Pick-up pre-ordered trees at the Washington County Fairground. You will receive a postcard with detailed instructions.
Monarch butterflies are beautiful and truly amazing. Learn why milkweed and nectar plants are essential to their lifecycle and explore their migration journey. You will also learn about the threats and challenges that monarchs face in their migration and survival, and what you can do to help them. This class is suitable for anyone who loves nature and wants to make a positive impact on the environment.
Join WCD and Sustainable Stillwater’s Adopt-A-Raingarden program to help cleanup raingardens in Stillwater.
Pollinators are in big trouble - let's lend a helping hand. On May 4th, we will planting a pollinator sanctuary along Eagle Point Lake trail with over 1,000 native plants and interseed the prairie near the old barn. Learn about pollinators and pollinator habitat during mini demo talks, and in our usual Pollinator-friendly approach - we make it fun and there will be snacks and give-aways.
Buying Lakeshore Property 101 is a great free virtual workshop for anyone looking to buy a cabin, lake property, or even new lake residents.
Why do fish chase after one lure but ignore the next one? Do they see every color, certain colors, or none at all? We will be talking about and looking at a wide variety of gadgets and lures, as well as giving you a chance to make your own to take home and try out. All the supplies and materials are provided, just bring your creativity.
This is a Family Fun Night, hosted by Comfort Lake - Forest Lake Watershed District.
Shop from a selection of perennials, annuals, herbs and vegetables. Club members will be available to help with plant selection.
The Ramsey County Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale offers a vibrant array of native plants for sun and shade, perennials, annuals, herbs, and vegetables.
This beloved annual event features the release of the 2024 Northstar Bison herd onto Belwin’s Bison Prairie. In addition to the release, visitors can also enjoy fun activities for all ages, such as live music, eco-arts, and food trucks. Washington Conservation District will host an activity table with info about native plantings.
Shop for a wide array of annuals and perennials, native and prairie plants, monarch and pollinator plants, grasses, shade plants, heirloom tomatoes, herbs and vegetables on May 18 at the Washington County Fairground.
FREE well water screening clinic – Tuesday, May 21 (1-6pm) at the Hardwood Creek Library in Forest Lake. Bring a sample of water from your home to be tested for nitrate and chloride. This clinic is free and open to everyone, regardless of what city, county or state you live in.
Join Belwin Conservancy, Washington Conservation District, Minnesota DNR, and Washington County Master Gardeners for a walk in the woods during this fun, interactive workshop about caring for trees and woodlands.
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.
Market: Purchase MN native plants from multiple growers. No systemic insecticides.
Expo: Learn to select and grow native plants for pollinators, wildlife, and water quality. Visit with educators and experts from conservation and environmental organizations. Get your landscaping questions answered.
This free, family festival on Lake Phalen is filled with activities, such as canoeing, kayaking, fishing, face-painting, live music, food trucks, art and activity stations, and a native plant giveaway.
Visit spectacular gardens designed, created and maintained by volunteers with the Washington County Master Gardener Volunteer Program. Volunteers will be stationed at each garden to answer your questions.
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.
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.
Meet us at the Minnesota State Fair or volunteer to help at Adopt-a-Drain (Eco Experience building - indoors) or Blue Thumb – Planting for Clean Water (Eco Experience - outdoor garden area).
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
Pollinators are critical to a healthy environment and many native species are in jeopardy. Learn what you can do at home to create healthy habitats for native bees and butterflies in this class at Oakdale Library.
Learn how to conduct a shoreline site assessment and plan a project to beautify and stabilize your shoreline property. Sponsored by the Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water Partnership, Rice Creek Watershed District, and Vadnais Lakes Watershed Management Organization. Register here. $15.
Learn tips and techniques for landscaping around an existing or new septic system. Participants will receive a native plant book and several native plant prizes will be given away.
Learn about the tools and safety protocols used to conduct prescribed fires at Washington County Parks, watch a live fire demo, talk to experts, and find resources to help you restore native habitat on your own land.
Join Comfort Lake - Forest Lake Watershed District to learn about lawn alternatives that are more environmentally friendly and will keep your backyard buzzing.
Learn about the steps to converting a traditional turfgrass monoculture lawn into a beautiful, flowering bee lawn. The workshop will also cover other turf alternatives that promote pollinator health, water quality, and natural resource conservation. The live presentation is followed by a Q&A session.
Sponsored by the Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water Partnership and Rice Creek Watershed District. Register here. $15.
Do you have a hot garden spot that normally bakes and dries out with the summer sun? Are you tired of watering day after day to keep your garden healthy and growing? Learn about native prairie plants that thrive in the full sun and dry soils.
Participants will receive a native plant book and several native plant prizes will be given away.
Learn how to build and maintain a compost pile including troubleshooting tips as well as how to use the completed compost in your yard or garden.
Share your thoughts about the St. Croix River + local lakes & streams!
The Middle St. Watershed Management Organization (MSCWMO) wants to hear from people who live, work and recreate in our area to help shape our 2026–2035 Watershed Management Plan. This plan will guide the work of the MSCWMO and will identify priority projects, programs, issues, and water resources.
Open House - Tue., Mar 19, 5-7pm Stillwater Library: Margaret Rivers Rm B (224 3rd St N, Stillwater)
Share your thoughts in this quick 10-question survey: tinyurl.com/2024mscwmo
Join St. Paul Audubon for a storytelling event, led by Hope Flanagan. In-person and zoom options available.
Hope Flanagan is an elder who has taught and worked in the Twin Cities Native Community since the late 1970s. She teaches about plants and wild plant gathering and is also an Urban Bird Collective walk leader.
Hosted by our neighbors to the west at Vadnais Lakes Watershed Management Organization.
Learn about raingardens and if one is right for your yard. The workshop will cover topics including raingarden planning, planting strategies, maintenance, and resources to get started.
This MPCA Smart Salting Certification Training is an opportunity to learn more efficient winter maintenance best practices (BMPs) while taking a comprehensive look at the many aspects for managing snow & ice on parking lots and sidewalks. The training will also cover the new chloride requirements in the recently released MS4 permit, as well as resources available to help you reduce your salt use.
Does your yard need a refresh or a complete overhaul? Are you looking to create a habitat for pollinators and wildlife? Get a jump on the upcoming planting season with this free workshop about gardening with native plants.
Choose from a wide variety of morning and afternoon classes on topics ranging from seed saving to mushrooms to backyard greenhouses.
Keynote Speaker, Dan Shaw, from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, will talk about the statewide Lawns to Legumes program at 10:30-11:30am. EMWREP Educator Barbara Heitkamp will talk about gardening with native plants from 2-3pm.
This free professional training is packed with information and resources to help you create better shoreline projects that meet state and local rules, protect fish and wildlife, and provide your clients with the quintessential Minnesota experience.
This MPCA Smart Salting Salt & Snow Storage Refresher class provides a closer look at salt and snow storage practices and regulations including MS4 (Municipal stormwater) and Above ground Storage Tank requirements so that winter maintenance activities minimize product loss and stormwater runoff exposure.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is offering a free virtual 2-hour Smart Salting for Community Leaders workshop in partnership with Mississippi Watershed Management Organization. This interactive workshop will help participants understand the impacts of chloride on infrastructure and water resources and provide them with specific action steps to make policy changes in their communities to reduce salt pollution.
Join Washington County Master Gardeners at the Hardwood Creek Library in Forest Lake to learn how to start native perennial seeds in winter and how to create your own mini-greenhouses from milk jugs. Soil and seeds will be provided. Please bring two plastic containers (i.e. milk jugs).
This MPCA Smart Salting Liquid Deicer Refresher class provides a closer look at when to use liquid deicer, how much to apply, equipment, etc that provide winter maintenance crew a basis to develop strategies for product use, frequency and application for each winter event.
You have planted flowers and created a pollinator habitat… now what? Join these informative webinars from UMN Extension to learn what kinds of insects are visiting your property, how to identify pollinator species, how to use integrated pest management in your gardens, and more.
Register at: z.umn.edu/BeeSeries
You have planted flowers and created a pollinator habitat… now what? Join these informative webinars from UMN Extension to learn what kinds of insects are visiting your property, how to identify pollinator species, how to use integrated pest management in your gardens, and more.
Register at: z.umn.edu/BeeSeries
You have planted flowers and created a pollinator habitat… now what? Join these informative webinars from UMN Extension to learn what kinds of insects are visiting your property, how to identify pollinator species, how to use integrated pest management in your gardens, and more.
Register at: z.umn.edu/BeeSeries
Join Washington County Master Gardeners at the Wildwood Library in Mahtomedi to learn how to start native perennial seeds in winter and how to create your own mini-greenhouses from milk jugs. Soil and seeds will be provided. Please bring two plastic containers (i.e. milk jugs).
Are you an HOA Board Member frustrated by stormwater and landscape maintenance requirements for your homeowner association?
Sign-up to participate in a 1-hour focus group session on January 5 or 9, 2024 from 12-1pm, via Zoom. All participants will receive a $30 gift card. These sessions are only for HOA board members. Contact Hannah Peterson at HPeterson@mnwcd.org for more information.
Are you an HOA Board Member frustrated by stormwater and landscape maintenance requirements for your homeowner association?
Sign-up to participate in a 1-hour focus group session on January 5 or 9, 2024 from 12-1pm, via Zoom. All participants will receive a $30 gift card. These sessions are only for HOA board members. Contact Hannah Peterson at HPeterson@mnwcd.org for more information.
You are Invited to the Valley Branch Watershed District - 2025 Management Plan Kickoff and Open House on Tuesday, December 12, 3– 7PM at Baytown Community Center (4020 McDonald Drive North).
Share your ideas on watershed district priorities and activities for the next 10 years.
Enjoy networking with environmental educators in the St. Croix Watershed, outdoor explorations, and a panel discussion focusing on success stories and new ideas for creating inclusive and accessible programs and spaces.
Join us at Marine Village Hall for an interactive evening to learn about the health of Mill Stream and share your ideas for how the central segment that flows through Burris Park could be restored to better support aquatic life.
Wednesday, November 8, 6:30pm: Join our webinar to learn more about natural environment lakes, a classification reserved for smaller, shallower lakes that have a more limited capacity to absorb the impacts of development and traditional recreational use.
Monday, Oct. 30, 9am-3pm: Join us for an informal “train the trainer” workshop focused on event planning. We’ll share best practices and lessons learned, and demonstrate hands-on activities to engage people in learning about shoreline health, water cycles, micro-plastics, and chloride pollution.
