the Clean Water Fund, said Skuta.

This year the Senate River Watch Funding started in its version of the law, but the program did not even get a hearing in the house.

When the legislator dealt with a budget deficit of 6 billion US dollars, the program was apparently lost in the shuffle.

Post / Asher Kingery

“We have been perfect for years (River Watch), but for some reason this year – and in view of what was not pretty in the legislature this year – we have just refunded,” said Fritz. “There are many things that St. Paul could and could do, but this is one in which they go:” Man, that's a breeze, people. “I just don't understand.”

As a result, the Clean Water Council, a 28-member body that determines how clean water funds are output, did not include the River Watch-ear brand in its financing recommendations for MPCA monitoring programs.

Brad Dokken / Grand Forks Herald File Photo

In the past, the Red Board has distributed the intended funds to River Watch and River of Dreams together with a local match in dollars for dollars as part of a contract with the IWI, said Rob SIP, Executive of the Red Board.

“Unfortunately we scored a goal this year,” said SIP. On the other hand, the current contract with the IWI lasted until March 31, 2026, and the Red Board would finance the programs by June 30, 2026.

“It is the next year that the problem is,” said SIP. “I know that my board really supports the program. You will finance as much as possible.”

Photo contributed

The programs are “too good to lose,” said John Finney von Humboldt, Minnesota, the President of the Red Board. “We have to bring the state on board to give ourselves a constant source of financing,” he said.

Today's River of Dreams and River Watch students are the water managers and board members of tomorrow, says Finney.

“These are the children who, when they are committed to it in the high school, will say:” Hey, I remember (River Watch), “said Finney.” And if someone has to be on a water sheath or something, I am interested. And I will take the place of these old gray beards that were there forever and forever. “

Despite the setback in St. Paul, the Red Board and the IWI will continue to explore the financing options for the future, said SIP. This includes returning to legislators next year, applying for grants and examining how they can get more involved in the financing process of the Clean Water Council.

The MPCA's ear marker was an important source of financing, but various units in North Dakota also contribute to the river guard and the flow of dreams, said SIP.

“It is a large part of the change that supports the program, both the local governments in Minnesota and in North Dakota,” he said. “It only shows that a lot of use takes place in the run -up to the program. And if a large radio diver does nothing, it only leaves the other donors more pressure.”

In the meantime, with the funding in June next June, Fritz says that he works full-time and a part-time work on River Watch and River of Dreams to continue with shops as usual.

“I said Asher and his team, you are fully, the program delivers like nothing (changed) and in the next three to six months we will try to find out that it will be financed for '26 -'27,” said Fritz.