St. Croix Falls is a lovely
little western Wisconsin town nestled
along the banks of the scenic St. Croix River, right across the border from
Taylors Falls, MN. In the residential
area there resides a darling body of water that homeowners have named Jerusalem
Pond. Over the years, the kindhearted
citizenry have turned this wetland into a wildlife refuge. A waterfowl “house” was built and a fountain
installed to keep water flowing freely in cold temps. Corn is provided, as is straw for bedding in
the winter. In short, it’s a safe haven for ducks and geese.
But this year, Jerusalem Pond
is under assault by a stealth enemy named DROUGHT. The Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources has this to say:
“Climatologists define drought as a period of
abnormally dry and/or unusually hot weather sufficiently prolonged for the
corresponding deficiency of water to cause a ‘serious hydrologic imbalance.’ More simply
put, too dry and/or too hot for too long. Interpreting what is 'too
dry' or what is 'too long' is difficult. What is known is that
when a serious hydrologic imbalance occurs in Minnesota, soil moisture
reserves, groundwater supplies, lake levels and stream flows are negatively
influenced. Water-dependent industries including agriculture, public utilities,
forestry, and tourism are profoundly affected. Although droughts are not as
sudden as floods, the economic aspects of droughts can be just as significant.”
The problem is so severe in the
Land of 10,000 Lakes--and countless
wetlands--that a Google search for Minnesota
Drought returns 6,700,000 hits! To
combat the drought crisis, the DNR has in place a formal Minnesota
Statewide Drought Plan.
According
to the National Drought Mitigation Center, all of Minnesota is now officially
suffering drought conditions.
The
Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a cooler and drier than average summer, but
their prognostication for the winter was way off, i.e. “colder than normal,” so it’s hoped this one
misses the mark as well.
In
the meantime, the Upper Midwest hopes and prays for replenishing spring rains.
Jerusalem Pond
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