Water is Life
Life is good on my little farm in Chisago. The native trees I am growing with the Farm and Forest Growers Cooperative are doing well; delicious vegetables and berries are ripening in the garden; wildflowers and ornamentals are blooming with stunning colors; apples are maturing; and backyard barbecues are my favorite way to spend a Friday afternoon. I am truly grateful that every morning as I walk to open the doors on the chicken coop and the sheep barn, dewy grass brushes my legs and keeps the earth damp, allowing our crops to grow.
One unexpected hiccup in my week was that the pressure tank in my well-system broke, and all of a sudden, on Monday morning, I had no potable water in my house. Immediately I called local well-repair companies, scheduled a service for Tuesday morning, and ran off to the grocery store to purchase water. In the car, I happened to catch a news story which stated that Europe endured 10,000 excess deaths in June due to the heat wave. In the heat of the parking lot, I considered what it would be like to not have easily accessible potable water, and the phrase "water is life" dawned on me in a new way.
With the news that the Boundary Waters is closed due to wildfires, unusually high temperatures, and extremely low humidity, I decided to do some research, and learned that 46% of Minnesota is experiencing drought at this time with 11% of Minnesota experiencing "severe drought." Fortunately, the southern half of Chisago County, where my farm is located, is not in drought conditions- but this season, farmers across our state are going to experience high water usage which strains pumps and aquifers, high temperatures which are dangerous for peoples' health, and increasing crop failure which is detrimental for their businesses. In fact, every community across the state will experience the difficulties of a heatwave and drought.
The most important responsibility of the state legislature is to come up with real solutions for the problems which threaten our livelihoods. Some solutions I would advocate for these very real climate effects include: funding Department of Agriculture grant programs which help farmers implement water retention and climate-preparedness solutions on their farms; additional state-based crop insurance programs to fill in the gaps on growers who are not fully covered by the USDA; protecting our waterways from industrial polluters by strengthening pollution control regulations in Minnesota; holding tech companies to the highest standard by requiring any proposed data centers to leave water cleaner than they found it; increasing the state's implementation of green infrastructure like shaded medians and rain gardens; and funding our public universities to advance research and innovation. There are so many ways to keep Minnesota livable, comfortable, and economically vital during this time of rapid climate change. It is of the utmost importance that we begin to prioritize those solutions.
Sometimes reality hits us like a ton of bricks, and we remember that, in the end, the only things that truly matter are clean water, nutritious food, hardy shelter, and a loving community. Our government should be focused on securing those basic necessities for our citizens, and that's exactly what I am going to do as Representative of District 28B.
Karl Oskar Days
I had such a fun time at the Karl Oskar Days festivities and parade! My campaign got together a team to play 3v3 basketball, and even though we lost both games, we had an absolute blast! Thanks to super-volunteer Arthur for taking action shots of basketball! We also looked at all the sweet rides in the car show, and spoke with vendors and families around town. I was really glad to attend the Vilhelm Moberg statue dedication, which has an interesting story: after 26 years of being missing due to a theft at the Swedish Emigrant Institute in Sweden, the original bronze statue was anonymously returned to the Institute. The Swedish Emigrant Institute generously donated this bust to the town of Lindström, and a delegation from Sweden was in town to dedicate the statue to the town. My campaign also participated in the parade alongside other SD28 Senate DFL candidate, Max Glenna, and a dozen volunteers!
Karl Oskar Days is such a wonderful tradition and a great way to spend time with our neighbors!
I am proud to have earned the endorsement of Clean Water Action! This group advocates for policies which protect our most precious resource: water.
This photo is from Lake Chocorua in Tamworth, NH where my grandma lives.