East Metro Water

Three people stand with their arms around a very large tree

A call for Tree Steward volunteers

By: angiehongmn March 25, 2025March 19, 2025

Buckthorneab, featured, planting, trees, volunteeringLeave a Comment

Minnesota’s Tree Steward program is designed for people who love trees, enjoy being outdoors, and want to volunteer in their community. In addition to caring for community trees, volunteers also help to lead reforestation efforts.

This spring, Washington Conservation District hopes to recruit and train 30-40 Tree Steward volunteers to work in communities across Washington County. There will be volunteer trainings on Saturday, April 5, 9am-2pm at Scandia Community Center and Saturday, April 12, 9am-2pm at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. The events are free and include lunch.

To learn more and sign-up, visit http://www.mnwcd.org/events.

An apple farmer by day, conservation champion for a lifetime

By: angiehongmn March 18, 2025March 18, 2025

Local Achievements, Partners and Updates, Uncategorizedapple orchards, Chisago County, Chisago Soil and Water Conservation District, farming, featured, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, soil and water conservationLeave a Comment

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.

Darks skies, birds fly

By: angiehongmn March 14, 2025March 13, 2025

Wildlifebirds, featured, lights out, migration, springLeave a Comment

Currently, an estimated 41,100 birds are crossing Minnesota every night and this number will climb to 18 million by mid-May.

One important and easy action you can take to protect birds during their spring and fall migration is to turn out the lights.

Always the right time to plant a garden

By: angiehongmn March 7, 2025March 5, 2025

Yards and Landscapingbirds, Chisago County, featured, gardening, native plants, pollinators, trees, Washington County, workshopsLeave a Comment

To plant a tree or a garden is an act of hope. We hope that the snow will melt and the sun will return. We hope that that neighborhood deer and rabbits will find enough food to eat, though not so much that our garden fails to grow. We hope that the earth will keep spinning, and the rain will fall, that there will be a warm home to live in, and hands to do the work. It’s a small act of courage in an uncertain world, though really, when you think about it, not so small at all.

Community art project explores flora and fauna of the Brown’s Creek Watershed

By: angiehongmn February 28, 2025February 28, 2025

Aquatic Biology, Partners and Updates, Wildlifeart, Browns Creek Watershed DIstrict, drawing, featured, painting, poetry, St Croix River, Stillwater, writingLeave a Comment

The Water Where We Live is open for viewing Mondays through Fridays from 10am – 3pm or by appointment at A House Unbuilt’s Art & Water Space (321 Main Street S – second floor). There will also be a reception on Thursday, March 6 from 4-7pm that is free and open to the public. Stop by to meet the artists, have a drink at the “Water Bar,” and learn from environmental professionals at Brown’s Creek Watershed District and EOR.

Interpreting the past and future through feathers, fur and bones

By: angiehongmn February 21, 2025February 19, 2025

WildlifeBell Museum of Natural History, birds, deforestation, endangered species, featured, habitat restoration, passenger pigeon, WildlifeLeave a Comment

Researchers at the Bell Museum study the ways animals adapt to environmental changes, the spread of zoonotic diseases, impacts of pollution, and declining species.

Rivers re-wilded, fish return

By: angiehongmn February 18, 2025

Aquatic Biology, Partners and Updates, Wildlifedam removal, featured, fishing, Minnesota, remeander, rivers, streams, sturgeon, trout, WisconsinLeave a Comment

From dam removals to re-meander projects, many rivers and streams in Minnesota are regaining their wildness and seeing fish and other wildlife return.

Likely Stories: A Photographic Journey through Climate Adaptations in the St. Croix Watershed

By: angiehongmn February 7, 2025February 7, 2025

Keeping water clean, Local Achievements, Uncategorized, Wildlifeart, climate change, climate resiliency, featured, nature, photography, St Croix River, St Croix Watershed Research Station, Washington Conservation District, wild rivers conservancy, WildlifeLeave a Comment

“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.

Ice castles and cliffs plus heaves on my shore?

By: angiehongmn January 31, 2025

Uncategorizedfeatured, hiking, ice, Minnesota, nature, shorelines, travel, water, winter1 Comment

From ice castles to sculptures, and even scalable cliffs of ice, Minnesotans are adept at finding creative ways to have fun in the winter. What happens, though, when the dynamic power of ice wrecks havoc on shoreline properties?