PLEASE NOTE: Many events are in flux due to Covid-19 containment efforts.
Please use the links in the individual events for updates on their status.
Save the Date! WaterFest – Saturday, May 30th, 2020
Lawns to Legumes Workshops Scheduled This Spring
Free introductory workshops are now being scheduled throughout our Watershed District and at other Metro area locations to help you become familiar with the program, access resources and complete your grant application. See the schedule below:
Based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health, RWMWD and our partners have had to cancel or postpone many of the previously scheduled events/workshops that we had hoped to offer this spring. Currently our Blue Thumb Resilient Lawns workshop scheduled for June 11 in Shoreview is still on the calendar. Watch for updates as the time gets closer to that workshop.
- Thursday, June 11, 6 PM- 8 PM, Blue Thumb Workshop: Resilient Yards, Shoreview Public Works Building, 4615 Victoria St. N., Shoreview. This workshop is presented by Metro Blooms on behalf of Blue Thumb and MN BWSR’s Lawns to Legumes program, and is supported by the City of Shoreview, Rice Creek Watershed District, Vadnais Lake Area WMO and Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District.
Attend a 2-hour workshop to help provide a framework for creating resilient yards. Site planning, raingardens, turf alternatives, trees, other plantings, pollinator habitat, and more will be covered. Learn about Lawns to Legumes, a new state program offering grants and other support to help you create habitat for the endangered rusty patched bumblebee and other at-risk pollinators. The presentation is followed by a short discussion/Q&A about common challenges and solutions.
Scholarships to cover the $5.00 fee for this workshop are available upon request—please call (651) 699-2426 to sign up. Sign up here.
Space is limited – Sign up soon!
If you are interested in the topic of pollinators we recommend you join these upcoming Zoom meetings in April sponsored by the Pollinator Friendly Alliance, https://www.pollinatorfriendly.org/
EARTH CHAPTERS: Join Pollinator Friendly Alliance and friends for two weekly 20 minute earth talks, every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:00 PM during April. Take advantage of this time at home to learn a little something new about ecology, conservation, gardening and habitat. Topics led by Pollinator Friendly Alliance during the month of April, 2020. Free through zoom technology online, (Meeting ID: 498 909 497) or listen on your phone at: 312-262-6799 (Meeting ID: 498 909 497)
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/498909497
Tuesdays @ 1:00 PM: April 7, April 14, April 21, April 28
Thursdays @ 1:00 PM: April 9, April 16, April 23, April 30
Earth Chapters topics include: Pollinator conservation, native plants for pollinators and wildlife, bird conservation, backyard biodiversity, fruiting bushes for wildlife, ecological regenerative lawns, making mushroom garden, shrubs and trees for pollinators, seed selection and propagation, soil health, sheet composting, unsung heroes – beneficial insects, groundwater conservation, geology of St. Croix River, and preparing a veggie garden bed.
Blue Thumb has scheduled many Lawns to Legumes workshops this spring. Go to their events page for a complete list of metro area workshops (many now webinars): https://bluethumb.org/events/
Landscaping for Wildlife Webinar
Thursday, April 23, 6:30-7:30 PM
Get ideas for creating and nurturing habitat on your land to attract wildlife and protect local water resources.
Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Washington Conservation District will be offering this workshop as a free webinar.
Learn:
• Which trees and shrubs are best for birds
• How to enhance existing gardens to provide nectar for pollinators;
• How to protect frogs and nesting turtles in the spring; and
• Where to find help for woodland, shoreline, and wetland restoration projects.
The workshop is free to attend, but please register in advance here: http://bit.ly/landscape4wildlife
This workshop is offered in partnership with Comfort Lake – Forest Lake Watershed District, Rice Creek Watershed District; City of Forest Lake, City of Hugo; and the Hardwood Creek Library.
To access this free webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/239630568 (Meeting ID: 239 630 568 )
One tap mobile : +13126266799,,239630568#
Or dial: 312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 239 630 568)
2020 Landscape Revival: Native Plant Expo and Market – Oakdale
Saturday, June 13th from 9 AM to 1 PM at Oakdale City Hall,
1524 Hadley Avenue N., Oakdale MN 55128
The Oakdale Native Plant Expo and Market offers gardeners one convenient location to shop for Minnesota native plants from 6 local native growers and to learn from conservation organizations how and why to use these plants. The goal of Landscape Revival is to promote the use of native plants by educating about their benefits for wildlife habitat, pollinators and water quality.
Maplewood Nature Center Programs March – May
NOTE: These events will likely be converted to virtual programs; please check back for updates.
Native Plants Do Double Duty: Stop Water And Feed Pollinators !!
At Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 E. 7th St., Maplewood, Mn 55119
Thursday, April 9, 7:00PM-8:30 PM
Deep rooted plants help reduce flooding, filter pollutants and provide food for disappearing pollinators such as monarch butterflies and non-aggressive bees. In addition, replacing turf with these native grasses and wildflowers reduce geese problems. In this class, learn to identify 10 workhorse plants and the pollinators that depend on them. Dramatic research on the ability of raingardens to help prevent run-off will be shared. Take home an initial design that will work in most sunny spots.
Free. Seating is limited, register by Tuesday, April 7! Register online at www.maplewoodnaturecenter.com and click on the RegisterOnline-Go button, or call RegisterOnline-Go 651-249-2170. Activity #16724
Nesting and Overwintering Habitat for Bees (Adults)
At Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 E. 7th St., Maplewood, Mn 55119
Saturday, April 18, 2019, 1:00PM – 3:30 PM
The availability of nesting habitat is a critical yet often over-looked factor impacting native bee populations. This training will offer practical approaches to creating and managing a variety of nesting and overwintering habitat features for bees, including dead wood, stems, brush, rock piles, bare ground, leaf litter, and more. Approaches are relevant to gardeners, landscapers, natural resource professionals, and anyone interested in taking the next step in supporting pollinators. The training will include both classroom and field components, including a search for active nests of stem-nesting bees! Instructed by researcher, Colleen Satyshur (University of MN), and Naturalist, Oakley Biesanz with instructional materials from the Xerces Society. Space is limited, so register early to hold your spot! Register online through Maplewood Nature Center.
$5/person, prepay by Wednesday, April 15. Register online at www.maplewoodnaturecenter.com and click on the RegisterOnline-Go button, or call 651-249-2170. Activity#16727
Tree-Mendous Arbor Day Celebration! (All Ages, Families, Adults, youth groups)
Maplewood Nature Center, 2659 E. 7th St., Maplewood, Mn 55119
Saturday May 2, 1:00PM-3:00 PM
Join us in a celebration of trees and all they do for us! Fun activities for both kids and adults will help all ages discover and learn about trees, bees, and birds that depend on them. Meet Ella the Bee, enter a drawing for a gift certificate to purchase a tree from Maplewood’s Tree Sale; complete the Tree Quest trail to win prizes for both kids and adults. Tree Care Advisory Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate how to care for and properly plant a tree. Visit with a surprise live animal, build a beehouse; or birdhouse or to take home. Tree games and crafts, and snacks while supplies last.
All for FREE! Drop-in program; no registration required. Activity #16730
State of Water Conference April 30 – May 1
2020 State of Water Conference: Clear action for clean water
Mille Lacs Grand Casino
Registration is now open!
https://freshwater.org/state-of-water-conference/
Sponsored by the Freshwater Society