Meeting was called to order by Minnesota Co-Chair Phil Monson at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Board members in attendance: Dorothy Anway, Jack Ezell, Gail Gilliland, Rick Gitar, Phil Monson, Barb Peichel, Kinnan Stauber, Nan Stokes, Diane Thompson. Members present introduced themselves.

Healthy Harbors: Restored Rivers:
Jennifer Feyerherm of the Sierra Club gave a very informative presentation on a new publication she has been working on titled "Healthy Harbors, Restored Rivers: A Community Guide to Cleaning Up Our Waterways." This guide is designed to explain the steps necessary when attempting to remediate an area with contaminated sediments.
She explained some of the initial information to gather before starting the project such as assessing the problem, determining the types and extent of the contamination, getting community involvement, analyzing an overarching issues such as cycling and recontamination possibilities, choosing a strategy, looking at costs, benefits, goals, risks etc.
She then went into some detail explaining the options for treatment including Natural Recovery, Capping, In Place Treatment, and Dredging, covering both the pros and the cons of each type of treatment. She finished by explaining disposal options for any removed sediment, such as landfilling, treating to remove toxins, dewatering, Thermal desorption and reduction, vitrification and immobilization. She explained that situation should be analyzed, as the best solution in one case may be detrimental in another case.
The report is free. You can request a copy by writing the Sierra Club's Midwest Office, 214 N. Henry Street, Suite 203, Madison, WI 53703-2200.

Business Meeting:
Minutes of the March 27, 2002 meeting were approved.

MN Attorney General's Charitable Organization Report:
A motion was passed to submit the report prepared by Lynelle and signed by the co-chairs on the status of our organization.

Duluth Natural Area Program:
The CAC was asked to nominate a site for Duluth's proposed program to designate areas as natural areas to be protected. The North Bay, located upstream of Boy Scouts Landing and before Perch Lake was looked at by the executive committee and was chosen as a good first site to be nominated by the CAC.
Designation by the City will mean that the area will have a management plan. This will be an excellent way to promote the habitat plan and to get the recommendations of the plan incorporated into the City's management plan for North Bay.
A motion was approved to have the CAC nominate North Bay for this special designation.

GAO wrap-up:
The GAO issued a report to congressional requesters (Oberstar was one) on the progress of EPA and the RAPs to clean up the 26 Areas of Concern (AOCs) in the Great Lakes. The report was very critical of the EPA as seen from the title of the report "EPA Needs to Define Organizational Responsibilities Better for Effective Oversight and Cleanup of Contaminated Areas." The report concluded that EPA is responsible for ensuring these areas are cleaned up, but no office in the EPA is currently responsible for overseeing it. Progress has been very limited. EPA has cut funding and staffing for program related activities and shifted its focus to other areas. The report recommends that EPA clarify which office within the EPA is responsible and identify actions, time periods, and resources needed to help EPA fulfill its RAP oversight responsibilities.
The entire report is available on the GAO website (www.gao.gov), report number GAO-02-563.

Habitat Workgroup Report:
The habitat plan is very close to final. Deadline for expenditures is Friday, May 24.

Contaminated Sediment Workgroup Report:
This group is still exploring new approaches to revive the workgroup without diluting the issues.

Stewardship Group:
Annual cleanup at Wisconsin Point on March 27 was very successful. Volunteers braved the cold, wind and rain to collect 50 thirty-five gallon and 35 industrial size bags of garbage. A burned wheelchair was the most unique item collected.
The canoe trip is scheduled for Aug 17th. This time it will start at Boy Scout Landing and end at Billings Park with the picnic. Voyageur canoes will be available again. Volunteers are needed to help make this a success.

Newsletter Group:
The second copy of the newsletter is close to completion. It should be ready for mailing by the beginning of June.
We are always looking for stories and/or ideas for the next newsletter. Anyone wishing to contribute to the newsletter can contact Phil Monson at monson.phil@epa.gov or (218) 529-5188.

Finance Workgroup:
The Finance workgroup will be meeting in June. They are facing challenges due to budget cuts and reduced funding from state and government agencies. Anyone interested in exploring future funding opportunities is invited to contact Jack Ezell (218-722-3336) for meeting times.

Director's Report:
Habitat plan is almost completed. This is a culmination of 14 years of work and is something everyone in the CAC can be proud of. There is a wealth of technical and scientific information in this document and it is only a start. It will be Phase one, covering the lower part of the river. The next phase will cover the upper portion.
The members-only activities are going well. The next activity is fishing with Dennis Pratt on June 1. All members are encouraged to attend.
The State of the Waters Conference was an excellent event attended by Lynelle. Anyone interested in attending in the future would find it well worth his or her time.
In September Lynelle will entertain 25 journalists that are hoping to learn more about the St. Louis River and get a real feel for the issues.

Diane Thompson, Secretary