Join UMN Extension and partners on a tour of fruit and vegetable farms to learn about soil health practices, unique growing challenges, and conservation support programs. Stops include: Big River Farms, Hands-on soil health assessment at the Lake Elmo Park Preserve, 10th Street Farm.

We will:

• explore profitable small-scale farming (1–5 acres) and soil care

• visit a cooperative incubator farm and a thriving suburban market garden

• learn about cover crops, reduced tillage, high tunnel soil health, and support for growers

This tour is Part 2 of a three-part series in Hennepin, Washington, and Dakota counties. You may choose to attend one, two, or all three tours! More information: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Who are these tours for? Farmers who want to improve their soil health, aspiring farmers who want to see successful farms at different scales, and conservation professionals (NRCS, SWCD, etc.) who want to support specialty crop farmers.

Cost:  $15 flat fee, covers 1, 2, or all 3 tours. Limited scholarships available. Tours include lunch. Interpretation available. 

Registration required: z.umn.edu/vegetablebustours

Join Washington Conservation District for a fun and immersive aquatic critter quest at Carver Lake Park. We’ll get our hands wet as we search for fish, frogs, snails, and aquatic insects and learn what these critters can teach us about the health of a lake or stream.

Meet at the Carver Lake Park Fishing Pier. This is a free, family-friendly event. Wear comfy and casual clothes. We’ll provide equipment for catching and identifying critters.

RSVP here.

Join Pine SWCD for a free well water screening clinic!

Wondering what’s in your drinking water? To participate, bring water from your home tap (minimum of two cups - 16oz) in a clean, hard plastic or glass container and include the location and date that you collected the sample. We will run a screen test on your water for nitrate and chloride. You can wait for your results or request them via email.

During the clinic, experts will also be on hand to discuss wellhead protection and groundwater concerns, including arsenic, bacteria, pesticides, and Perfluorinated Alkylated Substances (PFAS). Stop by anytime to pick up fact sheets and talk with clinic volunteers. This clinic is free and open to everyone, regardless of what city, county or state they live in. 

Join BCWD for our annual community event at Brown’s Creek Park in Stillwater. We will have a raptor show in partnership with Sustainable Stillwater MN’s Bird City and the U of M Raptor Center. Other activities include various environmental educations stations, crafts, games, live music, and free ice cream.

Join Isanti SWCD for an engaging Soil Health Field Day where you’ll learn the principles of improving soil health with an emphasis on strip till and conservation tillage practices. Discover how to improve soil structure and protect your land. You will also learn about cost-share opportunities and get to connect with other farmers!

Free to attend and lunch will be provided!

Three ways to register: Use this link, Email skhan@isantiswcd.org, or Call 763-689-3271

Join Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District for a family friendly event! Is there anything more exciting than playing with bugs? We will be digging right in and seeing what kind of buggy neighbors are swimming around the lakes and streams. This is a very hands-on session full of creepy crawly fun that will leave you with a better appreciation of how important insects are as well as what they can tell us about the water.

This event is geared towards children ages 5-10 and their grown-ups.

Register here: https://forestlake.ce.eleyo.com/course/8273/fall-2025/bugged-out-water-parent-child-ages-5-10

Join the CLFLWD Citizen Advisory Committee, the Bone Lake Association and other local leaders for a tour of natural shorelines on Bone Lake. We will be visiting several examples of natural shorelines and learning more about their importance to the health of Bone Lake. Aidan Read, CLFLWD Land Management Specialist, will be leading the tour, and he will also be discussing the technical and financial resources available through the CLFLWD.

We will be meeting at Patti Ray’s house located at 23370 Melanie Trail North and loading the pontoons there. The pontoon tour will be from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. followed by a light supper back at Patti’s property.

Please RSVP via email or by phone to (651) 395-5850 by August 11th. Any questions or concerns about the event can also be directed to Adam’s email or by phone.

Open Meeting Law Notice

Join us for a tour of the recent restoration of the creek near Brown’s Creek Park! Restoration activities have included repairing stream meanders, controlling invasive species, planting native trees and shrubs, and creating stream access areas including an ADA accessible fishing pier. The tour will be a great opportunity to learn about this project and the work of the watershed district.

Join us for a fun informational pontoon tour of natural shorelines and discussions of features that support the long-term health and ecology of Big Carnelian Lake.

Register HERE.

Due to limited seating, registration is required. Please register by July 13th.

Join the Brown’s Creek Watershed District for a walk on the Lakes at Stillwater’s new paved trail. This will be a great opportunity for community members and the Lakes residents to get out and learn more about the unique plants, wildlife, and water features of the watershed. We will meet on the main patio outside the lobby at 6:30pm.

Healthy soil is important for growing strong, resilient, and tough plants that can handle our wacky Minnesota growing conditions AND is a key component of protecting water quality. Whether you are starting a new flower garden or trying to revitalize an old veggie patch, we will cover it all! From soil testing to composting, and so much more.

Participants will receive an informational folder full of great publications, and several door prizes will be given away from local plant specialists.

Please register here.

Join the Citizen’s Advisory Committee on a tour of recent restoration projects to the Brown’s Creek Tributaries.

This casual hike will explore the changes in the stream corridor in Brown’s Creek Park, in Stillwater, following the vegetation and hydrologic restoration work done in 2021. Be prepared to walk approximately 1 mile on mowed trails, but also venture into the unmowed buffer areas. Solid shoes that can get muddy are fine; sandals are not recommended. Note that we might find ticks and mosquitoes, so be prepared with repellent or protective clothing.
Meet at the Neal Ave trailhead at 9:30 am.

Join Great River Greening to restore native habitat at Lumberjack Landing in Stillwater. Volunteers will learn to identify and remove invasive garlic mustard and Dame’s rocket and will help plant native shrubs, plants and seeds to replace them.

Lumberjack Landing is one of several locations in Washington County that have been set aside for permanent land protection, thanks to funding through the Washington County Land & Water Legacy Program. This brand new city park will eventually include a canoe and kayak launch on the St. Croix River and is located off of the Brown’s Creek State Trail, just north of downtown Stillwater.

Groups and individuals welcome! This is a family-friendly event and all ages are welcome!

Learn more and register here!

Join BCWD to help plant native trees and shrubs at the Brown’s Creek restoration site! Meet us at 8am at Brown’s Creek Park and stay until all the trees/shrubs are in the ground.

Please use this form to sign up in advance. Any changes will be communicated via email. Minors must be accompanied by an adult volunteer. Please submit a separate form for each volunteer. A volunteer waiver must be signed by all participants. We will send via email prior to the event and have copies available onsite to be signed.

Questions? Contact Hannah Peterson at hpeterson@mnwcd.org.