On the two days we visited this January, the falls at Iguazu cascaded downward in breathtaking hues of turquoise and blue, but photos taken by other travelers only one month earlier showed the river swollen with water like chocolate milk.
Read MoreLitter in the water (or the butt that broke the camel’s back)
In 2009, volunteers picked up 10,239,538 plastic and paper bags, food wrappers, caps and lids, glass and plastic bottles, plastic cups, plates, forks, knives and spoons, aluminum cans, straws and other items of debris. Most of all, the volunteers found cigarette butts – 2,189,252 of them to be exact.
Read MoreBringing nature to your doorstep
Where was nature during that stretch of my childhood? It was certainly in the mountains, probably out in the country where the grapevines grew, possibly in the orchards and empty lots, but definitely not in our own backyard.
Read MoreOut Standing in their Field
Standing in their field that day, the Warmingtons knew that the folks at the WCD would be able to help them with this gully as well.
Read MoreAs the Water Drop Rolls
Long envied for her crystal clear water, the lake uses her beauty and charm to convince Washington County Parks and the Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District to build raingardens, porous pavement, a rock swale and native plantings to block a pesky suitor known locally as Polluted Runoff.
Read MoreLocal communities working to keep roads safe and water fresh
Almost all of the salt spread on our roads and parking lots eventually migrates to surface or ground waters and like sugar in your morning coffee, once it’s there, it’s almost impossible to remove.
Read MoreGiving and getting trees for the holidays
Trees are the perfect present for the person that has everything. Best of all, they’re equally good for Hanukkah, Christmas and birthdays alike.
Read MoreForest Lake Makes Dead Ends into New Beginnings
Before you sipped, breathed a sigh, and began your daily work, that water drop in your cup traveled a billion years and a million miles. It was passed down from generation to generation by the people who lived before us. Raingardens in Forest Lake are just one of the ways we can ensure this gift keeps giving.
Read MoreDo you really like me?
My best guess for prom queen this year is the St. Croix River, liked by 16,850 people. Hopefully all those people are ready to roll up their sleeves and pitch in on projects to keep the river clean, now that its been declared impaired for excess phosphorus.
Read MoreGreen streets, blue water, yellow ducks
Starting next year, the bright yellow Derby Day ducks will enjoy cleaner, bluer, water during their annual float down Perro Creek thanks to the Middle St. Croix Watershed Management Organization’s (MSCWMO) upcoming Green Streets Project.
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