Home / Media / News Stories

Media Menu

News Story Archive

Contact Public Affairs

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District
Public Affairs Office
332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101

Phone: (651) 290-5807
Fax: (651) 290-5752
cemvp-pa@usace.army.mil 

 

  • July

    BRAINERD, Minn. – Robert Burns, Gull Lake Recreation Area summer ranger, picks up debris following a July 12 storm that dropped nearly 1,000 trees. The park, on the southeast side of Gull Lake and near Brainerd, Minnesota, had campers at 26 campsites when the storm arrived around 7 p.m. Despite damage to a few vehicles and buildings, there were no injuries to any of the staff of campers.

    Fierce storm destroys vehicles, trees

    A Sunday evening storm caused severe damage to the Gull Lake Recreation Area July 12.

  • May

    Aaron Buesing, engineering and construction, is one of the St. Paul District's four Civil Servants of the Year.

    Civil Servants of the Year selected for 2015

    Civil Servants of the Year selected for 2015
    Aaron Buesing
    Monique Johs
    Dawn Linder
    Nate Wallerstedt

  • April

    Jeff Cook, is the operations manager for the Pokegama Dam and Winnibigoshish Lake recreation areas.

    Cook takes the lead at Pokegama Dam

    Jeff Cook said he always knew he wanted to be a park ranger.

  • February

    Airboat operator Bill Chelmowski and survey technician Kurt Schroeder scoot across frozen Lake Pepin as ice thickness measurements are taken on Feb. 18, 2015. St. Paul District staff from the channels and harbors section took to the ice of Lake Pepin on Feb. 18 for the first of weekly ice thickness measurements. The thickest ice discovered this year was at river miles 771 and 766, where 21 inches were recorded.

    Lake Pepin ice measurements begin

    With an air temperature of -5 degrees and winds at 15 miles per hour or more, St. Paul District staff from the channels and harbors section took to the ice of Lake Pepin on Feb. 18 for the first of weekly ice thickness measurements.
  • Kris Taverna, left, and Dale Rud, both of operations, work to remove damaged concrete from the lockwall at Lock and Dam 5A on January 15, 2015. Lock 5A was closed to navigation on Dec. 1, 2014, in order to complete the necessary work by March 9, 2015.

    Mother Nature allows for start early to winter lock maintenance

    Following a historically late start to the navigation season in 2014, Mother Nature once again showed who’s in charge, giving the region a shot of cold air and shutting down navigation earlier than anticipated. This worked in favor of the district’s maintenance and repair section, based out of the Fountain City, Wisconsin, service base.

  • January

    Jeff Cook, is the operations manager for the Pokegama Dam and Winnibigoshish Lake recreation areas.

    New operations manager for Pokegama Dam Recreation Area settles in

    Jeff Cook always knew he wanted to be a park ranger. From his early childhood growing up in Eagan, Minnesota, Cook encountered park rangers at the Autobahn Center in Sandstone, Minnesota, giving a presentation about the outdoors for kids. From that point on, he knew he wanted to do what park rangers do -- interact with the public, teach people about being good stewards of the environment and be involved in all the outdoor activities that Minnesota has to offer year around.
  • Working up to seven days a week, excavators move 50,000 to 70,000 cubic yards of material a week as contractors work through the winter months to complete the Roseau, Minnesota, flood risk management project.

    Roseau flood protection nears finish line

    Working up to seven days a week, excavators move 50,000 to 70,000 cubic yards of material a week as contractors work through the winter months to complete the Roseau, Minnesota, flood risk management project.

  • December

    SPRING VALLEY, Wis. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District employees, veterans and hunters gathered at the Eau Galle Recreation Area, near Spring Valley, Wis., Dec. 13, for the third annual deer hunt. The Corps partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to host the event. The goal was to connect veterans with other veterans and honor them for their service while also managing the deer herd in the recreation area.

    Military veterans take aim at deer

    SPRING VALLEY, Wis. – Seven U.S. military veterans took to the woods at the Eau Galle Recreation Area, near Spring Valley, Wis., with hopes of harvesting a trophy deer Dec. 13.
  • MINNESOTA CITY, Minn. -- Duane Skjeie, operations, drives a cart at Lock and Dam 5, near Minnesota City, Minn., Nov. 5.

    Lock staff’s quick response save canoeist, dog

    A typical day at Lock and Dam 5, near Minnesota City, Minn., turned into a quick reaction rescue for two of the district’s lock operators recently.

  • September

    A much needed renovation was completed at the Sibley boat ramp located on the north end of Baldhill Dam / Lake Ashtabula, near Valley City, N.D., in late August. When the ramp was constructed 30 plus years ago it met the needs of launching the smaller fishing boats of that time period, but it can no longer accommodate the larger boats of today, said Jeff Kapaun, park ranger.

    Corps, partners build relationship while building new boat ramp

    A much needed renovation was completed at the Sibley boat ramp located on the north end of Baldhill Dam / Lake Ashtabula, near Valley City, N.D., in late August.

  • May

    A Corps regulator’s life: Challenges and opportunities

    Corps regulators have many duties and responsibilities. They work with federal laws, including the Clean Water Act; Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, National Environmental Policy Act; Endangered Species Act; and National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Effectively implementing these rules requires training and experience.

  • Floodplain forests provide habitat, recreation and mitigation

    The St. Paul District environmental stewardship section has been busy lately planting trees near Bay City, Wis. The reforestation project began as a way to mitigate floodplain forest and wetlands that were lost due to the nearly $70 million dollars in renovations to Lock and Dam 3, near Red Wing, Minn.

  • Corps, partners develop plan to protect wetlands

    Northeast Minnesota is known for its views of Lake Superior, outdoor recreation opportunities, the call of the loon and its pristine wetlands.

  • Watershed planning offers hope to challenging problems

    The district recently finished one of its first comprehensive watershed reports, the Sunrise Watershed Study, solely for environmental purposes and the benefit of watershed managers.

  • Wetlands support flood risk reduction

    While wetlands play an important role in providing habitat for a myriad of species and serve as a filter for aquifers, they also play an important role in reducing the impacts of floods.

  • Wetlands provide more than scenic views of nature

    Have you ever wondered what wetlands actually do for society or the environment? Barbara Walther, senior ecologist, said these areas, a place between water and land, provide value to both communities and Mother Nature. She said wetlands support many benefits that range from habitat for plants and animals to water purification. “Wetlands provide a number of functions on the landscape,” she said. “Some of them are important to people directly, and a number of them are important just because of the function they provide.”

  • Regulatory 101: Science, people and America’s waters

    “When everybody is equally unhappy, we probably did our job right,” joked Tamara Cameron, regulatory branch chief. “Nobody ever says, ‘Thank you for making me get this permit.’

  • April

    HASTINGS, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District welcomed the Motor Vessel Angela K to Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn., April 16. The vessel was the first line tow to reach St. Paul this year, which means all 13 locks and dams within the St. Paul District are now accessible to commercial and recreation vessels. The April 16 arrival is the latest non-flood related start to navigation since the Corps began maintaining records in 1970.

    Corps of Engineers welcomes navigation season after historic delay

    The 2014 Mississippi River navigation season in the St. Paul District has arrived. The Motor Vessel Angela K locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minn., around 5:30 p.m., April pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul, Minn.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, celebrated the arrival of its newest vessel, the Model Vessel Curt Larsen, with a christening ceremony at Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn., April 16. The MV Larsen was commissioned as a working boat by the district's public affairs office in 2013 to assist in the accomplishment of the district's community relations misson. The Larsen will be used to tow demonstration loads in the district's lock model. It was named after district lock operator Curt Larsen, who manufactured the boat. He created the vessel to be able to withstand thousands of children playing with it for a number of years.

    District welcomes new towboat with a christening ceremony

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, celebrated the arrival of its newest vessel, the Model Vessel Curt Larsen, with a christening ceremony at Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minn., April 16.

  • March

    Corps retires Grand Forks, N.D., office

    After more than 15 years of maintaining a presence in Grand Forks, N.D., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed its doors recently.