Washington Conservation District will be hosting an activity table with information about birds and habitat restoration. We’ll be sharing information and resources to help private landowners improve their wildlife habitat, as well as opportunities to engage in projects on local public lands. Youth and families can also sign-up to Adopt-a-Drain in their neighborhood or help with storm drain stenciling.

Note: This event is for youth and their families. Learn more and buy tickets at Ducks Unlimited.

Join us for a free professional training, with practical advice on maintaining beautiful lakeshores. Help your clients achieve the shoreline of their dreams, while also supporting fish, wildlife, and clean water.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #6

Register at Salt Monitoring 101

Want to make a difference? Let’s talk practical ways to mobilize your community, collaborate with local leaders, and champion policies that support smarter winter maintenance.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #5 (Conversation Table)

Register at Advocating for Change: Conversation table

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #4

Register at Engineering Solutions

Discover how innovative engineering can dramatically reduce the need for winter salt. This webinar will highlight design approaches—such as optimized grading, drainage, and material choices—that set the stage for safer, more efficient winter maintenance. We’ll also explore the growing role of smart sensors and connected infrastructure in tracking conditions in real time. Finally, learn how AI-driven storm management tools can support crews in making faster, more precise decisions that keep surfaces safe while minimizing salt use.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #3

Register at Smart Salting Contracts

Knowing how to ask for best practices can be difficult. If you aren’t an industry professional, you likely feel out of your league when deciphering terms like deicing vs anti-icing, pre-treatment vs pre-wet. What chemical deicers should you ask for or steer away from? Learn the basics about industry best practices and valuable resources that are available to support you to get the services you need and reduce liability at your property.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #1

Register at Salt Wise Stories

Hear directly from winter maintenance practitioners who have made the shift to smarter salting. In this webinar, they’ll share how they built the business case for change—reducing costs, improving efficiency, and protecting local waters. You’ll learn how they retooled their operations, from equipment upgrades to staff training, and what results they’ve seen on the ground. These leaders now pay it forward by educating peers, supporting contractors, and inspiring communities to adopt Salt Wise practices of their own.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #1

Register at Freshwater Salinization: Causes, consequences and trends

Get the big-picture view of freshwater salinization and why it’s emerging as a critical water-quality challenge across the country. We’ll break down the major drivers, the ecological and infrastructure impacts, and the trends scientists are tracking in rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Then we’ll zoom in on a real-world case study from the Occoquan Reservoir, where researchers and managers are grappling with the complex mix of land use, weather patterns, and human behavior that fuels rising chloride levels. This case will illustrate both the challenges and the practical management strategies communities can use to protect their drinking water supplies.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

For property managers & owners, sustainability, environmental & safety coordinators, and those who hire or supervise winter maintenance staff.

Using less salt reduces indoor and outdoor salt damage and related costs. You will be able to recognize sustainable practices amongst your maintenance crew, hear ideas for managing liability, discover possible improvement areas and more.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

Participants will learn how to integrate science with practical winter maintenance and save money while minimizing impacts on the environment.

Learn about ways to safeguard your property from shoreline erosion. We'll talk about bioengineering strategies that combine vegetation and hard-armoring, as well as lessons-learned from previous bluffland projects along the St. Croix. This workshop will also connect you with resources and techniques to help you manage invasive species like buckthorn and improve wildlife habitat.   

Whether you’re interested in planting prairies, teaching nature programs for local students, or planning watershed art events, there are numerous ways to volunteer in our area.   

Join us on Tuesday, Nov. 4 (6-8pm) for a cozy bonfire and night hike outside the Nordic Center at Lake Elmo Park Reserve (1515 Keats Ave N).

This event is an opportunity to make friends, meet some of our local Water Steward volunteers, and learn about training and volunteer opportunities in 2026.  And yes! There will be s’mores!

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

Do you own woods? Join Washington Conservation District forestry staff for a guided hike at Sunfish Lake Park to discuss strategies for managing your wooded areas with soil health, water quality, and support for native plants in mind. We’ll also talk about local options for funding and professional support for woodland management.

Presenting together, Kenneth "Kenny" Blumenfeld, Senior Climatologist at the Minnesota State Climate Office, and Jen Kader, Administrator of the Clean Water Council at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, will discuss climate science and change through the lens of facts and numbers, people and community, and how to create practical change.

Join us for a fun and immersive aquatic critter quest at Carver Lake Park. We’ll get our hands wet as we search for fish, frogs, snails, and aquatic insects and learn what these critters can teach us about the health of a lake or stream.

Help cut and remove invasive buckthorn from Burris Park in Marine on St. Croix and learn about the planned stream improvement projects for Mill Stream that aims to improve and reconnect aquatic habitat for trout and other wildlife.

Meet us at this fun, family-friendly event where we will be hosting a fishing-inspired game for kids. Other event activities include:

• A giant sand castle

• Touch a truck

• Hay rides

• Food & drinks

• Community vendors

This annual event is co-sponsored by Brown’s Creek Watershed District and Sustainable Stillwater and features live raptors, environmental education stations, crafts, games, live music, and free ice cream. New this year, there will also be a bird costume contest for kids and adults.

Join Washington County Parks for a vibrant birding event at the park in partnership with Urban Bird Collective, celebrating the diversity of our patrons and pollinators. Explore the wonders of nature, learn about local bird species, and enjoy a day filled with community. Everyone is invited to join as we foster an inclusive space for all with emphasis on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.

Vehicle Permits will be provided thanks to Statewide Health Improvement Partnership grant funding. No registration required.

Your yard can help to support songbirds, pollinators, wildlife - AND look beautiful. Grab a brew and join us on the banks of the Mississippi River to learn more!

This event is hosted by Friends of the Mississippi River, with Angie Hong (EMWREP water educator) as the guest speaker.

What’s in your drinking water? To participate in this free water screening clinic, bring water from your home tap (minimum of one cup - 8oz) in a clean, hard plastic or glass container and include the location and date that you collected the sample. We will run a screen test on your water for nitrate and chloride. You can wait for your results or request them via email.

During the clinic, experts will also be on hand to discuss wellhead protection and groundwater concerns, including arsenic, bacteria, pesticides, and Perfluorinated Alkylated Substances (PFAS). Stop by anytime to pick up fact sheets and talk with clinic volunteers. This clinic is free and open to everyone, regardless of what city, county or state they live in. 

Take a trip back in time and spend a summer evening cruising the St. Croix River!

Entertaining stories about the area’s history presented by Angie Hong, hearty hors d’oeuvres, and a cash bar await you on this exquisite sojourn hosted by the Washington County Historical Society.

Join Brown's Creek Watershed District for a tour of this recently completed stream restoration, which included repairing stream meanders, controlling invasive species, planting native trees and shrubs, and creating stream access areas including an ADA accessible fishing pier.

Join Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District for a family friendly fishing event at Sunset Park on Tanners Lake! Fishing equipment will be available to use.