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NEWSLETTER / JUNE 2023
 Children practice using a SAORI loom at the Weaving Water workshop at Solace at the Palace, hosted by Moon Palace Books, on June 12, 2023. MWMO Artist-in-Residence Sarah Nassif showed visitors indigo fiber art techniques at the event, which was organized by the Longfellow Community Council. Nassif’s Weaving Water project helps connect people with the Mississippi River through fiber art handcraft and storytelling.
Lawn and Garden Tips for Yet Another Dry Summer
 In spite of last weekend’s rainstorm, we are still in a drought in the Twin Cities and throughout much of Minnesota. It’s our fourth year in a row of abnormally dry, hot weather.
Here are a few tips for those who have been eyeing their parched plants with growing apprehension:
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Water your trees. They need 1 inch of water per week to stay healthy. Watering them is extremely easy: Put the end of a garden hose 6 inches from the trunk and release a slow trickle of water for 1 hour at a time, once per week. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board offers some additional tips.
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Water your lawn early in the season. We typically advise people to conserve water by not watering their lawns. This is solid advice, especially in late summer. But with lawns turning brown so early in the year, a little supplemental watering might actually be a good idea. The University of Minnesota explains why.
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Don’t water native plants — unless they’re new. Native plants, once established, are relatively drought-tolerant and shouldn’t need extra watering. During the establishment phase (the first 1–2 years) give them the equivalent of 1 inch of water per week.
Bonus: For a deeper dive, check out our lawn care tips and videos.
Towerside District Stormwater System Wins National Engineering Award
 The Towerside District Stormwater System earned an Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) at their annual gala on June 13, 2023. The national-level award follows Towerside’s recognition with a Grand Award from the ACEC’s Minnesota chapter in February.
Towerside provides district-scale stormwater treatment and reuse from multiple private landowners who agreed to manage their stormwater jointly. In addition to turning stormwater into an asset for the community, the project created new habitat and public space in the Twin Cities’ first and only designated innovation district.
In a blog post from 2021, we explored the challenges of building and maintaining the system, as well as some of the key individuals who made it work. We also created a video tour of the system for those who are unfamiliar with it.
Learn more >
Staff Updates
MWMO Welcomes Akadia Johnson
The MWMO is pleased to welcome Akadia Johnson as our new Administrative and Operations Specialist.
Akadia has a B.A. in communications with a minor in technical writing from the University of Minnesota. Their past employers include Minneapolis Public Schools, several university departments, and local pop culture magazine Twin Cities Geek.
In their personal life, Akadia is a musician, a make-up artist and a voracious reader. They also happen to love projects and spreadsheets, which should make them a nice fit for their new role!
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Job Openings
Water Resources Specialist
 Join our team as a water resource specialist! This position will be responsible for water quality monitoring field work and installing, operating, and maintaining a variety of manual and automatic water monitoring and sampling equipment and instruments.
Applications are due by July 5.
Learn more >
Watershed Moment, Part of the WAKPA Triennial Art Festival
 In partnership with Public Art Saint Paul, MWMO Artist-in-Residence Sarah Nassif invites you to help create a fiber art watershed map at Watershed Moment, part of the WAKPA Triennial Art Festival, on July 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The event, part of Nassif’s ongoing Weaving Water project, will also feature tours of the MWMO’s Stormwater Park and Learning Center.
WAKPA, which means “river” in the Dakota language, is a 12-week art festival featuring a variety of local artists and exhibitions across the Twin Cities Metro Area.
Learn more >
Upcoming Grant Application Deadlines
Capital Project Grants — August 18, 2023
 Capital Project Grants are designed to support final engineering and construction of large-scale, innovative projects that protect or improve water quality and habitat within the MWMO watershed.
Learn more >
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