2008
North Dakota Water Education Foundation
Summer Water Tours
The 2008 water tours offer a firsthand look at North Dakota’s critical water issues. Water supply and quality, environmental restoration, fish and wildlife, flood management, water conservation and more are illustrated and addressed by a wide variety of speakers representing different viewpoints during these one-day tours. Individual registration is $15 per person and includes tour transportation, meals, refreshments, informational material, and a one-year subscription to the North Dakota Water magazine.
Devils Lake Solutions–June 26
The Devils Lake outlet is now complete, however it remains a critical and controversial component of the state’s three-pronged approach to flood relief for the Devils Lake area, which also includes upper basin storage and infrastructure protection. The tour focuses on numerous water-related issues including the growing problems in Nelson county and Stump Lake, fish and wildlife, water quality, agriculture, recreation, infrastructure, and economics. This tour begins and ends in Devils Lake.
Northwest Dakota Ventures–June 30
This half-day tour will head west to the Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sydney, Mont., to see irrigated research experiments on high-value and alternate crops. Participants will stop at an oil rig along the way as well as experience the rich history of the Lewis and Clark trail with stops at Fort Buford and the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center.
Rugged and Regal: Sites of the Southwest–July 9
This tour will begin and end in Medora amidst the backdrop of the Badlands. The Southwest Pipeline Project began back in 1983 in southwestern N.D., and is now nearing completion. Join us as we highlight some of the facilities and needs that have been met with a clean supply of quality water. You’ll also experience new tourism favorites such as the Bully Pulpit Golf Course, which has been featured in Golf Digest, as well as a breathtaking drive through the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It is most likely that you will see buffalo roam, wild horses run and prairie dogs dig in their nature habitat. The tour will then move east to Richardton to tour the new Red Trail Energy ethanol plant and the Assumption Abbey where participants will tour the Benedictine monastery sites including the Abbey gardens, wine cellar, print shop and the inspirational St. Mary’s church. Come see the sites in southwest North Dakota that define it as both rugged and regal!
Lake Oahe Outing–July 30
Explore the incredible Missouri River south of Bismarck and learn about critical Lake Oahe water issues including water levels, fishing, recreation, water use and management, endangered species, natural resources, and water supply and intake issues. This expedition begins in Mandan and will dip south of the border into Mobridge, S.D. It includes visits to the Tesoro refinery, a tour and trolley ride to Fort Abraham Lincoln, recreation and wildlife sites south of Mandan on 1806, irrigation and historical sites south of Bismarck on 1804 and more, all while traveling the Lewis and Clark trail via motorized coach. This tour begins and ends in Mandan.
Understanding Garrison Diversion and MR&I–August 13
The Garrison Diversion Project has changed since its 1944 inception in the Flood Control Act. The passage of the Garrison Diversion Reformulation Act in 1986 and the Dakota Water Resources Act in 2000 placed emphasis on municipal, rural and industrial (MR&I) water supply. Tour participants will depart from Bismarck and have the opportunity to visit and learn about the Snake Creek Pumping Plant, Lake Sakakawea, Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, Brekken-Holmes Recreation Area, McClusky Canal, Turtle Lake Irrigation District, local farms and Lonetree Wildlife Management Area. They will also see how the change in Garrison Diversion has led to benefits for multiple areas and interests across the state.
Grapes, Vineyards and Wineries, Oh My!–September 10
Spend a day getting familiar with some North Dakota wineries and wine. This tour begins and ends in Casselton at the heart of “wine country.” Stops will include wineries, vineyards and grape research currently taking place throughout eastern Dakota. After a tour of vines and grapes you’ll enjoy lunch on-site at the Red Trail vineyard tasting room….come and see what’s new and “grape” in N.D.
2007 Water Tour sponsors: Advanced Engineering, Bartlett and West Engineers, Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, Houston Engineering, Montgomery Watson, N.D. Game & Fish Department, N.D. Natural Resources Trust, Inc., N.D. State Water Commission, N.D. Water Resource Districts Association, N.D. Water Users Association, Richtman’s Printing, Inc., and Southwest Water Authority. Other contributors included: J.F. Palmer and Sons, Moore Engineering, N.D. Rural Water Systems Association, Keithly Williams Seeds, Stan Puklich Chevrolet, Inc., Scott Seeds and Dakota Community Bank.
For more information, contact the North Dakota Water Education Foundation at 701-223-8332, or contact Jean Walton at jwalton@btinet.net.
To download tour brochure and registration form click here.