Landscape Design - Part 1
Nov
14
6:30 PM18:30

Landscape Design - Part 1

Whether you are renovating an existing yard or starting from scratch, a home landscape will best meet your family’s needs if properly planned. Develop an overall design for your landscape that can be implemented in stages or all at once. Learn about basic landscape design principles through discussion and photographs, and learn methods for working through constraints, needs, and wants. Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss problems and make suggestions while you work on drawing your landscape plan.

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Landscape Design - Part 2
Nov
21
6:30 PM18:30

Landscape Design - Part 2

Whether you are renovating an existing yard or starting from scratch, a home landscape will best meet your family’s needs if properly planned. Develop an overall design for your landscape that can be implemented in stages or all at once. Learn about basic landscape design principles through discussion and photographs, and learn methods for working through constraints, needs, and wants. Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss problems and make suggestions while you work on drawing your landscape plan.

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Creating Bird-Friendly Native Landscapes
Oct
24
7:00 PM19:00

Creating Bird-Friendly Native Landscapes

  • Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Learn how to create bird-friendly native landscapes and prep your yard for the winter without taking away food and habitat for birds and the insects they eat. Learn which trees and shrubs are good songbirds, how to enhance existing gardens with native plants, and where to find resources to get started.

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MPCA Smart Salting for Roads Certification Training
Oct
23
8:30 AM08:30

MPCA Smart Salting for Roads Certification Training

This MPCA Smart Salting for Roads Certification Training class offers more efficient winter maintenance best practices for plowing, de-icing and anti-icing application, storage, and more. The new chloride requirements in the recently released MS4 permit will also be covered. Participants will learn how to integrate science with practical winter maintenance on roads while minimizing impacts on the environment. Learn more and register.

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Trout Brook Celebration & Walking Tour
Oct
9
4:00 PM16:00

Trout Brook Celebration & Walking Tour

Celebrate the conclusion of the Trout Brook restoration project with the South Washington Watershed District! Join us on October 9th, from 4 - 6 pm at Afton Alps Ski Resort to celebrate the recently completed Trout Brook stream restoration! Enjoy light refreshments and see behind-the-scenes photos of the restoration before we mark the occasion with a celebratory trout release with MnDNR!

Please keep in mind that this is a walking tour of the site. Consider attire for walking on bumpy ground and through knee height vegetation.

This is a FREE event and open to all, please register your attendance with the ticket link.

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Local Leaders Workshop: Protecting the St. Croix while enhancing the quality of life in rural areas
Sep
30
5:00 PM17:00

Local Leaders Workshop: Protecting the St. Croix while enhancing the quality of life in rural areas

Learn strategies for protecting lakes, rivers, and wildlife habitat in small communities and rural areas of the Lower St. Croix Watershed. During this workshop, local leaders will learn about tools available to help small communities guide where and how development happens, as well as strategies for promoting conservation in rural and agricultural areas.

Learn more and register at https://tinyurl.com/stcroixwowland.

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Metro Children’s Water Festival
Sep
25
8:00 AM08:00

Metro Children’s Water Festival

The annual festival is produced for 4th grade students in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area and is held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Registration for school groups opens on Feb. 15. Or, volunteer to help with this event!

There is also a virtual festival with resource and learning modules available to be used year-round: https://metrocwf.org/festival/#virtual

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State of the Water Presentation
Sep
17
12:00 PM12:00

State of the Water Presentation

Are local lakes and rivers getting better or getting worse? During this presentation Angie Hong will share watershed updates from around the region, highlighting local projects and long-term trends.

There is reason to be hopeful, with more than 20 lakes and streams delisted in Chisago and Washington Counties over the past four years, and nearly 4000 rural and urban conservation projects completed in Washington County since 2006.

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SWEEP Volunteer Summit
Sep
16
4:00 PM16:00

SWEEP Volunteer Summit

Looking for more volunteer opportunities in the St. Croix Valley? Or perhaps you’re a volunteer coordinator seeking fresh inspiration? Join us for an enjoyable and empowering evening tailored just for you!

This free event offers a fantastic chance to network, learn, and share experiences. Enjoy delicious appetizers and beverages while connecting with fellow volunteers and coordinators. Click to register. https://tinyurl.com/yxmu667x

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Plants, pollinators and pints
Sep
12
4:30 PM16:30

Plants, pollinators and pints

Bring on the butterflies while you enjoy a pint at Dual Citizen Brewing! Your yard can help to support songbirds, pollinators, wildlife — AND look beautiful. During this happy-hour workshop with WCD nature educator Angie Hong, we'll talk about what to plant, how to get started, where to buy native plants in Minnesota and western Wisconsin and where to find additional support for planting projects. Learn about native gardens, bee lawns, prairies and flowering trees and shrubs. This event is hosted by Friends of the Mississippi River.

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Mississippi River Happenings - Happy Hour Presentation
Sep
6
5:00 PM17:00

Mississippi River Happenings - Happy Hour Presentation

  • 375 West Water Street Saint Paul, MN, 55107 United States (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join Friends of Pool 2 for an educational happy hour at the floating clubhouse of the St. Paul Yacht Club in the upper harbor at Harriet Island - Friday, Sept. 6, 5-7pm.

Angie Hong will share updates on recent conservation initiatives in the East Metro area, including the rewilding of Trout Brook in Afton State Park, a brand new storm water park in Woodbury, a redevelopment project in St. Paul at the site of the former Ford Plant, and an ongoing Army Corps of Engineers study that could lead to removal of the Ford and Lower St. Anthony Falls Dams.

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Buzzin’ Backyards: The Art of Bringing Nature to Your Door
Aug
17
11:00 AM11:00

Buzzin’ Backyards: The Art of Bringing Nature to Your Door

Buzzing for information on everything pollinators? Join us for the Buzzin’ Backyards native plant and pollinator festival. This FREE event runs 12-4 PM and will feature local organizations, speakers, and activities for all ages highlighting our native plant and pollinator communities.

At the Carpenter Nature Center Wisconsin Campus.

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Plants, pollinators and pints
Aug
13
4:30 PM16:30

Plants, pollinators and pints

Bring on the butterflies while you enjoy a pint at Dual Citizen Brewing! Your yard can help to support songbirds, pollinators, wildlife — AND look beautiful. During this happy-hour workshop with WCD nature educator Angie Hong, we'll talk about what to plant, how to get started, where to buy native plants in Minnesota and western Wisconsin and where to find additional support for planting projects. Learn about native gardens, bee lawns, prairies and flowering trees and shrubs. This event is hosted by Friends of the Mississippi River.

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Author Walk & Talk with Angie Hong
Aug
4
12:00 PM12:00

Author Walk & Talk with Angie Hong

Join Angie and Franconia staff for a walk along Franconia's 43 acres of trails, to learn about the sculptures in the park and the growing movement to restore native landscapes. Stick around for an author talk and book signing behind the Franconia Commons building.

Angie has been a WCD nature educator since 2006 and is author of Exploring the St. Croix River Valley: Adventures on and off the Water

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Washington County Fair
Jul
31
to Aug 4

Washington County Fair

  • Washington County Fairground (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Meet us at the Washington County Fair! We’ll be in Building A, across from the milk shake booth.

Stop by to play with our new interactive stormwater model and get information about free site visits, native plants, workshops, grants, invasive species, and more.

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16th Annual St. Croix River Workshop on the Water
Jun
24
4:00 PM16:00

16th Annual St. Croix River Workshop on the Water

Join us aboard St. Croix River Cruises’ Grand Duchess on Monday, June 24 for our 16th Annual St. Croix River Workshop on the Water (WOW). This event is specifically designed for local leaders such as city councils, planning commissions, township boards, county commissioners, SWCD boards, and watershed boards.

This year’s workshop will focus on actions local communities can take to protect their shorelines, strategies for dealing with sticky issues and variance requests, and Better Site Design for development and redevelopment projects. 

 Your ticket includes dinner and a cash bar. $30 per person. Register today.

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HOA Mini Conference - Cost Savings & Stormwater Management
May
31
9:30 AM09:30

HOA Mini Conference - Cost Savings & Stormwater Management

Join the East Metro Water Resource Education Partnership (EMWREP) and local experts to learn how to help your HOA both save money and protect local water resources through environmentally-friendly practices. This will be a great opportunity to access brand-new education resources for HOAs, learn about topics like stormwater ponds, managing native plants, and budgeting for maintenance, and network with other local HOA leaders to share experiences and resources. A light lunch will be provided. Full agenda to come.

Sign up here.

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