Tips and tales about keeping water clean
On May 11, 1858, the United States of America welcomed its 32nd state to the union – 18 million acres of prairie, 21 million acres of wetlands, 31.5 million acres of forests, and 11,842 lakes, now lovingly known as Minnesota. Over the years, Minnesota has grown and prospered. Settlers drained wetlands to make way for…
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The roots of the leadplant chart a course toward the center of the earth. Thirsty and longing for stability, they branch, spread and burrow further and further into the soil. Encountering a rock or a flat pan of clay, they will pause, turn, and then continue their travels laterally. In sandy soils, where rainwater is…
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The sun shines on a May morning and 23 tiny children gather round, faces up-turned, smiling and eager to begin the day. Kim Lawler, a team leader with Tree Trust, and Joan Nichols, a Master Water Steward in-training, stand before the children with a young white oak that the students will soon plant in a…
Read MoreThe Rambosek’s bought their home in 1980 when most of Woodbury was still corn fields and open space. Today, their prairie is an oasis of color and life.
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When Jyneen Thatcher decided to make a mid-life career change, she wasn’t quite sure where her new path would lead her. She enrolled in the landscape architecture program at the University of Minnesota, with an interest in natural resources restoration. “Most of the other students in the program were designing artistic features for urban landscapes,”…
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Already, the teachers are coming up with creating ways to teach about biology, ecology, math, technology and art in the prairie.
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“For our 25th anniversary – the silver anniversary – we got a doe with silver ears and two baby goats.” Becky Vierling smiles as she talks about the small farm in Denmark Township that she and her husband Philip bought in 2003. When the Vierlings took on a more than 100-year old farm house with…
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Planting in groups versus scattering the plants throughout your garden also makes it easier to keep track of them in early years.
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On Saturday, June 11, the ground in the Belwin prairie will again shake as a truck pulls up, opens its doors and releases a herd of bison with thundering hooves.
Read MoreThis year, for the first time, the Washington Conservation District has grant funds available to help landowners living near the St. Croix River convert large areas of turf to prairie, making it easier than ever for people to go native.
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