
Sustainable Northfield
By City of Northfield

Sustainable NorthfieldNov 15, 2021

Episode 11 - Emerald Ash Borer
In this episode, Arich Fruehling (St. Olaf student) speaks with Emma Schultz, Angela Gupta, Jeff Halfner, and Beth Kallestead about emerald ash borers (EAB), an invasive insect. They discuss what EABs are, why the infestation poses a threat to Northfield’s ecosystems, and what is being done to resolve the issue. Further information is available below.
This episode was produced as part of an Academic Civic Engagement project through St. Olaf College by Arich Fruehling, Mackenzie Farrell, Grace Mennerick and Lauren Borst.
Thank you to Emma Schultz, Angela Gupta, and Jeff Halfner for their expertise and hopeful insights.
How to Identify Ash Trees:
- Black ash and green ash are the most common types of ash tree in Northfield.
- Black ash has diamond shaped patterns in the bark, branches that grow directly
across from one another, and compound leaves with 7-11 leaflets each. Black
ash trees turn yellow to brown in Autumn.
- Green ash has scaly bark that is less flakey than black ash, and compound
leaves with less than 9 leaflets each.
- Ash Tree Identification (Minnesota DNR)
How to Identify Emerald Ash Borers:
- EABs are . - ½ inch long, metallic green in color, and have a purple body
underneath their wings.
- Emerald Ash Borer Look Alikes (Nebraska Forest Service)
Further Resources:
- Arrest the Pest (MN Department of Agriculture)
- Great Lakes Early Detection Network
- Emerald Ash Borer in Minnesota 2019 (MN Environmental Quality Board)
- Emerald Ash Borers (City of Northfield)

Episode 10: Biking and the Story of the Mill Towns Trail
On this episode, Chloe Truebenbach speaks with Peggy Prowe, long-time leader of the Friends of the Mill Towns State Trail, and local bicycling activist Bruce Anderson, about the history of the Mill Towns Trail and biking in Northfield.
Learn more
Mill Towns State Trail (DNR website)
Mill Towns State Trail Preliminary Design (City of Northfield website)
Friends of the Mill Towns State Trail

Episode 9: Developing Mill Towns Trail
On this episode Chloe Truebenbach speaks with Dave Bennet, the City of Northfield's Public Works Director and Engineer, and Scott Haugen, an Acquisition & Development Specialist for the MN Department of Natural Resources about the Mill Towns Trail development project. Our next episode will be a continuation of this topic interviewing Peggy Prowe (long-time leader of the Friends of the Mill Towns State Trail) and local bike activist Bruce Anderson.
Learn more
Mill Towns State Trail (DNR website)
Mill Towns State Trail Preliminary Design (City of Northfield website)

Episode 8: Electric Vehicles
Chloe Truebenbach speaks with the Andrei Sivanich, Rick Estenson and Beth Kallestad about electric vehicles and the work of the local Rotary Club.
More information about the Rotary Club can be found on their website.
More information about the ReCharge Northfield: EV Experience Expo can be found here.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 7: Hillcrest Village
Asa Gold and Grace Lindmark speak with Scott Wopata, Martha Larson, Betsy Buckheit, Abby Meuser-Herr, Steve Schmidt, Rolf Jacobsen, and Brian Nowak about the Community Action Center's Hillcrest Village, the importance of emergency housing, and the future of affordable and sustainable housing in Northfield.
More information about the Community Action Center's Hillcrest Village can be found on their website.
The information from the 2018 Rice County Housing Survey can be found here.
Thank you Asa and Grace for creating and hosting this episode. Thanks to Professor Jackson and St. Olaf College for letting us publish this project. Thank you to the student collaborators involved in the project: Cassidy Schnell, Joash Daniel, Juliet Olson, Rodrigo Escobar, YiWynn Chan, and Bailey Seashore.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 6: Stormwater Pollution Prevention
Chloe Truebenbach speaks with the City of Northfield's Water Quality Technician Cole Johnson and Community Engagement Coordinator Kevin Strauss from Clean River Partners (formerly Cannon River Watershed Partnership) about stormwater pollution and how residents in Northfield can get involved in preventing stormwater pollution and the rain garden incentive programs.
More information about stormwater for the City of Northfield can be found on their website.
More information about the Clean River Partners can be found on their website.
The stormwater program comment period has already taken place, but more information about the incentive programs can be found here.
Thank you for listening!

Episode 5: Northfield Curbside Composting
Izzy Quattrucci speaks with Nell Gehrke and Helen Forsythe from Northfield Curbside Composting about how composting works and how residents in Northfield can get involved.
More information about Northfield Curbside Composting can be found on their website.
The webinar workshops in collaboration between Northfield Curbside Composting and the City of Northfield have already taken place, but recordings of each workshop are available on YouTube:
How to Recycle and Compost in Northfield
Thank you for listening!

Home Energy Squad Visits
Izzy Quattrucci talks with Jen Barrientos and Stacy Boots Camp about the Home Energy Squad Visits in Northfield and Faribault

Episode 3: Lawns to Legumes
Izzy Quattrucci speaks with Nancy Braker and Erica Zweifel about the Lawns to Legumes grant program and Minnesota pollinators

Episode 2: Carleton Goes Geothermal
Izzy Quattrucci interviews Martha Larson and Alex Miller from the Carleton College Sustainability Office about the on-going geothermal project. More information about the project can be found at https://apps.carleton.edu/geothermal/ and learn more about the other working being done by Carleton's Sustainability Office at https://www.carleton.edu/sustainability/

Episode 1: The Northfield Climate Action Plan
Izzy Quattrucci and Beth Kallestad discuss Northfield's Climate Action Plan