City of Winona Natural Resources and Sustainability

06/23/2026

June 24th: Spongy moth aerial treatments coordinated by state and federal partners are scheduled. A low flying aircraft will conduct the treatment.

06/10/2026

Very exciting to see that this program is live! Anyone is welcome to adopt a drain to help improve water quality.

🌟Adopt-a-Drain in Winona is live! 🌟

Did you know storm drains lead directly to local lakes, rivers, and wetlands without any filtration? That's why it's important to keep them clear of leaves, trash, and other pollutants for cleaner and healthier waterways.

Here's how it works:
💧Step 1: Adopt as many storm drains as you would like in your neighborhood at mn.adopt-a-drain.org
💧Step 2: Clean out your drain(s)
💧Step 3: Estimate type and pounds of debris collected and submit the data to track on your online account

Adopt a drain near you to help protect Lake Winona and the Mississippi River!

Healthy Lake Winona City of Winona Natural Resources and Sustainability

06/05/2026

Heads up! The Minnesota Department of Agriculture will be using low flying yellow airplanes for aerial management of spongy moth, a destructive invasive forest pest. These operations will take place in the City of Winona. Operations are scheduled to take place sometime between June 23-26 but are dependent on weather, operations could last through July 1. You can find more information and exact operation locations by visiting www.mda.state.mn.us/smmanagement.

05/12/2026

There might some time left to view ephemeral forest wildflowers in the bluff trails. These flowers and plants appear for only a short time before the trees leaf out. Some very unique flowers and leaves.

You may also see a lot of garlic mustard, which is an invasive species. Garlic mustard has much smaller white flowers and lighter green leaves than any of our native ephemerals. Fortunately they can be pulled up pretty easily and some people even enjoy making them into pesto.

05/07/2026

We'll be having an info and input session about our draft Prairie Island Habitat Management Plan this evening at 5 pm at Winona City Hall. You can find the draft plan and our online input form at winonamn.gov/823.

04/24/2026

We're developing a habitat management plan for the natural areas of Prairie Island Park, and value your input!

We'll be hosting some in person sessions where you can learn about the draft plan and discuss with other community members:
- 4/28 (Tuesday): 5:30 PM at Winona City Hall Council Chambers
- 4/29 (Weds.): 7 PM at Two Fathoms
- 5/7 (Thursday): 5 pm at Winona City Hall Council Chambers

There is also the option to review the plan and submit comments online by May 7th: https://www.winonamn.gov/FormCenter/Parks-7/Draft-Prairie-Island-Habitat-Plan-Public-503

04/24/2026

Happy Arbor day! The best way to celebrate is to plant a tree, but the next best is to sign up for a boulevard tree from the City of Winona. Thanks to a MN DNR grant, the City is able to plant trees at no cost to recipients. Email [email protected] or complete this form to sign up for a tree! https://www.winonamn.gov/formcenter/public-works-15/boulevard-tree-planting-request-156

04/20/2026

**UPDATE** All trees have found homes.

We'll be celebrating Earth and Arbor Day with a tree give away at Winona City Hall starting at 11 am on Wednesday. We have 4 species this year: bur oak, swamp white oak, red oak and pecan. Yes, wild pecans!

Limit of 5 trees per person per day. Trees provided through the Living Lands and Waters .

04/14/2026

In honor of Earth day (Weds. 4/22), join us for a walk through Prairie Island Park woods and prairie. We'll begin at 5 pm at the Latsch Shelter (915 Prairie Island Rd) and make our way through the nature trail. We'll discuss the forthcoming Prairie Island Habitat Plan and efforts to improve the natural areas of the park. If the weather doesn't cooperate, we'll try again on 4/23.

All are welcome, but please note the trail walk will be about 1.5 miles over occasionally muddy and slippery terrain.

04/10/2026

We'll be doing a small prescribed burn today at the prairie demonstration area near the Lake Winona Rose gardens. These burns beat back encroaching woody plants as well as invigorate the native species that evolved with fire.