Make Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop @ Apple Valley Senior Center

Jun 28 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Join Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) for a Make and Take Rain Barrel Workshop on Tuesday, June 28, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Apple Valley Senior Center. A rain barrel is a simple, high-impact way to save water and protect water quality in lakes and rivers. The cost of materials for building your own rain barrel is only $35, thanks to donated barrels from Coca-Cola Refreshments of Eagan. Pre-registration is required.

Categories: Workshop Tags: Apple Valley Senior Center Coca-Cola Refreshments in Eagan Minn. Friends of the Mississippi River rain barrel rainbarrel Vermillion Stewards water conservation

Make & Take Rain Barrel Workshop @ Dakota County Fairgrounds

Tickets

Aug 22 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

It’s easy, make and take a rain barrel.

What’s one of the simplest, high-impact ways to save water and help protect our watershed? Using a make & take rain barrel.

The workshop will begin with a presentation on how home lawn and garden practices impact our waters and how we can make a difference. Next we’ll discuss the watershed-friendly benefits of rain barrels in more detail, then review how to build, incorporate, install and maintain them.

With guidance from Friends of the Mississippi River staff, participants will then build their very own rain barrel to take home following the workshop. Participants will receive the necessary parts ($35 per kit) and be guided through the process of converting used syrup barrels from Coca-Cola into a rain barrel to take home and install.

Categories: Events Workshop Tags: Farmington FMR Friends of the Mississippi River rain barrel

Make & Take Rain Barrel Workshop @ Dakota County Fairgrounds

Tickets

Aug 21 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

It’s easy, make and take a rain barrel.

What’s one of the simplest, high-impact ways to save water and help protect our watershed? Using a rain barrel.

The workshop will begin with a presentation on how home lawn and garden practices impact our waters and how we can make a difference. Next, we’ll discuss the watershed-friendly benefits of rain barrels in more detail, then review how to build, incorporate, install and maintain them.

With guidance from Friends of the Mississippi River staff, participants will then build their very own rain barrel to take home following the workshop. Participants will receive the necessary parts ($35 per kit) and be guided through the process of converting used syrup barrels from Great Lakes Coca-Cola of Eagan, into a rain barrel to take home and install.

Categories: Events Workshop Tags: Farmington FMR Friends of the Mississippi River lawn and garden rain barrel

Lawns Reimagined Workshop @ Rosemount Steeple Center

Tickets

Jun 12 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Lawns Reimagined Pilot Program

Have you ever looked out at your lawn and thought, “sure would be nice to water less often, reduce the need to fertilize, and spend less time mowing”? Well, we’ve got the program for you! Our new program – Lawns Reimagined – assists landowners in installing a more resilient lawn to reduce water and fertilizer use, and cut down on mowing frequency during the growing season.

Lawns Reimagined is a new program provided through a partnership between the Dakota SWCD, Dakota County, and the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization. The goal of the program is to create healthy looking lawns using deeper rooted grasses that are more resilient to weather conditions and climate change while maintaining traditional turfgrass lawn uses.

These lawns will be composed of fescue grass blends that require little to no watering or fertilizer post-establishment; reducing the impact lawns have on the groundwater supply and decreasing nutrient loss to waterbodies through runoff and lawn clippings. It is recommended to reduce mowing frequency which results in reduced carbon emissions from lawn mowers and healthier air at a local level.

The Dakota SWCD will be hosting two workshops for Dakota County residents:
* June 5 in Apple Valley (Municipal Center) at 6 p.m.
* June 12 in Rosemount (Steeple Center) at 6 p.m.

At the workshops, participants will learn about the benefits of an alternative lawn type, along with technical guidance on site preparation, seeding, and long-term maintenance. From there, landowners can apply to receive further assistance. Once applicants have been approved, SWCD staff complete a site visit to further guide site preparation, seeding, and answer any additional questions. Landowners then complete the site preparation and Dakota SWCD will provide landowners with the seed to complete a fall seeding. If the participants are willing to do a little work, the cost to them will be minimal to none!

For more details and to sign up for the workshop, check out the Lawns Reimagined webpage!

Categories: Events Workshop Tags: Dakota County SWCD landscaping for clean water planting for clean water rosemount SWCD turfgrass maintenance