I hope that you enjoyed the Fourth of July as the members of ACES (Austin Coalition for Sustainable Living) did. Participating in the parade, seeing all the families with parents and grandchildren celebrating our nation’s birth reminded us of how caring Austinites are about their environment.

Along with mosquitoes and barbecues, our summers are filled with water. To many of us, the Fourth means being on or near the water. This is why we must protect these waters for future generations.

Passing the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment this fall will ensure that we protect the water that we enjoy so much. Forty percent of our tested lakes are polluted. This important investment in our state will help enhance, protect and restore these bodies of water.

I hope that, as your look back at this weekend and those in years gone by, you, will ask yourself if Minnesota’s lakes river and streams are worth investing in Minnesota’s future by protecting our natural resources for generations yet to come.

We need to vote “yes” on Nov. 4 to protect the Minnesota we love.

Ruth Klamm

Vice President

ACES