It was a cool and wet day at Warner Nature Center yesterday as about 110 people took in 20-minute presentations about current research going on in the St. Croix River region.

Yesterday’s Rendezvous was the 25th annual event. It was actually started by Ron Lawrenz, who was the first director of the St. Croix Watershed Research Station – which still organizes the Rendezvous – and is now the director of Warner. Both facilities are affiliated with the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Below are my tweets from the Rendezvous. It’s hard to listen, think and type all at once, so please excuse any inaccuracies, typos or other errors. Here is last year’s highlights.

Sadly today's #stxscience agenda has been shortened as a few presenters are missing due to the federal government shutdown.

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

First presentation is about ecosystem assessment of Lake St. Croix – predicting how it will respond to management of phosphorus. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

"Here's a sediment core, some mud. There are a lot of people here who like mud, so I included a picture of mud." #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

Question about recent @stcroix360 post re: algae bloom, answer is that it has shown in 2012-2013, being tested for toxicity. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

Jim Almendinger talking about impact of Woodbury municipal wells on flows in Valley Creek, a trout stream. Seems minimal. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

How much water is available in a watershed? Valley Creek watershed gets about 30" rain each year. About 6-7' enters stream. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

Eurasian water milfoil found in Indianhead Flowage (above St. Croix Falls dam) this summer. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

"I like algae." Mark Edlund of @sciencemuseummn presenting about algae. "Fish don't taste like fish, fish taste like algae." #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

A new Nat'l Park Service project kicking off to study algae in backwaters. Opportunity for citizen scientists. Collect samples! #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

Highest chance of buckthorn when there is lots of buckthorn nearby. Cooperation between neighbors seems essential. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

More invasive earthworms, which eat leaf litter, increases buckthorn too. Buckthorn thrives in bare soil. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

How many ducks in St. Croix region? Probably more than anybody thinks. Research underway to predict waterfowl based on wetlands. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

Pretty good crowd here today, despite missing about 20 federal employees. #stxscience pic.twitter.com/DTpyGuulSy

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

Archaelogical project underway along river – an Oneota site, which was a culture that existed from about 1100-1500 A.D. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

In 1950s, researcher excavating one site would walk to look at river, saw shell-tempered pottery, indicating Oneota village. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

Crossing watershed boundaries with presentation about Lake Pepin water quality. Pepin shows similarities to Lake St. Croix. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

Water in Lake Pepin area is clearer, due to more vegetation, and more vegetation-loving fish like crappies. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

All this resulting likely from lower water levels in recent years. #stxscience

— St. Croix 360 (@stcroix360) October 15, 2013

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