IS THE RIVER CLEAN?

POSTED BY AUSTIN ON JUL 3, 2013 IN HOME PAGE

Like most big questions, the answer is complicated.  As highlighted in the State of the River Report, nitrates are one of the big contaminants affecting water quality here in the Twin Cities, and further downstream, creating a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Learn More.

Powerful People Cleaning Together

Even if we had perfect drainage tile and nutrient management, we would only see a 30% drop in nitrate levels.

Great explanation of how Crop Tile and Nitrates affect our environment.

Download Summary Report

Download the Full Report

STAND UP DATE NIGHT!

POSTED BY CAITLIN MCGUIRE ON JUL 1, 2013 IN HOME PAGE

Stand Up MN is adding some new fun events to our agenda- the first being a date night this Wednesday. The date includes a paddle adventure ending at the Nicollet Island Amphitheater for a movie in the park. This Wednesday night the movie showing is always a fan favorite- Top Gun! We will prepare a small picnic basket for you and your date to enjoy while you watch the movie. This is a unique experience to enjoy in Minneapolis, and a perfect way to spend a beautiful Minnesota summer evening.

As a whole there will be 3 date nights this summer, the other two events will be taking place in St. Paul and ending on Raspberry Island with the movie in the park showing at that location. The dates and movies for that location are:

August 30th- Maltese Falcon

September 6th- Casablanca

These events are limited to 6 couples, $150/per couple so reserve your spot today!

Schedule Your Date!

Asian Carp and the Lock and Dam - REPOST

LOCKS AND ASIAN CARP – REPOST

POSTED BY AUSTIN ON JUN 26, 2013 IN HOME PAGE

Paddle Taxi is joining the National Park Service, the Minnesota DNR, Wilderness Inquiry, Friends of the Mississippi River, and Stand Up MN in the voluntary disuse (i.e. not using) of Lock and Dam No.1 as well as the St. Anthony Falls Locks and Dams in Minneapolis.

The reason? An invasive species called Asian Carp. You might already be familiar with this particular fish (or maybe not).  Regardless, the National Park Service has compiled a great overview about the Asian Carp and its impacts.

To summarize, the Asian Carp:

• destroys native ecosystems
• degrades water quality
• out-competes native aquatic species and
• has a habit of jumping out of the water which can be dangerous to humans.

Lock and Dam No.1 is the last line of defense for the Mississippi River north of Minneapolis where the Asian Carp has not yet established itself as well as an abundance of Minnesota lakes and rivers. We encourage all paddlers and boaters to join us and our partners in the boycott of Lock and Dam system in the Twin Cities. Together we can protect this important resource we all enjoy so much!

For further involvement, check out http://stopcarp.org/ to join the fight to close Lock and Dam No.1 for good!

Pride Paddle

INAUGURAL PRIDE PADDLE

POSTED BY CAITLIN MCGUIRE ON JUN 22, 2013 IN HOME PAGE

Stand Up MN is excited to be partaking in Pride this year by creating our inaugural PRIDE PADDLE on Friday, June 28th at 6 pm! We will be stand-up paddling the Mississippi River, right here in Minneapolis!
Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Bi, Trans, Ally, come celebrate who you are! Open to groups or individuals! All are welcome!

If you haven’t paddled with us before, or have some new friends who want to try it, this is the perfect event for it. That being is said it is only available to the FIRST 18 PEOPLE who register! So take advantage of some time out on the river before heading to the other great activities planned that weekend.

Tours are being offered at a discounted rate of $49, come experience the Mississippi River with us!

Love is in the air...

On monday, this week, our crew member Lucas proposed to his girlfriend on a paddleboard tour!

Then on Saturday and Sunday, we paddled with 11 women celebrating a bachelorette party!  We love a happy ending.

Paddling with WCCO Radio!

We were so excited that WCCO anchor Colin Smith was looking for a local adventure this summer!

Paddling with WCCO in downtown Saint Paul, on the Mississippi River, was a great way to start our season! Here is the story he covered, in case you missed it on the air!

"It could be the best two hours you spend this summer."

"Whether you’re new to the area or have lived here your entire life, a paddleboarding tour down the Mississippi River offers some the most breathtaking views of the Twin Cities you’ve ever seen.

Austin Aho is the man behind Stand Up MN. An Eden Prairie native, he first navigated the Mississippi in 2010, and the idea of guided paddleboard tours immediately clicked with him."

Paddle Taxi enters the MN Cup!

Tonight is a reason to celebrate!  Paddle Taxi entered the MN Cup, which is the 9th annual business plan competition in MN!   With 6 different divisions, hundreds of applicants, the MN Cup’s thorough application process forced Paddle Taxi’s Crew to step up their game, streamline their business plan and pitch their mission to some big names.  Expect good things to come for Paddle Taxi...

Innovative medical device, animal health, biotech and health technology ideas.

Innovative ideas, technologies and products that strive to create solutions to society’s environmental issues.

Innovative products, services and solutions in manufacturing, recreation, education and all other ideas.

Innovative web 2.0, mobile, software and hardware ideas.

Innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems.

For full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students attending a college or university in Minnesota and who are between the ages of 19 and 30 and have less than 5 years of work experience.

The MN Cup will be picking 10 finalists out of the 50 applications in our division.  We think Paddle Taxi stands a very great chance to making a lasting impact in the division and among the people, however, it is becoming more clear that the MN Cup will have an even bigger impact on the working staff behind Paddle Taxi.  This is going to be an exciting summer…

Mother's Day Adventure!

We know moms love paddleboarding.  They are the number one demographic!

Buy a paddleboard adventure this week and get 10% OFF!  Just use the promo code: LOVEYOUMOM

Happy Earth Day = Free Caribou Coffee!

Want to celebrate the earth with us today?!  Bring your reusable mug and join us at Caribou for a free coffee!!

Now that you have your free coffee, why not sign up for a paddleboard tour?  Mother’s Day is just around the corner and 30-50 year old women are the number one demographic buyers of our adventures!!

Life is short.  Stay awake for it.

Here is the link to the free coffee.

Also, you can click on this link to mail to your friends!

Take two hours outside and live longer, happier.

This probably isn't news to you, but getting outside is actually good for you!?!

Check out this article at Outside Magazine.

"These days, screen-addicted Americans are more stressed out and distracted than ever. And nope, there’s no app for that. But there is a radically simple remedy: get outside. Florence Williams travels to the deep woods of Japan, where researchers are backing up the surprising theory that nature can lower your blood pressure, fight off depression, beat back stress—and even prevent cancer."

We are on Youtube!!

Youtube is the way of the future and we are going digital via GoPro HD cameras! Check out our Youtube page here, or watch our videos below!

We are presenting at Midwest Mountaineering Expo!

Dream Job 101 – Adventure Guiding on the Mississippi: The Good, the Bad and the Wavy

Austin Aho has spent more summer days paddling the Mississippi River than anyone in Minnesota.  In 2011, Austin started a paddleboard tour guide company with the mission of sharing his passion for the Mississippi with others in the Twin Cities, and over the past two summers, Stand Up MN has enabled people, mostly beginners, to learn and explore the Mighty Mississippi in new and exciting ways.In this presentation, Austin will share 4 stories from his experiences paddleboarding the Mississippi River and 4 lessons on starting an outdoor adventure company.  You can expect entertaining stories and photos of finding dead bodies and naked ones, hard lessons of legal disputes and cut-throat Groupon negotiations, and souvenirs you should NEVER give a politician.He will also be introducing his latest project: Paddle Taxi, a not-for-profit shuttle service on the Mississippi to provide transportation for your next kayak and canoe adventure!Saturday, 

Apr. 27th, 2:15p.m.,  U of M – Hanson Hall, Room 109
Sunday,  Apr. 28th, 1:00p.m.,  Midwest Mountaineering – Expedition Stage

Be sure to stop by and say hi!

Man kayaks from Minnesota to Key West, Florida

KEY WEST, Fla. - A kayaker has arrived at the southernmost spot in the U.S. after a 4,000 mile adventure that took him from Minnesota's Northwest Angle, the northernmost spot in the nation all the way to Key West, Florida.
Daniel Alvarez pulled his 17-foot kayak onto Key West's South Beach on Saturday, completing the trek that began June 11th. Read More...

Summer soon?

The River doesn't seem to know if it wants to stay covered with ice, or not...

Here is a picture of the Mississippi River from the Lake Street Bridge.

When this ice melts, the river is going to be flowing fast!  It's really amazing to see the daily tides and seasonal current speeds changes as we paddle throughout the year.