As we at the Washington Conservation District work with landowners on vegetation enhancements, we are often asked whether using native plants is better than introduced plants or cultivars.
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FiN offers nearby family fun in Washington County
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has an urban fishing program called “Fishing in the Neighborhood” (FiN) that manages over 60 small lakes and ponds for fishing in the Twin Cities.
Read MoreTending the Delicate Balance
The Wild Ones 2012 Design With Nature Conference: Tending the Delicate Balance, will explore the relationships between plants and animals in our natural communities and consider the impacts of processes such as habitat loss and climate change.
Read MoreWetlands, Wonderlands
In the dead of winter, thoughts of spring dance in our heads. Even with frozen land and waters there is life surviving within our wetlands.
Read MoreAbounding Deer and Combines in the Fields
Do overabundant deer have any impact on nearby streams and waterways?
Read More“Grandpa, why are there dragonflies?”
I paused slightly and pondered my seven year-old grandson’s question, “Why are there dragonflies?” My training taught me that the dragonfly comes from the scientific order Odonata, loosely meaning, “toothed ones”, because of their toothly lower lip used to capture and hold prey, as they eat. Next is the suborder of Anisoptera, meaning “different wings”…
Read MoreBirds Gone Wild
Because native flowers, shrubs and trees also help to prevent erosion and runoff water pollution, watershed districts in Washington County can provide grants to people for planting or improving bird habitat along lake, stream and wetland edges and for people with cropland or ravines that drain to the St. Croix River and other waterways.
Read MoreSpooky noises in the night
Ten years later, Gary is now my husband, and it turns out that husbands are no braver than boyfriends when it comes to spooky noises in the night.
Read MoreA wise old owl once told me
A hundred feet away another owl hooted in response and it suddenly felt like magic as we all sat wordlessly in the sparkling snow on a subzero night listening to the owls hoot for at least another minute.
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East Metro Water 