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NEWSLETTER / MARCH 2025
🌍 Earth Day is Better Together: Help Protect Water in Your Community
As spring returns and the snow (mostly) melts, we’re reminded that our shared environment is waking up—and it’s calling us to take action. This month, we celebrated World Water Day on March 22, a global reminder that water is not just a resource, but a shared responsibility. This year’s theme, Glacier Preservation, reminds us that water doesn’t just flow from our taps—it starts in glaciers, snowfields, and rivers, sustaining ecosystems and communities along the way.
So as Earth Day approaches, let’s keep that momentum going. Here are three meaningful ways you can step outside, connect with your community, and take real action to protect clean water in your own neighborhood.
 From April 15–30, we’re aiming to get as many storm drains adopted as possible—and yes, you get to name them.
Visit adopt-a-drain.org to join over 14,000 volunteers already working to protect local lakes, rivers, and wetlands. When you “adopt” a storm drain, you commit to keeping it clear of leaves, trash, and other debris that would otherwise wash directly into our water systems—no filters, no treatment plants, just runoff.
Not only does this simple act prevent water pollution, it also reduces localized flooding and protects aquatic habitats. Plus, you can check on your drain with a coffee in one hand and a rake in the other—what’s not to love?
 📅 Saturday, April 12 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
☔ Rain Date: Sunday, April 27
Come help out at one of the smallest (and most beloved) wetland habitats in the Twin Cities. The Kasota Ponds in St. Paul are tucked in the industrial corridor of St. Anthony Park, and while they may be small, they’re mighty important.
These ponds are the only wetlands in the MWMO watershed, and they face ongoing threats from road runoff and illegal dumping. Volunteers are needed to help clear debris and restore habitat health. Staff from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization will be on hand to answer your questions about water quality, wildlife, and how wetlands keep our cities resilient.
Hosted by the St. Anthony Park Community Council, this cleanup is a great way to get outside, meet your neighbors, and make a visible difference in a single afternoon. Gloves and bags provided.
Want a yard that works with nature, not against it? The Blue Thumb – Planting for Clean Water workshops are for you.
Whether you're a seasoned gardener or have no idea what a rain garden is, these workshops are designed to teach you how to create beautiful, eco-friendly landscapes that help manage stormwater runoff and protect water quality.
There are in-person and virtual workshops happening throughout the spring, with options tailored to your region and goals—whether that’s planting native species, starting a pollinator garden, or redesigning your whole lawn.
🔎 Explore upcoming events and sign up at bluethumb.org/events
Art and Science on the River: Carp
 📅Saturday, April 19 | 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
📍MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center
What do invasive carp and printmaking have in common? More than you’d think.
Join us for a free, interactive workshop exploring the impact of invasive carp in the Mississippi River—through both science and art.
Local water expert Colleen O’Connor Toberman will break down what these fish are doing to our river ecosystems (spoiler: it’s not great), and how communities are responding. Then, artist Kimberly Boustead will show you how to turn this environmental challenge into creative inspiration with a live carp printing demo—yes, actual fish printing—using real fish to create bold, beautiful prints.
You’ll have the chance to try your hand at fish printing, carp-inspired drawing, or creative writing, then go home with your own one-of-a-kind creation—and a deeper understanding of the river’s challenges.
This event is free, but registration is required.
Dakota Plant Relatives: A Discussion with Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ and Family
 Image by Ne-Dah-Ness Greene.
📅 Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center
For generations, Dakota people have gathered and cared for medicinal plants along the Mississippi River (Ȟaȟá Wakpá) and its tributaries. In this panel conversation, Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ (Blue Hummingbird Woman or Tara Perron) and her family will share stories and insights about their relationships with local waters—especially Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ (Bassett Creek)—and the deep cultural knowledge tied to native plants.
You’ll also learn about Háza íŋyaŋke wiŋ (Woman Who Runs for Huckleberries or Betsey St. Clair), a Dakota woman who lived along the Mississippi in the mid-1800s, tending to plants and ferrying people across the river. Her legacy continues today through her descendants’ work to restore and protect water and plant relatives in the Twin Cities.
This is a pay-as-you-can event, and registration is required.
Filter Effect: Hot Press Workshop
 📅Saturday, May 10, 2025 | 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
📍MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center
Join us for a hands-on workshop led by artist Brighton McCormick, whose current exhibit Filter Effect explores how stormwater infrastructure reflects the filtration we are constantly directing in our lived experience.
Using cast metal brands from the Fire Press Library, you’ll learn how to burn intricate images into reclaimed wood and upcycled leather, turning salvaged materials into bold, lasting designs.
Participants will create their own garden markers, patches, and prints inspired by themes of water and reuse.
This event is free, but registration is required. No experience necessary—just come ready to experiment and make something uniquely your own.
Stewardship Fund Grants—Due Friday, June 27, 2025, by 4:30 PM CDT
Photo of the Month
 Minnesota’s native prairie seeds don’t just sprout on command—they need a little tough love first. To break dormancy (aka convince them it’s safe to grow), MWMO staff are using two key tricks: stratification and scarification.
Stratification is basically seed hibernation. In the wild, these seeds spend winter buried under snow, waiting for spring. At home, you can fake this by sticking them in damp sand or soil and chilling them in the fridge for a few weeks.
Scarification is seed wake-up call. Many prairie seeds have tough outer shells that keep them from germinating too soon. Nature usually breaks them down with freezing, thawing, or even a trip through an animal’s digestive system. Since we’re fresh out of bison stomachs, we gently nick the seed coat with sandpaper or soak them in warm water to soften them up.
With these tricks, we’re giving our native plants a head start—so they can get to work filtering water, stabilizing soil, and making our rain garden thrive! 🌾🌧️
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