Tips and tales about keeping water clean
We are excited to announce the winners of our 2026 Natural Shoreline Awards, sponsored by the East Metro Water Resource Education Program and Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership. These awards recognize Minnesotans who are protecting lake, stream, and wetland habitat in Chisago, Isanti, Ramsey and Washington Counties.
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With nearly two miles of restored shoreline, statuesque oak woodlands, and multiple ways for the public to access and enjoy the lake, the Lake Phalen shoreline in St. Paul is a showcase example for any city in Minnesota to aspire to. It is also one of the largest and most successful shoreline restorations in the upper Midwest.
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At Wildwood Park in Mahtomedi, there is a baseball field, a playground, and a fishing pier on a secluded lake, surrounded by massive oak trees. Near the water’s edge, bumblebees buzz happily among bee balm, dotted blazingstar, black-eyed susans, and great blue lobelia. The lake is dappled with lilies with giant white flowers, like a Monet painting come to life.
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The Legacy Amendment has catalyzed significant improvements in Minnesota’s natural environment, including 184 lakes and streams delisted and more than 1 million acres of wildlife habitat protected or restored.
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Square Lake is one of the clearest lakes in the Twin Cities area and ranks in the top 1% for water clarity in the entire North Central Hardwood Forest Ecoregion of Minnesota. New park improvements underway this fall are designed to help keep Square Lake clean for years to come.
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We are excited to announce the winners of our inaugural Natural Shoreline Awards, sponsored by the East Metro Water Resource Education Program and Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership. These awards recognize Minnesotans who are protecting lake, stream, and wetland habitat in Chisago, Isanti, Ramsey and Washington Counties.
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White Bear is a lake with a storied past. At 2438 acres, it is the second largest lake in the Twin Cities metro, and its history features a legendary fight with a giant bear, steamships, gangsters, famous authors, legal battles, and even an amusement park. Recently, efforts led by the Washington Conservation District have focused on improving habitat and reducing stormwater runoff from small communities located along the southeast shore of the lake.
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This summer, the Brown’s Creek Watershed District completes a large-scale stream restoration project, designed to reduce bank erosion, manage floodwaters during large rain events, and improve habitat for fish along a half-mile stretch of Brown’s Creek that flows between McKusick Ave. and the Brown’s Creek State Trail.
Members of the community are invited to view and learn about the Brown’s Creek stream restoration during a tour on Aug. 12 (6:30pm) and a community festival on Sept. 20 (10am-1pm).
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Over the course of his career, Jim Birkholz has supported SWCDs around the state, established a thriving family-run orchard, and helped to complete dozens of large-scale land and water protection efforts in Chisago County.
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“Likely Stories,” the project that emerged, can best be described as a photographic journey through climate adaptations in the St. Croix Watershed. As part of this project, the artists seek to document the local impacts of climate change, such as black ash swamps, decimated by Emerald ash borer, tamarack “ghost forests,” algae blooms on the river and inland lakes, and future changes at the Allen S. King power plant. Equally important, they also hope to showcase examples of individuals, communities and organizations that are taking action to build climate resiliency.
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East Metro Water 