Meet our 2025 Natural Shoreline Award winners!

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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Good for the goose and gander

Given their current abundance, you might be surprised to learn that Canada geese were a rare novelty in the 1920s. In fact, state and federal agencies actually worked together to breed and re-introduce them to the wild during the 1950s.

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Tips for dry feet and healthy wetlands

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.”

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Darks skies, birds fly

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.

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Always the right time to plant a garden

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.

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Interpreting the past and future through feathers, fur and bones

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

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And it was all yellow

If you peruse the Minnesota Wildflowers online field guide, you will find an impressive 303 species of plants native to Minnesota that all have yellow flowers. Check out this weekend’s Master Gardener Garden Tour or an upcoming event to learn more about gardening with native plants.

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‘Tis the Season to Turn out the Lights

Allison Mcginnis might not be a twitcher, but she does love birds! In this week’s East Metro water blog, Mcginnis talks about leading Sustainable Stillwater’s Bird City Stillwater initiative and shares advice for area bird-lovers.

A few tips for the coming spring:
– Turn out exterior lights to protect migrating birds
– Protect against bird strikes with window applications
– Plant a native tree, shrub, and garden
– Join a birding hike near you or enjoy one of the brand new self-guided tours!

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Trout and bird lovers unite

This Saturday, September 16, 10am-1pm, Brown’s Creek Watershed District and Bird City Stillwater (a workgroup of Sustainable Stillwater MN) will co-host a free, fun, family-friendly nature event designed to celebrate all things fin, feathers, and fur.

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