Land Stewardship Project Statement on the U of M Release of Troubled Waters

University Makes ‘Good First Step’

CONTACT: Bobby King, LSP, 507-523-3366

9/23/10
The Land Stewardship Project believes the University of Minnesota’s announcement today that it is airing the film Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story as originally scheduled is a good first step towards restoring trust with the citizens of Minnesota.

The University’s announcement makes it clear that this film, which is about agriculture and water quality, is scientifically accurate and balanced, contrary to what University officials claimed when they first tried to justify canceling its public release.

This only furthers concerns about the decision made by Karen Himle, Vice President of University Relations, to pull the film, despite deep conflicts of interest. Himle is closely connected to corporate ag interests: her husband is John Himle, former director of the Agri-Growth Council, a corporate agriculture lobbying group, and he is currently director of Himle Horner, a public relations firm that does work for the Agri-Growth Council.

The Land Stewardship Project has filed a Data Practices Act request with the University asking for any documentation or communication related to the decision making that went into the original pulling of the film.

The University announcement that it was showing the film was issued shortly after a letter from LSP and 13 other farm, conservation and environmental groups was sent to President Robert Bruininks calling for the film’s release and also calling for him to:

• Implement a review of University policy to ensure transparent and conflict-of-interest free decision-making on the part of University administrators going forward.
• Ask for the resignation of Himle if she is deemed responsible for the decision, as reported in several media accounts, and appropriately discipline others involved in making a decision that was ethically and professionally wrong.

LSP believes these additional steps are critical to restoring faith in the University as a public land grant institution that pursues science in the public interest.

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• To read the letter sent by LSP and 13 other groups to U of M President Robert Bruininks, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/TroubledWatersLetter.pdf.

• For a summary of news stories related to this issue, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/news-itn.html.