District News Noel Drive Little Canada, MN

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1 2665 Noel Drive Little Canada, MN Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District E-News was created to increase access for the average citizen and stewardship partners to current educational resources within the Watershed District and across the metropolitan area. District News Hot Date!! Thursday evening May 11 Rainwater Infiltration Methods and Successes in Holland Open to the Public: Speaker from Holland. Holiday Inn East (at the SW corner of McKnight and I-94, ) Tartan 3 Meeting Room Thursday, May 11, 2006 FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 6:00-7:00 Social hour with snacks and beverages 7:00-8:00 Presentation 8:00-9:00 Questions from the audience and discussions with individuals Alco van der Marel, lives in Velp, Holland. His education includes Horticultural College in Boskoop , International Agricultural College in Larenstein, Velp , earning a BS degree in Land and Water Management. Experience includes managing a walnut plantation in Portugal, water engineering for municipalities. Currently is Team Leader of public green spaces, civil works and surveying for Oosterbeek, Holland. Alco will talk about the following topics, then focus on landscape development for water management. Green space masterplan (2004) Landscape development plan (2005) Water plan (2006) Forest policy plan (2003) Tree conserving policy (2004) Alco s experience in architecture and town planning has focused on public green outdoor spaces, parks, squares, roads, waterways. The town of Oosterbeek, where he works, won a gold medal this year in the competition 'Entente florale'. Sustainability was a major topic, and they are quite experienced in rainwater infiltration methods.

2 WaterFest May 20 at Lake Phalen Park and Pavilion. Families from around the Twin Cities are invited to a day of lakeside fun at: FREE!!! Sponsored by the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, City of St. Paul and other partners, WaterFest is a celebration of our clean lakes and an opportunity for hands-on learning about the water quality, wildlife, and special ecological features of our beautiful watershed. Highlights of WaterFest activities include: 5K Run-Walk around Lake Phalen for families and local school track teams Educational displays at four tents around Lake Phalen 9 11:00 am On-the-water education in Wilderness Inquiry Voyageur canoe and by pontoon boats Fishing lessons Rain garden demonstration Shoreland restoration displays Plant identification displays and experts Bird identification displays and experts The Raptor Center live raptor display: bald eagle, owl and falcon Live animals from around the lake and beyond Fantastic student skits and raps about watershed stewardship Big Fun World of Water Juggling and Magic Show Girl Scout Peace Dancers (International), Music by Mr. Jim Clowns Great food Raffles Demo snowplow and street sweeper The opportunity to exchange your lead tackle for non-toxic lead alternatives Watershed Awareness Expo: professional and stunning student exhibits including environmentally-friendly lawn care Visit with such characters as Elfish, LEAP Frog and Jacques the Voyageur!! Do you live in the Lake Phalen Watershed? Come to WaterFest to look at our huge aerial photograph of the watershed. Maybe you can even find your house!!

3 5K Run-Walk around Lake Phalen. Starting at 9:00 am we will be checking in those who registered for the 5K Walk-Run around Lake Phalen. The race starts at 9:30 for those who want to be timed. The more leisurely participant can start next, and take time to stop at some tents we have around the lake where a display or refreshments will be available. Register at Scheduled activities: Runners Recognition and Raffle at 10:45 am Live Raptors Display 10:00 am noon. Featuring a bald eagle, owl, hawk and falcon! Girl Scout Hmong Peace Dancers at 11:00 am Mr. Jim, singer from 11:30 12:30 The World of Water Juggling and Magic Show at 12:30 pm General Raffle at 1:00 pm Boat rides on Lake Phalen and Phalen Creek!! From 10:00 am 3:00 pm Runners Recognition and Raffle at Signs Naming Significant Water Features in the District Watch for signs that tell you the name of the lake, wetland or creek nearby as you drive, bike or walk around the District. The District s Citizen Natural Resources Board helped develop the signage for important water bodies within District boundaries. Let us know how you liked them!! Here is what they look like:

4 School News Schools are also preparing for WaterFest. Here are some watershed education items they are preparing: I-movies Rap Song Performance T-shirts Skits Tattoos Power Point Slide shows Calendars Displays WaterQuality Lab Campaign against the use of lead tackle Schools displaying or performing at WaterFest include: American Indian Magnet School, Battle Creek Environmental Magnet School, Cleveland Quality Middle School, Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet School, Parkway Elementary School, Webster Elementary School, Weaver Elementary School, and Century College Earth Science Department. Thank you all!! Harding High School Fresh Force is providing 15 students on Friday May 19 to help set up WaterFest and 15 students at WaterFest May 20 to fill many volunteer jobs. Thank you! City of Maplewood Nature Center will be doing a neighborhood watershed reconnaissance, catch basin stenciling and rain garden planting with Weaver and Oakdale Elementary schools this month. Mounds Park Academy gets cost-share grant from the District thanks to the efforts of business manager, Dave Aune, and to District staff Bill Bartodziej and Sage Passi. A 5000 square-foot buffer as well as infiltration basins will be planted May and a wetland buffer will be planted in the fall. Experienced adult supervisors for student planting volunteers are needed!! Call Sage Passi at to volunteer for May 24 shifts 8 11:00 am or noon 3:00 pm or for May 25 shifts 8 10:00 am or noon 3:00 pm. These will be upland plantings, located at Mounds Park Academy, at 2051 Larpenteur Avenue East, Maplewood. American Indian Magnet School is expanding the prairie area at the school with the help of Master Gardeners, and began rain garden planning for a nearby home rain garden. Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet School students began excavating a home rain garden near their school this month, too. Volunteer News WaterFest 2006 volunteers still needed!! Call Louise Watson if you want to volunteer 2 3 hours of your time Saturday, May 20, at Lake Phalen Park Pavilion anytime between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. Greening of the District Office Site Our new office campus will be planted this spring, and volunteers are needed to get this big job done. The office grounds are designed to store and infiltrate stormwater runoff through native landscaping, rain gardens, green roof (on garage), and a pervious asphalt parking

5 lot. The grounds will be all native landscaping with a mixture of native prairie grasses and wild flowers. Be apart of this demonstration project by volunteering to help plant our rain gardens. If you are interested please contact Julie Vigness-Pint at Planting dates and times are listed below: May 23 (9:00 am noon and 6:30 8:30 pm) May 31 (9:00 am noon) June 1 (9:00 am noon) Location: 2665 Noel Drive, Little Canada Events for Watershed Stewards Frog Chorus Moon Friday, May 12 8 to 9:30 pm Maplewood Nature Center. Fee: $3/person to prepay by May 6. Call Adults, families and children 7 and older to learn frog identification techniques and listen for singing frogs. Receive a frog call log sheet, a frog call tape and a frog identification book to put together at home. Maplewood City-wide buckthorn removal City services will support a buckthorn pull for homeowners at Kohlman Creek neighborhood between Beam Ave. and Hiway 36, and between the Vento Trail and White Bear Ave. The city staff will remove at Kohlman Creek and Hazelwood Park, and fire station. Call for more details. Metro Volunteer Workshop Monday, June 12 Location: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge 3815 East 80th Street, Bloomington, MN Ask for a Park Ranger St. Paul Public Schools/Com. Education Service Learning Resource Program 8:30 registration and snacks 9:00 am - 12:30 pm Workshop 12:30-1:30pm optional time to explore exhibits on your own To register by June 9: call (Ask for a Park Ranger) Learn about the Junior Duck Stamp project, participate in a Raingarden Drama, and more great service learning ideas. What is Service Learning? Bernard Gill, Angie Martinez from National Youth Leadership Council From Wings to Weeds: MN Valley Service Learning Watershed Watchers: Maplewood Nature Center Service Learning

6 Free Advice... and Money! District Grant Funds Available for Best Management Practices The Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District invites residents, nonprofit and religious organizations, schools, government agencies and businesses to apply to its Best Management Practices (BMP) Cost Share Program for matching funds for property improvements that protect and improve water and natural resources within the watershed. The BMP Cost Share Program targets public or private projects that support one or more of the following priorities: Promotes actions that prevent flooding or lessen the effect of drought Improves water quality or increases the capacity of the watershed to store water Preserves, protects, and restores native plant and wildlife communities, especially lake, river and wetland communities Protects and preserves groundwater quality and quantity Treats the natural environment as intrinsically valuable in land-use decisions The District has $250,000 available for BMP Cost Share projects in 2006 and will provide applications year round until all the funds have been allocated. Funds require a 50% cash match for materials and labor and a 25% cash match for engineering and consultant fees. Residential grant amounts range from $100-$2000. Government and commercial properties are eligible for up to $30,000. Some examples of eligible projects are Rain gardens Rain barrels Redirection of water runoff Pervious asphalt and pavers Volume reduction and water runoff treatment practices such as infiltration basins and trenches, cisterns, green roofs, or filtration projects Unique solutions for soil erosion and sediment control practices Native habitat restoration with priority given to waterways, lakes, buffers, and ponds Projects must be within the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District which is bounded approximately by the I-694/494 corridor and 35E and the Mississippi River and encompasses sections of Gem Lake, Landfall, Little Canada, Maplewood, North St. Paul, Oakdale, St. Paul, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake and Woodbury. A map of the District boundaries, guidelines and an application can be downloaded from the District website at or requested from the District office at $$$ The Ramsey Conservation District's Native Vegetation Landscape Restoration Program provides free technical assistance and up to 50% of materials costs (up to $600) for qualified restoration projects. Check out the RCD program brochure and application at

7 Resources From the District Resources listed below are available on an ongoing basis at our office (2665 Noel Drive, Little Canada, MN 55117) or our web site, Computer education modules: Whether you speak English, Hmong or Spanish you can enjoy Water Down the Drain Education Kiosk. See our Kiosk at the Maplewood Nature Center Tuesdays through Saturdays 8:30 am - 4:30 pm at 2659 E. Seventh St. off Century Blvd. in Maplewood Water Down the Drain interactive education program CD (free while they last). New!! Stop Water! brochure New!! Features of the District Office Site brochures: Garage roof garden, porous asphalt parking lot, rain gardens and conservation elements of the building. Please us with your request: office@rwmwd.org. More detailed Fact Sheets are also available for those needing basic construction information. NEW!! The Buffer Zone brochure. This brochure was just released in January 2006 offering comprehensive information about the importance of buffers in protecting the edges of water bodies. What is a buffer and how to create or manage the buffer on your property s water s edge is covered in this colorful brochure. (pdf file of this brochure is attached or available at News & Events/publications. Lake Phalen Shoreland Restoration Walking Tour and Plant Guide for $10 each. Our order form is available on the web site Rain Gardens--A how-to manual for homeowners (free) Tanners Lake Fact Sheet (free) TIPS It is time to watch out for migrating turtles, frogs and many furry creatures. Please help them survive the roads by slowing down as you drive, watching for animals ready to cross the roads. Working together with watershed stewardship partners to improve the quality of water resources in Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District Noel Drive Little Canada, MN