Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District

04/06/2026

Did you catch this weekend's episode of River Radio? https://www.buzzsprout.com/1578190/episodes/18958291?t=1787

Angie Hong talked about spring gardening dos and don'ts and highlighted our stormwater improvement project at Square Lake Park, completed in partnership with Washington County Parks MN.

If you have native gardens, we encourage you to wait until it is consistently above 50°F or the apple trees are blooming before you cut back senesced growth from last year. This will help butterflies and other beneficial insects that are overwintering on or in the plant stems, as well as salamanders, toads, and other small animals that are burrowed beneath the leaves.

02/21/2026

Applications to be a 2026 beetle parent are now open!

What are beetle parents? They are volunteers who support our purple loosestrife biocontrol program. If you are selected, you will help raise, rear, and release biocontrol beetles in areas of heavy purple loosestrife populations. You will be rewarded by helping restore healthy native habitats.

Help create a more vigorous native plant community within the St. Croix River watershed, protecting the natural areas you know and love.

🪲Learn more and submit a volunteer application here: https://wildriversconservancy.org/get-involved/biocontrolproject/

02/06/2026

Calling all shoreline contractors!
Join us for a free professional training on maintaining natural and restored shorelines.
Register online at tinyurl.com/2026lakeshore

01/15/2026

Sign up for a FREE webinar to learn how to reduce salt pollution in our waterways!

09/03/2025

Adopt a storm drain on your street to help protect local lakes and streams.

Storm drains in our city help to protect neighborhoods from flooding, but they also carry litter and polluted runoff from streets and parking lots into nearby lakes and streams.

You can make a difference by volunteering just 15-minutes, twice a month, to keep your nearest storm drain clear of litter, leaves, grass clippings and dirt. Go to Adopt-a-Drain.org and use the map to find your neighborhood storm drains – then click and sign-up to adopt. Spend a few minutes each month picking up the garbage and debris near your drain and then go online to report your work so our community can measure its collective impact.

To dispose of the waste you collect, separate it into three categories and place it in the appropriate receptacles: trash, recyclables (glass and plastic bottles, cans) and compostables (leaves and grass clippings). Sediment collected in the spring contains winter road salt and should be put in the trash.

Adopt a storm drain today to help protect our water and keep our neighborhoods clean: https://adopt-a-drain.org/

09/03/2025

Are you concerned about the impact Buckthorn and non-native bush honeysuckles have on our natural habitats? Do you like being outdoors and participating in hands-on activities? If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, the Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District and Washington Conservation District invite you to participate in a Cut and Learn Event at Burris Park.

For more information visit:
https://www.communitythreadconnect.org/need/detail/?need_id=1136288

08/21/2025

07/17/2025

How many fish in the lake???

Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District hosted a pontoon tour on Big Carnelian last night and demonstrated how they and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conduct shoreline fish surveys to develop an “index of biological integrity” (IBI). Basically, the more fish and more types of fish you find, the better.

The watershed district’s goal is to have lakeshore owners maintain 50% (or more!) of the natural habitat on their property in order to support fish and wildlife. Big Carnelian is well-known for very clean water but is considered at-risk due to increasing shoreline development.

Happily, CMSCWD provides grants to help lakeshore owners with shoreline planting and restoration projects and also collaborates with Washington Conservation District to provide free on-site consultations and project designs.
Visit www.cmscwd.org to learn more.

01/31/2025

Request your free Salt Watch test kit today! Help track chloride pollution in your local waters.

Take the Salt Watch Pledge, and the Izaak Walton League will send you a FREE kit with everything you need to advocate for smarter salt use.

01/31/2025

Did someone say FREE? Yes , free online Smart Salting training for local leaders tomorrow. Don't forget to sign up.

Free MPCA Smart Salting workshop for elected officials, council members, board members, & other community leaders.

01/27/2025

The answer is...

D. All of the above! Minimize salt use at home. Stay off the roads during storm events. Help spread the word!