Robert E. “Butch” Pendergast, Age 84 of Mahtomedi and Hutchinson MN, Culebra Island PR, and Peoria AZ passed away on February 16, 2021. Please see his obituary published by Mueller Memorial at https://memorials.muellermemorial.com/robert-pendergast/4536711/service-details.php.

Born August 20, 1936, to Robert E. & Lenore Pendergast, he is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Rae. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jacqueline "Jackie" Trudell Pendergast; children, Deborah, Timothy, Susan, Robert III, and Joanne Pendergast; grandchildren, Anthony Sindt, Kristine Sindt, Timothy Pendergast, Jr., and Vanessa Pendergast; great grandfather of Aidan Pendergast, Athena Ablan, Eris Ablan, and Abigail Woolley. Raised on White Bear Lake in Mahtomedi, Butch was a graduate of Breck Military High School and after earning a BA in Geology from Dartmouth College, went on to the University of MN Geology and Civil Engineering graduate school. A career geologist, he was the founder and president of Geotechnical Engineering Corporation (forerunner of American Engineering Testing), and founder and president of Pendergast Geoengineering, Inc. Butch was a member of AIPG in addition to ACEC, AEG, ASCE and ASFE. Always active in professional organizations, Butch was also involved in civic and community groups including Rotary clubs, the St. Paul Club, and the 49ers Business Development Club as well as founding the Trilogy at Vistancia STEM club in Peoria AZ. Butch was ever the enthusiastic outdoorsman. He loved hunting anywhere, enjoyed hiking and biking in the Arizona deserts and mountains, and sailing in the Caribbean. Before settling in Arizona in 2001, he and Jackie were 20-year winter residents, and guesthouse owners on Culebra Island PR and spent summers on Lake Hook in Hutchinson MN, where he was the fifth of seven Pendergast generations to live in Hutchinson.

Follow the link below to watch Butch’s Extraordinary Life video. Memorials preferred to Historic Hutchinson, Hutchinson MN 55350 or Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sun City, AZ 85375.

Link to Butch's Extraordinary Life Memorial Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LQIPAwZm-U

Our website provider, StarChapter, will stop supporting PayPal at the end of February.  We will begin to use StarChapter Pay on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. 

StarChapter Pay is similar to PayPal and other online payment gateways.  Please follow the prompts on the registration screen.  If you run into issues or have questions, please contact us!

A few highlights:

• the checkout process will look the same, except there is an additional security feature (click on "I am not a robot" and then choose the images that fix the descritption that is prompted)
• members will be able to download their financial history
• Visa, American Express, Mastercard, and Discover will be accepted
• your credit card statement will read "FSP - AIPG MN Section"

The Minnesota Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) is pleased to announce our 2020 Scholarship winner: Heidi Krauss, a geology major at the University of Minnesota - Duluth in Duluth, Minnesota. Heidi's nominating professor, Dr. Vicki Hansen, and classmates have high praise for her academic achievements, her leadership, her advocating for "teamwork to solve complex problems in or out of class," and her ability to lead "in a way that perhaps other might not even realize that they are being led." She worked to combine the Geology Club and Environmental Sciences Club and then served as President of the Earth Science Club!

Heidi is graduating this May and intends to use the $1,000 towards her tuition for this semester!

Congratulations Heidi! 

The Minnesota Section of AIPG Sponsorship Committee is pleased to announce we are now offering Section Sponsorships for the 2021 calendar year.

We are asking for your support as a sponsor of AIPG’s Minnesota Section in 2021.  The AIPG Minnesota Section began hosting its monthly meetings virtually in 2020 in response to social distance and public health directives and recommendations.  We anticipate the monthly meetings will remain virtual through at least the first half of 2021.  We decreased our meeting cost accordingly due to the elimination of meeting space and luncheon fees, and now charge a nominal cost to cover website expenses. 

That said, AIPG Minnesota Section needs its sponsors more than ever to continue its annual Student Scholarship award, funding grants for supplemental geoscience education, supplying mineral hardness kits to K-12 teachers, and other educational and outreach initiatives to support the geosciences as summarized on our Giving Back webpage.

This annual sponsorship will be $250 per year, and will provide the following benefits to sponsors:

• Company or individual name/logo featured on a continuous loop PowerPoint display for approximately 15 minutes before/during the announcements at the beginning of each monthly meeting.
• Company or individual name/logo featured on each monthly meeting agenda.
• Company or individual name/logo featured on the AIPG Minnesota Section website.
• Company or individual name/logo featured on the AIPG Minnesota Section email blasts.
• Two free lunch meeting attendances to be used at any time during the calendar year (cannot be carried over to later years). Two voucher credits will be added to your individual membership account and will be visible when you login on to the Minnesota Section website.
• Option to give a 3-5 minute presentation at a monthly meeting (coordinate in advance with the Section President). 

Our 2021 Sponsorship Request Letter is available here.  If you would like to become a Minnesota Section Sponsor or have questions about the sponsorship, please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]. 

You can order your 2021 Section Sponsorship on our website! You are welcome to mail in your sponsorship check instead (contact Rebecca Ryser, AIPG MN Section Treasurer, for the mailing address).

The Minnesota Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG Minnesota Section) regrets to announce the cancellation of the Golf Tournament Fundraiser ususally scheduled in August of each year. The decision to cancel the event was made by the Executive Committee after months of meetings and discussions in which we felt the health and safety of our community is paramount.

Since 2014, the Golf Tournament Fundraiser has brought AIPG Minnesota Section members and non-members together to raise over $20,000 to support undergraduate scholarships, k-12 education, and further AIPG’s mission to promote geoscience in Minnesota. Please visit our Education Fund – Giving Back page to learn more.

We may not be golfing together this year, but we can unite to support geoscience education during these unprecedented times. Help us meet our goal of raising $5,000 for scholarships in the 2020-2021 academic year and contribute now by clicking here to donate through the PayPal system we use for luncheon registration.  You can also donate through the website, see our catalog on the Education Fund – Giving Back page.

Outcry demanding justice for Black people was renewed here, in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020 with the killing of George Floyd. Individuals, companies, government, and even institutions like the Minnesota Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) are evaluating how their groups can affect positive change in how Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are treated by society. AIPG is a professional organization based on competence, integrity, and ethics. The Minnesota Section of AIPG believes these core values prohibit racism and prejudice. Our continuing obligation as a professional organization is to ensure we conduct our business, advocacy, and outreach in a manner that is anti-racist and inclusive.

The geosciences are not as diverse as other sciences (Dutt 2020; Goldberg 2019). The Minnesota Section of AIPG's Executive Committee invite our section members to challenge themselves to truly become more welcoming, anti-racist, and inclusive so that we, as geoscientists and Professional Geologists, can continue to promote the public welfare of all Minnesotans. With this in mind, we welcome your feedback and dialogue so that we may actively improve our organization and this profession.

We have started a collection of articles and books featuring the topic of Racial Justice & Geology, including the two referenced articles, available at https://aipgmn.org/Racial_Justice_and_Geology_Resources. Please send us additional resources to share!

1. Dutt, Kueli. Race and Racism in the Geosciences. Nature Geoscience, vol. 13, 2020, pp. 2-3. Available online at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-019-0519-z. This article uses data collected by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), of which AIPG is a member organization, in their 2016 Status of the Geoscience Workforce publication. The newer 2018 Status of the Geoscience Workforce publication was released in March 2020: https://www.americangeosciences.org/news/agi-publishes-2018-status-geoscience-workforce-report

2. Goldberg, Emma. Earth Science has a Whiteness Problem. New York Times, Dec. 23, 2019. Available online at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/science/earth-science-diversity-education.html.

Here are some resources for free talks, which include some ethics topics.

The Minnesota Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design (MN Board of AELSLAGID) reminds those renewing their licenses and who have not yet earned all their Continuing Education (CE) credits for the period of July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2020 (or prior to when you apply to renew, whichever is first) that CE credits may by earned via remote learning, as well as in-person. Televised or videotaped courses, webinars, and other self-study courses, and distance-learning college courses are among the many CE formats available.

TBPG

The Texas Board of Professional Geoloscientists (TBPG) has produced an ethics talk that is available on their website, Ethics in Geoscience. The TBPG would like to thank Ms Becky Johnson, PG, TBPG Chair, for the updated ethics video. Please note this video and the information provided therein are the personal property of Becky Johnson, PG.

GOLI

The Geoscience Online Learning Initiative (GOLI) by the American Geosciences Institute, started in cooperation with AIPG, provides a platform for on-demand, life-long learning and continuing education opportunities in the geosciences. These courses are free for AIPG members! GOLI on-demand online courses provide learners with the flexibility to self-pace their progress, since on-demand courses do not have a set schedule like traditional academic semester-based courses. Brought to you via the OpenedX Learning Management System (LMS), learners are able to browse course descriptions, enroll in specific courses, access content, and complete any course completely free of charge. All learners who complete online courses offered through the GOLI platform with a passing grade of 70% or higher are eligible to purchase Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for a nominal charge. Please note that 0.10 CEU is generally equal to 1 professional development hour (PDH).

Sample On-Demand GOLI Courses by AIPG Members:

• Well Re-Development in New England 
  
• Fundamentals of Professional Ethics: Elements and Examples 
  
• The Development of Geoscience-related Ethics Codes 
  
• Converting Membrane Interface Probe Sensor Results into VOC NAPL Distribution Information 
  
• Techniques for Developing High Resolution LNAPL Conceptual Site Models 
  
• Best Practices in Mineral Resource Estimation & Reporting 
  
• The Basics of Seismic Petroleum Exploration for New Hires
  
• The Lower Cretaceous of Texas 
  
• Well Logs and Log Analysis for New Hires 
  
• An Introduction to Landslides and Mass Wasting 

Other interesting GOLI courses:

• An Introduction to Professional Writing for Geoscience Careers
• Tracking Global Supply Critical Materials
• Basics of Seismic Petroleum Exploration for New Hires
• Best Practices in Mineral Resource Estimation & Reporting
• Fundamentals of Professional Ethics: Elements and Examples
• Professional Geologist Licensure Requirements and the ASBOG National Geology License Examinations
• Understanding Professional Geologist License Requirements: California 2019

Click here for a full course listing from GOLI.

The Minnesota Section of AIPG has cancelled the April 7, 2020 talk/meeting and the May 5, 2020 talk/social. On March 13, 2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz announced the Minnesota Department of Health's community mitigation strategies.  One item, "cancelling or postponing smaller events (those with less than 250 people) that are held in settings that do not allow social distancing of 6 feet per person," applies to our events.  Although we could webcast the upcoming talks, we are still in the testing stages of webcasting and we haven't been able to test a remote speaker.  In addition, our planned speakers are students and are now uncertain of their schedules.  We will reschedule both talks for the 2020/2021 season.  If you have already registered for one or both talks, AIPG MN will contact you to process a refund or a credit to a future meeting.

The Minnesota Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design (MN Board of AELSLAGID) reminds those renewing their licenses and who have not yet earned all their Continuing Education (CE) credits for the period of July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2020 (or prior to when you apply to renew, whichever is first) that CE credits may by earned via remote learning, as well as in-person. Televised or videotaped courses, webinars, and other self-study courses, and distance-learning college courses are among the many CE formats available.

The Geoscience Online Learning Initiative (GOLI) by the American Geosciences Institute, started in cooperation with AIPG, provides a platform for on-demand, life-long learning and continuing education opportunities in the geosciences. These courses are free for AIPG members! GOLI on-demand online courses provide learners with the flexibility to self-pace their progress, since on-demand courses do not have a set schedule like traditional academic semester-based courses. Brought to you via the OpenedX Learning Management System (LMS), learners are able to browse course descriptions, enroll in specific courses, access content, and complete any course completely free of charge. All learners who complete online courses offered through the GOLI platform with a passing grade of 70% or higher are eligible to purchase Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for a nominal charge. Please note that 0.10 CEU is generally equal to 1 professional development hour (PDH).

Sample On-Demand Courses by AIPG Members

• Well Re-Development in New England 
  
• Fundamentals of Professional Ethics: Elements and Examples 
  
• The Development of Geoscience-related Ethics Codes 
  
• Converting Membrane Interface Probe Sensor Results into VOC NAPL Distribution Information 
  
• Techniques for Developing High Resolution LNAPL Conceptual Site Models 
  
• Best Practices in Mineral Resource Estimation & Reporting 
  
• The Basics of Seismic Petroleum Exploration for New Hires
  
• The Lower Cretaceous of Texas 
  
• Well Logs and Log Analysis for New Hires 
  
• An Introduction to Landslides and Mass Wasting 

Other interesting courses:

• An Introduction to Professional Writing for Geoscience Careers
• Tracking Global Supply Critical Materials
• Basics of Seismic Petroleum Exploration for New Hires
• Best Practices in Mineral Resource Estimation & Reporting
• Fundamentals of Professional Ethics: Elements and Examples
• Professional Geologist Licensure Requirements and the ASBOG National Geology License Examinations
• Understanding Professional Geologist License Requirements: California 2019

Click here for a full course listing.

The Minnesota Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG MN) donated $500 towards the cost of a mock dig site for the Rosemount High School!

Teacher Joe Christman at Rosemount High School created a new science elective class, which revolves around dinosaur paleontology!  In his request, he said, "An important part of paleontology is doing research in the field and I felt as though this was an important aspect of the science students should experience.  Understanding field research can give students skills in organization, attention to detail, spatial reasoning, and interpretation of data."  
    
In order to give students a dig experience, Joe built a mock dig site on campus.  This includes a 20x20 foot area filled in with sand and gravel.  Replicas of dinosaur fossils will be placed in a matrix of sand and wax.  Students will be using geologic rock hammers, chisels, and other field equipment to record, analyze, and excavate the fossils.  The cost of the project was about $3,000.
    
Joe stated, "Science is about curiosity, evaluation, and putting pieces of evidence together.  This is a unique experience for students; however, it is a necessary one.  It is an experience that will illuminate and inspire students to consider a career path in science." 

To view more pictures of the completed project taken in late August, please click here.

Many geoscientists interest in the geosciences began with dinosaurs as children, so what a great way to get young students interested in the geosciences!

Your donations to the AIPG MN Education Fund and participation in the annual Golf Scramble & Fundraiser make donations like this possible.  Thank you everyone!

AIPG Minnesota Section,

We are looking for ‘testimonials’ on how people have used the county geologic atlases. We occasionally get requests to give presentations on the topic – “Just what are the County Geologic Atlas good for?” We also routinely get asked by legislators to provide examples at the local level of how they are used, and even what the economic advantages to having a county atlas are.

We know the CGA is used by a wide variety of stakeholders for many different applications and their availability often results in time and money savings on projects (high capacity wells, groundwater modeling, landfill siting, DOT uses them in structure work, counties use them for many zoning applications, and many more).

We are particularly interested to know about specific projects, but also find value in understanding in a more general sense the types of projects you use them for. Here are a couple shortened examples we have received:

Jim de Lambert, Senior Hydrogeologist, Carlson McCain, Inc: “For most projects the initial information sources include the County Geologic Atlas. For Minnesota well siting projects, the County Atlas Series will be my first source of information to help define the project area and to give the area broad hydrogeologic context. This assists in identifying potential target aquifer(s). If the supplier is a Rural Water System, there is often considerable flexibility with well field location and this type of county and regional information can be invaluable.”

Heather Cunningham, Zoning and Environmental Services Administrator, Carlton County: “I would say that I use the atlas on a monthly basis. In the last 6 months, I have used it for the review of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW), pollution sensitivity for a proposed mixed use development, groundwater contamination at our closed landfill, and in working with a lake association.”

Kristi Anderson, Hydrogeologist, Northwest AqwaTek Solutions: “The majority of what I do is working with the agricultural community for crop irrigation systems; I typically look to the County Geologic Atlas (CGA)….as the starting point for my work.”

Joe Hudak, Assistant Engineering Geologist, Minnesota Department of Transportation: “We typically use the county atlases for subsurface information prior to conducting any geophysical field work or drill rig borings/CPT soundings.”

Martin Larsen, Olmsted County Feedlot Technician, Landowner & Farmer, Olmsted County: “The County Geologic Atlas is an important tool for the Olmsted Soil and Water Conservation District. It is used for animal feedlot permitting and nutrient management planning to locate sinkholes, depth to bedrock and first encountered bedrock. The springshed maps included in some Part B atlases are utilized for local education and outreach.”

If you have specific application examples that you could share it would be especially useful. Or, if you have any leads of others who might use the CGAs, we would be interested in getting those contacts so that we could learn more.

We are also very interested to get your ideas about how we can improve the end-product. Maybe there is a way we can make the CGA more valuable to you.

Thank-you for your help.
Barb Lusardi, Associate Director, Minnesota Geological Survey, [email protected]
Paul Putzier, Supervisor DNR County Geologic Atlas Program, [email protected]

Students from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences recently formed an AIPG Student Chapter.  Thier bylaws were signed on 03/09/2018, and AIPG Headquarters recognized them on 04/17/2018. Congratulations!

Nathan Gruman, PG, CPG is the AIPG MN Section liason with the University of Minnesota Twin Cities AIPG Student Chapter.

Students from the University of St. Thomas Geology Department recently formed an AIPG Student Chapter.  Thier bylaws were signed on 02/13/2015, and AIPG Headquarters recognized them on 03/30/2015. Congratulations!

Sara Nelson of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is the AIPG MN Section liason with the University of St. Thomas AIPG Student Chapter.