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NEWSLETTER / APRIL 2022
 Welcome to the Earth Day edition of the MWMO newsletter! This is the issue where we overload you with links to eco-friendly activities, events, yard care tips, and resources.
No need to overthink it. Celebrating Earth Day can be as simple as getting outside and reconnecting with nature. For that, we just posted a whole list of fun ideas.
We're also hosting a pair of art-related Earth Day events here at the MWMO (see below).
 This Friday, April 22, is the 52nd annual Earth Day. There are many ways to celebrate, with a variety of Earth Day cleanup events planned in our watershed.
As a starting point, check out our annual spring guide, which features a list of upcoming native plant sales, Blue Thumb workshops, community cleanup events, and more. There’s something for everyone!
Hennepin County also put together a helpful and comprehensive list of climate-focused Earth Day ideas.
A few quick yard care reminders:
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Now is a good time to clean your gutters and redirect your downspouts to a vegetated area. (This is one of the simplest ways you can protect water quality at home.)
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Help protect pollinators by waiting until temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees before starting your spring gardening activities.
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No-Mow May is just around the corner. Consider leaving your yard just a little unkempt this May to help create habitat and forage for pollinating insects.
 Stephen Eggert
MWMO Board Chair Steve Eggert believes that longevity helps you to see the big picture. The retired real estate developer and U.S. Air Force veteran has been a Fridley resident since 1964 who naturally brings a big-picture view to his work as a Fridley City Council member and MWMO commissioner.
A self-described “numbers guy,” Eggert won election to the city council in 2018 after serving for nine years on the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority. He says he thinks of public service as being primarily about good stewardship of public resources — not about politics.
MWMO Bids Farewell to Water Resources Specialist Brittany Faust
 Brittany Faust
After more than seven years with the MWMO, Water Resources Specialist Brittany Faust left to begin a new position with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Brittany started as an intern in 2014 and was hired as a full-time environmental specialist in 2015. She earned a promotion to water resources specialist in 2019, and has been diligently crunching data and cranking out reports ever since. Last year, she completed her master’s degree in Natural Resources Science and Management from the University of Minnesota.
She brought creativity and a sense of fun to the office, helping to organize the party planning committee that celebrated staff birthdays and work milestones. Although she will be sorely missed, we are happy for her and wish her the best of luck in her new job.
MWMO Welcomes Minnesota GreenCorps Member Ella Graham
 Ella Graham
The MWMO is pleased to welcome Ella Graham, a Minnesota GreenCorps member serving at the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (DID).
As part of her work with DID, Ella is collaborating with MWMO to study optimal soil moisture for young urban tree survival to determine how often trees should be watered. She is also working with the MWMO to create maps of downtown trees for future analysis.
Ella graduated from St. Catherine University with a B.A. in English and Mathematics last year and is excited to apply her skills to sustainability work. In her free time, you can find Ella reading, exploring Minneapolis, or spending time outdoors with friends.
 Weaving Water: Monthly Fiber & Indigo Workshop
Saturday, April 23 — 10 a.m.–Noon — MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center
Weaving Water welcomes Minneapolis-based artist Emily Donovan on Earth Day! Emily will share about indigo traditions from around the world and we will play with wax resist techniques. Registration is open through the link below.
Mississippi River Stories Open House
Saturday, April 23 — 1 p.m.–3 p.m. — MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center
Mississippi River Stories is a collection of work created by 15 different artists. Each piece is based on a river story collected from around the MWMO watershed by University of St. Thomas students in partnership with the Sustainable Communities Partnership and the Natural Heritage Project.
Join us for an informal open house for the Mississippi River Stories exhibit. Meet the artists and learn more about the student research that inspired the artwork.
Meet the Mississippi: Learn to Bird with Dudley Edmondson
Saturday, May 7 — 9 a.m.–11 a.m. — North Mississippi Regional Park
Join Dudley Edmondson and the MWMO to learn about local and migratory birds along the Mississippi River in North Minneapolis! The Mississippi River provides critical habitat that supports hundreds of bird species in North America.
Dudley is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker, public speaker and author from Duluth, Minn., whose passion is nature and getting people of color outdoors. His book Black & Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places creates a set of “Outdoor Role Models” for the African American community. Check out his work at dudleyedmondson.com.
Riverside Park Sound Garden
Saturday, May 14 — Cedar-Riverside Park
The Riverside Park Sound Garden event is a free, family-friendly, self-guided event that features a sound installation of 50+ small, wireless speakers, distributed throughout a section of the park, with live accompaniment by roving musicians and dancers, and live poetry and site-specific visual art.
Composer and director JG Everest teams up with artist organizers and poets Chavonn Shen and Nimo Farah to present this new, site-specific, and temporary sound and performance installation at Riverside Park, part of the Cedar Riverside People’s Center and Clinics’ “Because Your Health Matters” community wellness initiative and the City Of Minneapolis’ Creative City Making program.
Share the River Nordeast 2022
Wednesday, June 22 at 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. — MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center
Join us for an evening of community, canoeing and cookies! Share the River Nordeast is back. Stop by anytime between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. for a free introductory canoe ride on the Mississippi River, then grab a free cookie and enjoy a variety of fun and educational activities at our Stormwater Park and Learning Center.
This family-friendly event is great for kids and adults of all ages. (Please note that you must weigh at least 30 lbs. in order to fit the provided life jackets.) In addition to learning to paddle on the river, participants will also have opportunities to learn about the Mississippi River’s history, water quality, plants, animals and more.
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