The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Dr. Kristen Blann, Freshwater Ecologist with The Nature Conservancy © Gerold Grant

“I don’t think we need to argue anymore about whether wetlands and habitat help [with flood control], or whether in some cases we need structural engineering to protect infrastructure. It is both.”

Dr. Kristen Blann
Freshwater Ecologist

Nature.org:

Kristen Blann:

We’ve lost a lot of the resiliency of the landscape because we have so few remaining original prairie grasslands and wetlands, especially those temporary wetlands in the uplands. This makes both the ecosystems and the wildlife, as well as our communities and infrastructure, more vulnerable to each cumulative impact upstream, whether it’s another field converted from native grass to row crops, another thousand feet of drain tile, climate change, or a new housing subdivision.

Nature.org:

Kristen Blann:

There’s a mountain of evidence that shows not only wetlands, but uplands and riparian lands along rivers and streams supporting native vegetation retain more water after a precipitation event than does developed land, such as parking lots, mowed lawns, or cropland. Those areas with native vegetation, and the soils beneath their surface, also retain the water longer throughout the season, and use up the water through evapotranspiration. So, all the wetlands, buffers, upland conservation areas, etc. that we protect and actively restore to benefit native species and water quality are also going to contribute benefits in the form of flood storage.

Nature.org:

Kristen Blann:

After the 1997 flood, there was an enormous amount of learning that took place. The conflict over structural vs. nonstructural flood control alternatives led to important research and a real understanding of different flood control methods. The work that the Conservancy is doing at its Glacial Ridge site in Minnesota is really exciting, showing how much water native landscapes can store, how it slows down runoff during precipitation events, and how it holds on to water longer during dry periods as well. I don’t think we need to argue anymore about whether wetlands and habitat help, or whether in some cases we need structural engineering to protect infrastructure. It is both. Now the question is how we get it all done in a way that is cost-effective, fair and in time to make a difference with the next big flood.

I’m also personally thrilled about the sturgeon restoration in the Red River basin that the Department of Natural Resources is heading up. The efforts include removing small obsolete dams and replacing them with cobble and boulder rapids to restore access of these giant, ancient fish to the headwater habitats they need.

Nature.org:

Kristen Blann:

I am most excited about the research and work being done on ecosystem services. This involves getting holistic and more accurate marketplace values of environmental assets such as clean water, nutrient cycling and soil formation which sustain human life. Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of trying to figure out the economic value of ecosystem services such as clean water. I’m very sympathetic to that, but the problem is right now we take those free services for granted despite their obvious value to society. I believe that the market can be one of the most powerful tools for conservation if we can get the prices right. For example, if we really knew how much air and water pollution cost society in terms of health care, we would realize it is more cost effective to prevent that pollution in the first place. When we misuse or pollute what our environment provides, there are costs that we pay as a society, either with our health, our quality of life, or our taxes used to restore and clean the water and air. In many cases, the polluting activities aren’t really generating much private benefit in the first place or the solution is relatively inexpensive and simple.

Nature.org:

Kristen Blann:

Reducing our consumption of energy and stuff is probably the biggest thing we can do.

Know your watershed. One really important thing all of us can do is to become more aware of the watershed where we live and how we’re influencing it. You can go to the EPA website’s ‘Surf Your Watershed’ and find out what watershed you live in, what water bodies are close to you, and where that water goes. Read your county’s comprehensive water plan and what’s going on in your area that you might have an opinion about. It can feel really good to get involved, even if only in a limited way.

Dispose of waste properly. I think we need to transform our whole mindset about how we deal with “trash.” We are an over consuming, throwaway society. It makes me worried about what’s going to happen when everyone gets rid of their old analog televisions that contain toxic components. We already have fish consumption advisories for mercury on 40% of our streams, rivers and lakes. Think about that: if you’re a pregnant woman or a kid you are not supposed to be able to safely eat the fish you catch, no matter how beautiful the lake or stream looks. And now we have the potential to see even more of that enter our water if people are careless about getting rid of their electronics and other waste.

Compost. I’ve gotten into the habit of composting everything from my kitchen and I don’t even have to think about it. It’s very easy. I don’t even pay for garbage service any more. In a dream world, I would love to see a society that got rid of the idea that we have to use water to dispose our waste. Ever since the Romans invented plumbing thousands of years ago, we have had the idea that we have to flush everything down a pipe. But we don’t think about how that water ends up downstream in a river or lake. Every time a community needs a new wastewater facility it costs millions of taxpayer dollars. So, around lake shores and in recreational homes, why don’t we have composting toilets? Let’s think more creatively and holistically.

Nature.org:

Kristen Blann:

A typical day for me at TNC is probably not all that romantic or exotic. On a typical day, I’m spending a lot of time on the computer or phone, tracking down information, data and new studies in order to create conservation plans. One thing I enjoy is pulling all that information into the Geographic Information Systems to make maps out of different layers of information such as vegetation type, wetland corridors, water quality, habitat connectivity and threats. I have to say it is really interesting to me. It’s like being a science journalist. I get to find out what kind of research everyone is doing and pull it all together. Occasionally, I’m out in the field; last summer I visited some lakes north of Brainerd, Minnesota, with the Pollution Control Agency to help sample lakes for rare and sensitive minnows. This spring, I’ll be helping with mussel surveys on the Kettle and Sunrise Rivers and will observe the lake sturgeon spawning in the St. Louis or Kettle Rivers.

Nature.org:

Kristen Blann:

Besides the fact that all of us are made up of 78% water? My whole life I’ve loved being outside and near water. Growing up in North Carolina, I used to sit by a stream in the woods and fish all day for sunfish. I was also a competitive swimmer as a kid and was practically a fish myself in the summer. In my early twenties, I spent a lot of time kayaking, canoeing, backpacking and worked for the National Park Service in Alaska and California. If I had to pick my totem animal it would have to be the river otter. I grew up with a strong environmental consciousness. I’ve lived and breathed it my whole life and everything I’ve chosen to do seems to reinforce that.

Nature.org:

Kristen Blann:

What brings me hope is getting to meet all the great people who are out there doing good things and all the good science that is emerging. It’s clear from things like the recent passage of the constitutional amendment in Minnesota to protect and restore clean waters that the majority of people really do care and want to solve the problem. In some recent polls, both in America and worldwide, people consistently rank preserving the quality of the environment as important or more important than economic growth. That’s because more and more people are recognizing that economic health and environmental health can’t be separated. It’s exciting that there’s a growing worldwide consciousness that we live on a finite planet and we really need to get serious about protecting it.

Dr. Kristen Blann’s Bio

Hometown: Lincoln, Minnesota

Education: PhD, MS from University of Minnesota (Conservation Biology), B.A. in Biology, Duke University

Years with the Conservancy: 4

Hobbies: Gardening, raising sheep, playing music (violin/fiddle, flute & vocals in a community orchestra and a string band), kayaking & canoeing

Favorite Nature Spot: Besides my own backyard, too many to count! Near my house, there’s Fish Trap Lake, Lake Alexander Woods, and a little WMA full of wild rice and ducks in the fall. I’m also partial to the Southeast Minnesota Blufflands where I did my graduate studies, Whitewater River, Whitewater State Park, the Root River near Lanesboro, and Canfield Creek.