Minnesota Association of Professional Soil Scientists

To see agendas for past MAPSS events from 1972-2012 click here.

PAST EVENTS

Date: November, 2012, 6:30pm

Location: Conference call. Contact president@mnsoilscientist.org.

2012 MAPSS winter technical Event and optional museum tour

Date: December 7, 2012
Location: Continuing Education Center, U of M, St. Paul Campus, St. Paul, Minnesota
Meeting: Soil and the Environment

Join us at the MAPSS technical conference and winter meeting as a host of distinguished presenters share their work and expertise on topics associated with soil and the environment. This year we will also head back to the soils lab at Borlaug Hall with Dr. Terry Cooper to do some hands on lab experiments. Lastly, you are invited to take an after-hours tour of the Smithsonian's Dig It! soils exhibit which will be on display at the Bell Museum on the U of M, Minneapolis campus.

As always this will be your chance to see old friends and to meet the new generation of soil scientists. As usual, your presence and involvement is the fabric of this organization.

Professional Development Hours (PDH): 6.0

Lunch will be served by Continuing Education Center catering. The cost of lunch is included with your registration. Coffee, pop and snacks will be available for morning and afternoon breaks. Hors de overs will be available at the Bell Museum. Technical presentations will begin at 8:00am. Come early to avoid traffic and to network!

Tentative Topics & Speakers

Crude Oil at the Bemidji site: 30 years of monitoring, modeling and understanding presented by Dr. Mindy L. Erickson
Nitrogen Conditions and Trends in Minnesota Rivers presented by David Wall, MPCA
Nonpoint Source Nitrogen Loading, Sources and Pathways for Minnesota Surface Waters presented by Dr. David Mulla, U of M
The Relationship of Nitrate-Nitrogen Concentrations in Trout Streams to Row Crop Land Use in Karstland Watersheds of Southeast Minnesota presented by Justin Watkins, MPCA
Video - The Stormwater Thief presented by David Bauer, MnDOT
Construction Aggregate Resources of Stearns County and Fond du Lac Reservation - Minnesota presented by Heather Arend - MnDNR

Back to the Soils Lab – Hands on Basic Lab Experiments (Borlaug Hall) by Dr. Terence H. Cooper, U of M
After Hours Smithsonian Soils Exhibit Dig It! Bell Museum Self-Guided Tour. A MAPSS business meeting will be held during the conference. All MAPSS members are encouraged to attend this session. Please indicate if you will be visiting the Bell Museum.

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September 14, 2012 - Hydric Soils workshop - Duluth, MN

Date: September 14, 2012, 8am - 5pm
Location: Canosia Town Hall, Duluth, Minnesota
Meeting: Red Parent Material Soils Workshop

Accurately identifying, describing, and interpreting hydric soil indicators, physical soil properties, and landscape/soil
relationships is imperative for accurate wetland boundary determinations. After completing this workshop you will be
able to identify, understand and predict soil water and landscape interactions in parent materials that don’t reveal
their interplay well. You will also be able accurately identify soil morphology features related to hydric soils, common
hydric soil indicators of the region and eluviation processes vs. redoximorphic conditions. The importance of soil
survey investigative data already available to you via the internet will be emphasized.

Continuing Education Credits: 5.5 Direct continuing education hours for the Minnesota Wetland Delineator Certification and for the Minnesota professional soil science license.

Tentative Agenda

8:00 to 8:30 registration, introductions, objectives

Classroom Discussion
8:30 to 11:00 Introduction to Soils 101 Hydric soil indicator identification training related to red parent materials
11:00 to 12:00 Lunch at Canosia State Wildlife Management Area – Lunch will be provided!

Field Instruction
12:00 to 4:00 Identification of geomorphic landscape positions of hydric soils. Identification of hydric soil field indicators. Identification of hydric soil field indicators of other red parent materials. Completing soil description sheets.
4:00 Training Completion – departure from Canosia State Wildlife Management Area

2012 MAPSS summer tour

Date: July 27, 2012
Location: Farmington, Minnesota
Meeting: Dakota County - Unique Landscapes of Geology, Soils and People

Surficial Geology of Dakota County - by Howard Hobbs (Minnesota Geological Survey)
Groundwater of Dakota County - Bruce Olsen (Minnesota Department of Health)
Nitrogen Management for Irrigated Soils - Joshua Stamper (Minnesota Department of Agriculture)
MAPSS Business Meeting
Nutrient Management on Irrigated Outwash Sands - Phyllis Bongard (U of M Extension), Joshua Stamper and Ryan Lemickson (MDA)
Fracturing Sands - St. Peter Outcrop - Howard Hobbs (MGS) and Bruce Olson (MDH)
Lester Soils - Minnesota's State Soil - Gary Elsner along with Dan Nath and Clayton Johnson (NRCS)

2011 MAPSS winter technical event - Soil resource utilization and sustainability

Date: Friday, December 2, 2011 - 8am to 5pm

Location: Best Western Kelly Inn, 100 4th Avenue, St. Cloud, MN 56301

Join us at the MAPSS winter meeting as a host of distinguished presenters share their work and expertise on topics associated with the utilization of our soil resources and the sustainability of present day practices. Ever wonder if anyone is working on new BMPs to address concerns in our agricultural and urban areas? Concerned about the rapid migration of subsurface drainage systems in the "Valley"? What is the state of our forest soils and forest/product industry? Are we moving toward restrictive water and land use policies? These and other topics will be discussion points of the day. Whether soil scientists, environmentalists, producers, or concerned citizens, this gathering will be an informative platform for those with interests in our land resources.

This is your chance to interact with the researchers and observers working on the front lines. This is also your chance to see old friends, and as importantly, to meet the new generation of soil scientists. We have a number of new and outstanding members who will be joining us for the first time. As usual, your presence and involvement is the fabric of this organization.

Tentative Topics & Speakers
Sustainability of our Soil and Systems - Dr. Giles Randall, Retired, U of M
Conservation Drainage and Agricultural Policies in the Red River Valley - Luke Steuwe, MDA
Research Projects Focusing on Fate, Transport of Nutrients Pesticides and Bacteria in Agriculture - Dr. Adam Birr and Mr. Kevin Kuehner, MDA
Discovery Farms; Onsite "edge of field" Research - Mr. Tim Radatz, MDA
U of M Soil Judging Team Update - Dr. Terry Cooper, Soil Professor, U of M
Urban Water Infiltration, Engineering Soils for Slopes, Dewatering, Staging Projects to Protect Soils, Wind Erosion Control, Soil Stabilization - Mr. Dwayne Stenlund, MnDOT
Two Stage Ditch Research - Dr. Joe Magner and Mr. Bruce Wilson, MPCA
Controlled Drainage Research, Wetland Systems - Dr. Jeff Strock, U of M

Register before November 23, 2011 to avoid being charged a higher registration fee.

Continuing Education Credits: 6.0

MAPSS Red Till Soil Workshop III - October 17, 2011

This class is for SSTS Professionals (Designers & Inspectors) and meets the MPCA SSTS requirement for soil continuing education (6 soil credits). The class begins at 7:30am at Spectrum Research, Inc., 4915 E. Superior St., Suite 100, and is taught by James C. Balogh, PSS, Ph.D., MPCA Adv. Designer / Adv. Inspector. Advanced registration is required.

2011 MAPSS Summer Tour

Date: Friday, August 5, 2011
Location: Chatfield, Minnesota
Meeting: Lectures with a break for lunch (snacks and lunch are included in the cost).

The classic karsted geology and soil resources of southeast Minnesota will be the focus of our tour and discussions. Enjoying the beautiful landscapes and "food" of southeastern Minnesota will be mandatory.

While most of southeast Minnesota is underlain by karsted bedrock, we will spend most of our day in central Fillmore County where the best surface expressions of karst exist. This rare geological region of Minnesota is only enhanced by the unique soils covering this landscape. We will investigate both, but will not limit ourselves to mere surficial observations. Be prepared for crawling into sinkholes and observing geology from the bottom up.

Our tour will begin in historic Chatfield. We will observe the Ordovician Galena limestone so prominent in this area. Other stops will include a sinkhole display, springs emerging from caves, the soil landscapes of massive sinkhole plains, a floodplain soil investigation, a stream/floodplain restoration project, and an exclusive tour of Mystery Cave. There are plenty of issues, also. How have communities in karst geology dealt with stormwater management, nutrient contamination, land use regulation, etc?

To lead this tour, the best of Southeastern Minnesota have been selected for your disposal. Jeff Green, who is the Regional Groundwater Specialist for the MnDNR Division of Waters in Rochester, is an expert in carbonate hydrogeology. Mr. Green has graciously volunteered to guide the geology portion of this tour. His extensive knowledge of karst hydrology, aggregate mining, karst mapping and the issues associated with each will significantly expand our knowledge and curiosity. Our own Peter Hartman, Area Soil Scientist for the NRCS, was intimately involved in the soil survey updates in SE Minnesota and with years of soil investigations under his belt, commands supreme knowledge of the soils of southeastern Minnesota. Peter will skillfully enlighten us to the unique soil resources of this region

You cannot afford to miss this unique opportunity to learn so much about the earth resources of this great area of Minnesota by true professionals.

By the way, the "food" component will be provided by the Southeastern Minnesota Food Network. Southeastern Minnesota not only provides great landscapes, geology and soils, but also great food, produced right here. Can’t miss this!

2010 MAPSS Winter Technical Event

Friday, December 3, 2010

Opportunities and priorities of soil science have changed. Mapping has taken place for more than 100 years. Erosion control was the focus after the dust bowl. Fertility and the green revolution followed WWII. The ‘70s and ‘80s introduced septic systems to soil science. Wetland soils were added in the ‘90s. Click here for registration form.

PDH = 6 (5 technical, 1 ethics)

Topics & Speakers

7:30 Registration - donuts, coffee, networking
8:00 New Opportunity: Stormwater Management - Ryan Johnson, Ramsey Conservation District and Dave Bauer, Rice Creek Watershed District
9:15 Soils, Landscapes and Cultural Patterns - Dave Krueger, Temple University
9:45 Alternate Cause of Sediment in Lake Pepin - Satish Gupta, U of M
10:30 Agency and University updates, perspectives, and future plans: Don Baloun, Minnesota State Conservationist, representing the NRCS Carl Rosen, Dept. Head, Soil, Water, & Climate, representing the U of M John Jaschke, BWSR
12:00 lunch by Green Mill, MAPSS Business Meeting to follow
1:15 Perspectives of Soils in the United Kingdom - Terry Cooper, U of M
2:05 Soil Judging Team Update - Terry Cooper, U of M
2:00 New Perspective: Carbon Sequestering in Soil - Megan Lennon, BWSR Soil Scientist
3:00 Consequences of Ignoring Environmental Ethics - Elizabeth Hosch, Rice Creek Watershed District

2009 MAPSS Winter Technical Event

Date: Friday, December 4, 2009
Location: Best Western Kelly Inn, St. Cloud, Minnesota
Meeting: Lectures with a break for lunch (lunch included in the cost). Click here for the registration form.

2009 Summer Tour/Workshop Event

Date: Thursday and Friday, August 6 and 7, 2009
Location: Northland Arboretum, Baxter, Minnesota
Meeting: Lectures and field trips. Here is the tentative information, more to follow.

MAPSS Summer Workshop: Understanding and Measuring Water Movement through Soils

Featured presenter: Aziz Amoozegar and Satish Gupta