Afton’s Natural Resource and Groundwater Committee welcomes you to join an upcoming volunteer planting event. Volunteers will be working together to plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers at City Hall.

Come visit us at the annual Belwin Bison Festival. We’ll be sharing info about prairies and native plantings and handing out prairie wildlife trading cards.

Choose from hundreds of varieties of plants including annuals and perennials, native and prairie plants, monarch and pollinator favorites, grasses, shade loving plants, and vegetables including heirloom tomatoes and herbs.

Afton’s Natural Resource and Groundwater Committee welcomes you to join an upcoming volunteer planting event. Volunteers will be working together to plant native trees, shrubs, and flowers at Steamboat Park and City Hall.

Have you been looking for ways to make a positive impact on the environment around you? Convert your turf lawn to a pollinator-friendly habitat? Or attract more birds to your property? The South Washington Watershed District provides grant funding to eligible individuals and organizations within the district for water stewardship planting. This program promotes water quality improvement by focusing on the reduction of phosphorus in stormwater runoff, reducing erosion and sedimentation, and preserving and restoring natural lands throughout the watershed.

Stop by and visit us at this free, fun, family-friendly event.

We’ll be sharing info about pollinator grants, healthy soils, and clean water.

Join Watershed Partners for Adopt-a-Drain Day at the Minnesota Twins baseball game!

The game will be held at Target Field in Minneapolis on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026 at 1:10 PM with a pre-game parade around the field beforehand.

Have you been looking for ways to make a positive impact on the environment around you? Convert your turf lawn to a pollinator-friendly habitat? Or attract more birds to your property? The South Washington Watershed District provides grant funding to eligible individuals and organizations within the district for water stewardship planting. This program promotes water quality improvement by focusing on the reduction of phosphorus in stormwater runoff, reducing erosion and sedimentation, and preserving and restoring natural lands throughout the watershed.

Celebrate Earth Day and join Minnesota Water Stewards for an evening of water-themed Trivia. Everyone is welcome so bring the whole family. Free to play. Prizes for top 3 teams and prize drawings in between rounds.

6:00 PM Come early to order food & drink.
6:30-8:30 PM Trivia

Join Washington County Master Gardeners to learn about planting for pollinators. This free workshop will explore simple yet practical steps you can take at home to support native bees and butterflies.

Learn about the weeds that run amok through our backyards and natural areas! In this presentation, we will explore what makes a plant "invasive" as well as how to manage a weed based on its life cycle. Lastly, we showcase some of the newer and more problematic weeds that are becoming more common in this part of the state and explore options for managing them in our open spaces.

Join Freshwater and Washington Conservation District to learn about PFAS, aka. "forever chemicals." These chemicals are used in many everyday products from nonstick pans, to food packaging, and even clothing. They are now also in our environment and can cause harm to living organisms, natural systems, and human health.

During this info session for volunteers and community residents, Dr. Ali Ling, University of St. Thomas, will talk about these chemicals, their effects, and what we can do about them moving forward. 

Have you been looking for ways to make a positive impact on the environment around you? Convert your turf lawn to a pollinator-friendly habitat? Or attract more birds to your property? The South Washington Watershed District provides grant funding to eligible individuals and organizations within the district for water stewardship planting. This program promotes water quality improvement by focusing on the reduction of phosphorus in stormwater runoff, reducing erosion and sedimentation, and preserving and restoring natural lands throughout the watershed.

Your yard can help to support songbirds, pollinators, and wildlife - AND look beautiful! March is the perfect time to begin planning gardening projects, but there are also some common mistakes that you should avoid. During this presentation, Angie Hong will talk about what to plant, how to get started, where to buy native plants in Minnesota, and where to find additional support for planting projects. Learn about native gardens, bee lawns, flowering trees and shrubs, and prairies, as well as spring gardening “dos and don’ts.”

Whether your yard is large or small, you can help to create pockets of habitat and protect Woodbury’s wetlands and lakes. 

Washington Conservation District will be hosting an activity table with information about birds and habitat restoration. We’ll be sharing information and resources to help private landowners improve their wildlife habitat, as well as opportunities to engage in projects on local public lands. Youth and families can also sign-up to Adopt-a-Drain in their neighborhood or help with storm drain stenciling.

Note: This event is for youth and their families. Learn more and buy tickets at Ducks Unlimited.

Join us for a free professional training, with practical advice on maintaining beautiful lakeshores. Help your clients achieve the shoreline of their dreams, while also supporting fish, wildlife, and clean water.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #6

Register at Salt Monitoring 101

Want to make a difference? Let’s talk practical ways to mobilize your community, collaborate with local leaders, and champion policies that support smarter winter maintenance.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #5 (Conversation Table)

Register at Advocating for Change: Conversation table

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #4

Register at Engineering Solutions

Discover how innovative engineering can dramatically reduce the need for winter salt. This webinar will highlight design approaches—such as optimized grading, drainage, and material choices—that set the stage for safer, more efficient winter maintenance. We’ll also explore the growing role of smart sensors and connected infrastructure in tracking conditions in real time. Finally, learn how AI-driven storm management tools can support crews in making faster, more precise decisions that keep surfaces safe while minimizing salt use.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #3

Register at Smart Salting Contracts

Knowing how to ask for best practices can be difficult. If you aren’t an industry professional, you likely feel out of your league when deciphering terms like deicing vs anti-icing, pre-treatment vs pre-wet. What chemical deicers should you ask for or steer away from? Learn the basics about industry best practices and valuable resources that are available to support you to get the services you need and reduce liability at your property.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #1

Register at Salt Wise Stories

Hear directly from winter maintenance practitioners who have made the shift to smarter salting. In this webinar, they’ll share how they built the business case for change—reducing costs, improving efficiency, and protecting local waters. You’ll learn how they retooled their operations, from equipment upgrades to staff training, and what results they’ve seen on the ground. These leaders now pay it forward by educating peers, supporting contractors, and inspiring communities to adopt Salt Wise practices of their own.

Winter Salt Week - Webinar #1

Register at Freshwater Salinization: Causes, consequences and trends

Get the big-picture view of freshwater salinization and why it’s emerging as a critical water-quality challenge across the country. We’ll break down the major drivers, the ecological and infrastructure impacts, and the trends scientists are tracking in rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Then we’ll zoom in on a real-world case study from the Occoquan Reservoir, where researchers and managers are grappling with the complex mix of land use, weather patterns, and human behavior that fuels rising chloride levels. This case will illustrate both the challenges and the practical management strategies communities can use to protect their drinking water supplies.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

For property managers & owners, sustainability, environmental & safety coordinators, and those who hire or supervise winter maintenance staff.

Using less salt reduces indoor and outdoor salt damage and related costs. You will be able to recognize sustainable practices amongst your maintenance crew, hear ideas for managing liability, discover possible improvement areas and more.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

Become a Water Steward! Build your skills with classes in water science, policy, and public engagement. Then, plug into watershed work in your community.

Learn about the program, class schedule, and how to apply in this quick 40-min info session.

Participants will learn how to integrate science with practical winter maintenance and save money while minimizing impacts on the environment.

Learn about ways to safeguard your property from shoreline erosion. We'll talk about bioengineering strategies that combine vegetation and hard-armoring, as well as lessons-learned from previous bluffland projects along the St. Croix. This workshop will also connect you with resources and techniques to help you manage invasive species like buckthorn and improve wildlife habitat.   

Whether you’re interested in planting prairies, teaching nature programs for local students, or planning watershed art events, there are numerous ways to volunteer in our area.   

Join us on Tuesday, Nov. 4 (6-8pm) for a cozy bonfire and night hike outside the Nordic Center at Lake Elmo Park Reserve (1515 Keats Ave N).

This event is an opportunity to make friends, meet some of our local Water Steward volunteers, and learn about training and volunteer opportunities in 2026.  And yes! There will be s’mores!