Arbor and Earth and Fish—Oh my! It’s SPRING in MINNESOTA! Earth Day is now the largest civic observance in the world, with more than one billion people participating in related activities each year. It started right next door in Wisconsin.
MN Nature wants to know what naturey things you decide to do for Earth Day—
Don’t forget to take a pic and share it: Tweet #EarthDay #EarthDay2015 @MN_Nature
Early Celebrations
April 18
Organic Food Fest
Come celebrate Earth Day with us! Mark the calendar for our annual Organic Food Fest on Saturday, April 18. Enjoy samples throughout the store from 11 am to 3 pm while you shop and save 10% the entire day. Flyer HERE
Fresh & Natural Foods (Shoreview, MN and Hudson, WI locations)
Winona Earth Day
11 am–3 pm Flyer HERE
WSU, corner of 8th and Main
April 19
Lebanon Hills Earth Week Clean-up
All week! 9 am–5 pm Help us spring clean the park for Earth Week! Come anytime we’re open. We’ll provide the gloves and bags, you’ll provide the energy to pick up litter. Boats will be available for recreation. All ages. Details on their calendar, HERE
Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan
April 21
Dodge Nature Center
5:30–8 pm Please RSVP by April 17th here or at 651.455.4531, there is no fee but preregistration is required. We will begin the evening with a picnic style dinner and then go outdoors to complete a variety of projects throughout the grounds. Volunteer opportunities may include invasive species removal, trail maintenance, garden clean-up, litter pick-up and more. More info. HERE
Farm Entrance, 1701 Charlton Street, West St Paul
Earth Day!
April 22
Minnesota State University Moorhead Earth Day Celebration
1–3 pm Lots of activities planned! See the flyer, HERE
Hagen Hall, Moorhead
Earth Day 2015: Building Sustainable Lawns for a Better Planet $ $ $
1–5 pm. Is your lawn earth-friendly? To honor Earth Day 2015, visit the Arboretum and hear from Minnesota experts about how to rethink and sustain a new ideal aesthetic for your lawn so that it is beneficial as well as beautiful. You’ll gain insights into eco-friendly lawn design, maintenance practices, and easy actionable steps you can take to improve your own lawn (which might just save you money, too). Build a better lawn for yourself, your community and for the planet! $15 member/$20 Master Gardener/$25 non-member, includes Arboretum admission
MN Landscape Arboretum
Lunch & Learn: Expanding the Western Frontier
Noon (program starts at 12:15 and ends by 12:45) Join us to discuss the early history of the Fort Snelling area. We’ll explore the natural, cultural and social importance of the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers.
Fort Snelling State Park
Meet the New Naturalist: Kelsey Olson
2–6 pm Share your ideas for program opportunities and hear about the upcoming spring and summer programs at the park. Celebrate Earth Day with a visit to Sibley State Park! Host: Sibley State Park Improvement Association
Sibley State Park
The Canopy Project
Give a buck to plant a tree! Over the past three years, The Canopy Project, has planted over 1.5 million trees in 18 countries. Wow! Earth Day Network program HERE
Frontiers in the Environment
Noon. Many anthropogenic actions have unanticipated consequences. This is especially true of chemical pollution resulting from products we use every day. Bill Arnold, IonE resident fellow and professor in the College of Science and Engineering; Matt Simcik, associate professor in the School of Public Health; and Lowell Anderson, professor in the College of Pharmacy, will discuss methods to assess potential risks of chemicals and how chemical structure may indicate important environmental fate processes and reaction products.
University of Minnesota, Insitute on the Environment, Room R380, Learning & Environmental Sciences Bldg, Saint Paul, MN
Symphony of the Soil Film & Reception
This Earth Day, celebrate one of our most precious resources—soil. Join Urban Oasis, Metropolitan State University, and other local soil and healthy food advocates on April 22. More Info. HERE
Metro State Founders Hall
Wise Use of Water
7:00–8:30 pm (Come at 6:40 to check out the Auction, speaker at 7pm) Gardeners are learning more about changeable weather than ever before, especially as regards water. Our April 22 speaker is Peggy Knapp from the Freshwater Society, talking about ways to make best use of water, Minnesota’s impaired waters, and the Master Water Stewards, a new resource for gardeners and neighborhoods (much like Master Gardeners). This meeting is also the Club’s annual Silent Auction, where everyone helps to replenish the Speaker Fund. Please bring a garden-related item or two and prepare to take a few treasures home. The Auction is a great place to recycle vases, clean pots and tools, garden books, stationary and textiles! More Details Here
Longfellow Garden Club, Epworth Methodist Church, 3207 37th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN
Arbor Day 2015: Scavenger Hunt in the Arboretum’s Tree Collections
Wednesday, April 22–Sunday, April 26 (Arbor Day observed on Friday, April 24) Pick up an Arbor Day Scavenger Hunt map at the Membership desk in the Great Hall of the Oswald Visitor Center, then find 20 varieties of marked trees on the Arboretum grounds to fill in your finds. Bring your map to the Gift Store for a souvenir button. Earth and Arbor Days 2015 Docent-led tours both days! Check with the information desk for times.
MN Landscape Arboretum
Five Ways to Go Greener at Home this 2015 Earth Day: 1–5 Per the MPCA
Ongoing Celebrations . . .
April 22
Happy Earth Cleaning
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. 2nd Annual Earth Day celebration featuring local artists and community groups on April 22nd. Info. HERE
Happy Earth Cleaning, Minneapolis
April 24
WSU Arts and Arbor Day Celebration
9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities for adults and kids.
Winona State University (Website)
Arbor Day & Tree Campus USA Celebration
10 am In case of bad weather, the event will be held in the Commons at MN West Worthington Campus.
MN West Community & Technical College-Worthington Campus (Website)
Great River Greening Arbor Day Tree Planting
Noon–4:00 pm Plant trees with Great River Greening in the South Washington Conservation Corridor! This 80-acre parcel is part of a larger greenway in the watershed providing critical native habitat and stormwater management, and will be the site of future recreational trails. More info. HERE
South Washington Conservation Corridor, 5900 Woodbury Drive, Woodbury, MN
Arbor Day 2015: Scavenger Hunt in the Arboretum’s Tree Collections (Arbor Day observed)
Pick up an Arbor Day Scavenger Hunt map at the Membership desk in the Great Hall of the Oswald Visitor Center, then find 20 varieties of marked trees on the Arboretum grounds to fill in your finds. Bring your map to the Gift Store for a souvenir button. Earth and Arbor Days 2015 Docent-led tours both days! Check with the information desk for times.
MN Landscape Arboretum
April 25
Tree Time
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. City staff and master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions about trees and shrub care, insect and disease control, pollinators, and more. Free seedlings. Enter a drawing to win a tree.
Andover City Complex (Website: andovermn.gov)
South Creek Earth Day Clean Up / Vermillion Stewards Earth Day
9:00–11:30 am Help clean up South Creek! This creek feeds the Vermillion River, a cold prairie river flowing through the heart of Dakota County and an important tributary of the Mississippi River. Snacks, Bags and gloves will be provided, however if you have a good pair of gloves please do bring them. And for adults who would like to clean up from within the creek, a few pairs of waders will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Meet at Cross of Christ Community Church
Watershed Clean-up Day
9–11:30 am.
Central Maintenance Facility, 7570 179th St. W.
Ramsey Country Earth Day Clean-up
9 am About 300-400 volunteers are needed to pick up trash and prepare the parks for the busy spring and summer seasons. Volunteers are specifically needed for Battle Creek Regional Park, at the park’s Maplewood and St. Paul locations. Individuals, families, scout troops, schools and community groups all are invited to participate.
To register, contact Jennifer Fink at jennifer.fink@co.ramsey.mn.us or 651-748-2500 ext. 333.
Garden Volunteer Earth Day Event
9 am–1 pm Join Urban Roots staff and youth interns at one of our East Side Saint Paul garden sites to prep beds and get some spring vegetable planting done. We will provide water, gloves, tools, a healthy, tasty snack and hands-on engagement in one of our urban production sites. Contact garden@urbanrootsmn.org with questions or to RSVP.
First Covenant Church, 1280 Arcade St, St. Paul (garden in back lot)
Minneapolis Earth Day Cleanup
9:30 am–Noon Held at several sites throughout the City of Minneapolis. It is a collaborative effort between the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and City of Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling. Bags will be provided. Please bring your own gloves if you have them.
Locations:
- Bassett Creek Park (SE Corner of Penn Ave. N & 1 1/2 Ave. N)
- Beltrami Park (1111 Summer St. NE)
- Bluff Street (20 20th Ave. S)
- Bryant Square Park (3101 Bryant Ave. S)
- Cedar Lake (Cedar Lake Pkwy and 25th St. W)
- Columbia Park (Columbia Pkwy and 35th Ave. NE (Playground parking lot)
- Creekview Park (5001 Humboldt Ave. N)
- Dairy Queen (4719 Lyndale Ave. N)
- East River Parkway (E River Pkwy and Franklin Ave.)
- Farview Park (621 29th Ave. N)
- Father Hennepin Bluffs Park (100 6th Ave. SE)
- Heritage Park (10th Ave. N and Van White Memorial Pkwy)
- Kenny Park (1328 58th St. W)
- Kenwood Park (2101 Franklin Ave. W)
- Lake Calhoun – East (Corner of W Lake St. and E Calhoun Pkwy)
- Lake Calhoun – West (W. 32nd St. and Calhoun Pkwy)
- Lake Harriet (4135 Lake Harriet Pkw, Bandshell parking lot)
- Lake of the Isles (W 27th St. and E Lake of the Isles Pkwy)
- Loring Park (1382 Willow St.)
- Lynnhurst Park (1345 W Minnehaha Pkwy)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Park (4055 Nicollet Ave. S)
- McRae Park (906 47th St. E)
- Nokomis Park (2401 Minnehaha Pkwy E)
- Pearl Park (414 Diamond Lake Rd. E)
- Phelps Park (701 39th St. E)
- Powderhorn Park (3400 15th Ave. S)
- Riverside Park (2700 8th St. S)
- Sibley Park (1900 40th St. E)
- Steven’s Square Park (1801 Stevens Ave.)
- Theodore Wirth Park (3200 Glenwood Ave., Wirth Beach parking lot)
- Waite Park (1810 34th Ave. NE)
- Water Works (420 1st Street South)
- West River Parkway: W River Pkwy and 17th Ave. + W River Pkwy and 24th St. + W River Pkwy and 36th St. + W River Pkwy and 44th St.)
- Whittier (425 West 26th Street)
Earth Day in the City: Minneapolis River Gorge Cleanup
9:30 am–Noon Meet at either one of two bluff-top sites on the parkway trail. Celebrate Earth Day and contribute to the health and vitality of this national treasure in our midst, the Mississippi River. All welcome!
36th St. —or— E. 44th St. at W. River Pkwy, Mississippi River Gorge, Minneapolis
Alexandrea Earth Day 2015
10 am–2 pm This year’s theme is It’s Your Turn to Lead. The event will include educational exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on activities for all ages! Poster HERE http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedImages/recreation/EarthDay/EarthDayPoster2015-800×1214.jpg
Ben Brenman Park
Lakeville Earth Day Celebration
11:30 am–1 pm. A light lunch will be provided as well as puppet shows, Blue Thumb workshops on using native plants to improve local water quality and educational stations where you can learn about the environment and win prizes. More info. HERE: http://fmr.org/participate/events/earth_day_cleanup-2015-04-25
Central Maintenance Facility, 7570 179th St. W.
East Bethel Arbor Day
10 a.m. More info. Website: www.ci.east-bethel.mn.us/
Booster Park
Maple Grove Arbor Day Festival
Noon–4 pm Info. www.maplegrovemn.gov, 763-494-6365.
Maple Grove Community Center
Raingardens and Beyond: Clean Water, Healthy Habitat Workshops $$$
1:00–4:00 pm $15 Help keep our lakes and rivers clean while creating a beautiful and pollinator-friendly habitat in your yard! This fast-paced and focused three-hour workshop explores simple changes you can make on your property that help protect clean water and create healthy habitats. It includes the latest information in healthy yard care practices combined with our popular do-it-yourself approach to raingarden design and installation. This workshop will first give you an overview of raingardens and native plants. Then, you’ll receive recommendations for your property with assistance from Metro Blooms’ Landscape Designers and Hennepin County Master Gardeners.
Metro Blooms, Nokomis Park Recreation Center, 2401 E. Minnehaha Pkwy., Minneapolis, MN 55417
Get in Gear Half Marathon
10K, 5K & 2K
Minneapolis, MN
Run for the Lakes Marathon
Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Nisswa, MN
April 25
Farmington Earth Day & Arbor Celebration
11:30 am–1 Flyer HERE
Rambling River Center, 325 Oak Street
April 30
Northfield’s Earth Day Celebration
Noon–4 pm Rain barrel and other workshops, lots LOTS of activities. Check out their flyer, HERE
Northfield Bridge Square & Riverwalk
May
Minnetonka Garlic Mustard Pull
Groups such as businesses, churches, associations, Scout troops and clubs are needed to help pull garlic mustard in some of Minnetonka’s high-quality park habitat restoration areas in May and June. Individual volunteers are needed too. While searching for this unwanted plant, volunteers will see native plants that are being restored. Since we have been pulling this invasive species for several years, most areas are not densely populated. Training provided onside. Individuals, please call Minnetonka Public Works at 952.988.8400 to be placed on a garlic mustard email list. Groups, please contact Natural Resources at 952.988.8400.
Minnetonka Parks
May 3
41st Annual May Day Parade
“Six months of relentless winter always leaves us a little paranoid: It may snow again. It is only with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre’s annual May Day Parade that we can shed our fears of winter and join in a communal celebration of rebirth that is as joyous, giddy, and oversized as our emotions.” Tree of Life Ceremony, festival, workshops, mayday history, and more. Info., full schedule and volunteer opportunities HERE
Powderhorn park, Minneapolis
May 5
Make & Take Rain Barrel Workshop
6:00–7:30 pm Build a rain barrel to take home. Get all the necessary parts ($40 per kit) and learn how to convert these containers into rain barrels. The workshop will begin with a presentation on how home lawn and garden practices impact our waters and how we can make a difference. We’ll discuss the watershed-friendly benefits of rain barrels in more detail, then review how to build them, incorporate them into your yard, install and maintain them. More info. and to reserve a spot: HERE
Wellstone Center, West Side, St. Paul
Metro Blooms Raingardens and Beyond Workshop
6:00–9:00 pm If you missed the last workshop, you’ve got another chance! $15 for a 3-hour workshop to explore simple changes you can make on your property to protect clean water and create healthy habitats. It includes the latest information in healthy yard care practices combined with our popular do-it-yourself approach to raingarden design and installation. This workshop will first give you an overview of raingardens and native plants. Then, you’ll receive recommendations for your property with assistance from Metro Blooms’ Landscape Designers and Hennepin County Master Gardeners.
Metro Blooms, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka, MN 55345
May 6
Invasive Species Removal at Pine Bend
6:00–8:00pm Pull invasive garlic mustard. Training, gloves, tools and guidance will be provided. More info. or to register for this event, visit: http://fmr.org/participate/events/pine_bend_pull-2015-05-06
Pine Bend Scientific and Natural Area
May 7
Raingardens and Beyond Workshops $$$
6:00–9:00pm $15 A third chance to help keep our lakes and rivers clean while creating a beautiful and pollinator-friendly habitat in your yard! This fast-paced and focused three-hour workshop explores simple changes you can make on your property that help protect clean water and create healthy habitats. It includes the latest information in healthy yard care practices combined with our popular do-it-yourself approach to raingarden design and installation. This workshop will first give you an overview of raingardens and native plants. Then, you’ll receive recommendations for your property with assistance from Metro Blooms’ Landscape Designers and Hennepin County Master Gardeners.
Metro Blooms, Luxton Park Recreation Center, 112 Williams Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 55414
May 8
Friends School Plant Sale
Mother’s Day weekend, with 2,300 varieties of plants. The 2015 sale will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 8, 9, and 10.
Minnesota State Fair Grandstand
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