Three Rivers' Natural Resources Management

06/18/2026

❓⁉❔Mysterious Nesting Files🥚🐍🐦

Across the parks are nearly 500 houses installed to help assist nesting bluebirds; volunteers actively monitor and report observations.

However, other cavity nesting birds utilize the houses such as tree swallows, chickadees, and house wrens. Any guesses which native bird has created this beautiful grass nest with lovely speckled eggs?

A hint is the perfectly intertwined snake skin, which really pulls the whole nest room together 😉

Answer: Great Crested Flycatcher

📰In a study published in December 2025 in the journal The American Naturalist, a team of researchers at Cornell University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology found evidence that cavity-nesting birds use snake sheds to deter would-be predators from eating their eggs and nestlings.

Nature sure is neat and mysterious...still much to learn and appreciate, stay curious!

06/15/2026

Having more tools available for research, habitat management, and human health is constantly growing. One of these newer tools is DRONES! Whether we are using for seeding wetlands, controlling for invasive plants, or taking aerial photos, this tool can help cover more ground, efficiently and effectively.

One such example is in coordination with Metropolitan Mosquito Control District using drones to protect the Twin Cities from disease caused by mosquitoes.

Just like helicopters, drones apply a dry granule or pellet containing a natural soil bacterium or a mosquito growth regulator to wetlands and large areas of standing water to prevent larval mosquitoes from becoming biting adults. These are bio-rational control materials which specifically target mosquito larvae and pose no risk to human or animal health. MMCD helicopters DO NOT apply liquid control materials that target adult mosquitoes. Learn more about our mosquito control program.

To learn more visit: https://mmcd.org/drone-activity/
https://www.threeriversparks.org/blog/mosquitos-three-rivers

MMCD Rebuild

06/11/2026

Looking for a way to keep fit 💪 outdoors and contributing towards environmental stewardship?!

Join to help pull the invasive plant Garlic Mustard at Soccahic Park in Robbinsdale. See original post for sign up.

Garlic mustard is an invasive plant that is quickly spreading in Sochacki Park! Help us remove it at our upcoming volunteer event:

◾Where: Sochacki Park (meet at the parking lot at 3049 June Ave N)
◾Date: Tuesday, June 16
◾Time: 5:00-7:00 PM

Please bring water and wear clothing that you don't mind getting dirty!

Let us know if you're planning to come by RSVPing at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOxaRQaEhYfEN9IoJOvDPtAIdsmv2LrF9UZU_Tp6wUvjIM1A/viewform

06/09/2026

🎶Sugar Sugar 🎶gives us the perfect trend to showcase a few of our plants growing at the district nursery!

We’ve got sugar maple (obviously), honey locust and red columbine. If you nibble on the upward facing nubs of columbine, you’ll get a sweet treat. It’s also like candy for hummingbirds and other pollinators!

06/08/2026

This is the unique female flower of the butternut (Juglans cinerea). There are no petals, just a green o***y and 2 bright pink stigmas (the part of a flower that captures pollen).

The male flower is a catkin, which occurs on the same tree but often flowers at a different interval to decrease the possibility of fertilizing itself. If pollinated, the o***y will swell into a sticky football shaped nut that matures in late summer, making it a prized find for squirrels trying to build up their winter caches.

Butternut trees were once widespread but have been listed as state endangered since 2013. They are very susceptible to butternut canker, which carries a high mortality rate and they are disappearing throughout their native range. Here at Three Rivers, we have a few known natural specimens, and this species was planted into many reforestation sites over the years, so you might catch a glimpse of this weird flower while walking a trail.

05/25/2026

🌱🌱Out of the greenhouse and into the ground!

Many of our natives prefer cool soils and natural weather patterns to the constant heat and humidity of the greenhouse so with no more frost in the forecast, we are transitioning our native potted plant material from greenhouse to the growing beds as quickly as we can. These seedlings will spend the summer developing stronger roots and stems before they are harvested to be used in other projects.

05/21/2026

What’s the secret to a successful prescribed fire? COMMUNICATION

Team members learn early on in training proper radio comm and how critical it is. This also means having the best equipment for communication, RADIOS.

To outfit the entire crew with handheld radios is costly, including proper harnesses. Thanks to donation funds this upgrade was made possible.

There are many ways to support environmental stewardship and donating to our wildlife funds allows flexibility to enhance programs such as prescribed fire, wildlife monitoring, research, plant material, and much much more.