Outdoor Adventures – East Metro Water

Preserving Minnesota fishing tales for generations to come

By: angiehongmn May 15, 2026May 11, 2026

Aquatic Biology, Outdoor Adventures, UncategorizedAIS, featured, fishing, lakes, Minnesota, spiny waterflea, zebra musselsLeave a Comment

I don’t think it’s much of an exaggeration to say that fishing saved my family during the summer of 2021 when we navigated yet another summer of COVID with no day care and only a few weeks of camp. That summer was Minnesota at its quintessential, and in spite of chaos in the world, life was pretty good.

May 9, 2026 marks the beginning of another year’s fishing season, and with luck, many children just like Charlie will be making lifelong memories. As Minnesotans hit the water with fishing poles and boats, a well-trained team of watercraft inspectors, conservation officers, and even K9 officers will also be rolling out to lakes and rivers to help keep them safe from aquatic invasive species (AIS).

A place for everyone at Sunfish Lake Park

By: angiehongmn May 1, 2026May 1, 2026

Outdoor Adventures, Uncategorizedbirding, buckthorn, environmental education, featured, hiking, Lake Elmo, Sally Manzara Nature Center, Sunfish Lake Park, woodsLeave a Comment

On a sunny Friday in April, the dog and I hiked at Sunfish Lake Park in Lake Elmo and found rue anemone, wood anemone, and an abundance of violets sprinkled on the forest floor. Higher in the trees, two barred owls enjoyed an extended conversation. Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all? I counted 17 painted turtles sharing one long skinny log in the lake, and was excited to see red breasted mergansers and a pair of mallards as well.

A walk in the woods

By: angiehongmn April 17, 2026April 14, 2026

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, spring, spring ephemerals, Wetlands, wildflowers, woodsLeave a Comment

At first, the leaves were brown, and the sky was grey, and the air was cold, and I was sad that day.

And then, there was a flower.

The Science of a Walk

By: angiehongmn January 15, 2026January 15, 2026

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, mental health, nature, outdoors, snowshoeing, walking, winterLeave a Comment

Feeling stressed or anxious? Going for a walk is good for your body, mind, and soul. Additionally, research shows that the benefits are even greater if you’re able to take that walk outside in nature.

Echoes of a ghost town at Point Douglas

By: angiehongmn January 9, 2026January 7, 2026

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, Mississippi River, Point Douglas, St. Croix RiverLeave a Comment

Though there are no buildings left to see, Point Douglas remains a unique location to see the confluence of two great rivers.

Stories of the St. Croix

By: angiehongmn August 8, 2025August 5, 2025

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, History, Minnesota, St. Croix River, WisconsinLeave a Comment

How do you tell the story of a place?

Tips for dry feet and healthy wetlands

By: angiehongmn April 11, 2025April 11, 2025

Aquatic Biology, Outdoor Adventures, Wildlifebirds, bogs, featured, marshes, Wetlands, WildlifeLeave a Comment

Though Minnesota might be known as the “Land of 10,000 lakes,” we could just as easily call ourselves the “Land of 1,000,000 wetlands.”

Staying warm and upright during Minnesota’s winters

By: angiehongmn December 20, 2024December 17, 2024

Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, ice, Minnesota, snow, winterLeave a Comment

Twenty-five years later, I’m still wearing that same pair of snow pants and mukluks and I’ve picked up a few additional tricks for staying warm and upright during Minnesota’s winters.

The art of finding green leaves in a dull brown forest

By: angiehongmn November 15, 2024November 14, 2024

Outdoor Adventuresfall, featured, nature, outdoorsLeave a Comment

It was a bare tree, brown leaf, bummer kind of day.

Connecting at the Confluence

By: angiehongmn November 3, 2024November 1, 2024

Outdoor Adventures, Partners and Updatesartist residency, featured, Mississippi River, photography, south washington watershed district, St Croix RiverLeave a Comment

Sarah Lilja is the artist in residence at South Washington Watershed District and has spent the past year capturing images of people, places, and projects in the watershed. Her photography will be on display at Carpenter Nature Center (12805 St. Croix Trail S, Hastings) from November 5 – December 5 in an exhibit entitled Connecting at the Confluence: Photographs of natural places & community connections in the South Washington Watershed District. The exhibit opening on Nov. 7, 6-8pm is free and open to the public.