Minnehaha Creek Watershed District's Education and Communications Program offers a wide variety of resources for a variety of audiences. Use the links below to find the resources you are looking for!
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 Pouring of Porous Concrete |
 Envrioscape Community Festival |
 NEMO Workshop |
Are you looking for resources for:
- Local Officials and Municipal Staff
- The General Public
- Youth and Schools
- Citizen Groups
- Relators and Other Businesses
- Builders and Contractors
Other Great Education and Outreach Resources
Local Officials and Municipal Staff
MCWD has the following to offer local officials and municipal staff:
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NEMO: Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials
NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) is an educational program for members of city councils, planning/park commissioners, other local officials, and city staff that addresses the relationship between land use decisions and water quality. We can come to city hall with workshops on:
Click here to download a fact sheet about the program. |
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Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is a partner in Northland NEMO and the National NEMO Network.
WaterPro
Our Quarterly Newsletter for folks like you. Contact MCWD's Education and Communications Manger to get on our mailing list. Click here to see current and previous issues.
Low Impact Development Resources
Visit our LID web page to browse information on LID, documents and manuals, presentations, and web links.
Natural Resource Based Planning
Visit our Natural Resource Based Planning web page to learn about the importance of including natural resources in the planning process, and resources to make it happen!
Workshops
We can put on a variety of regional educational workshops suited to your needs. We sponsored workshop featuring a nationally known expert on the topic.
- "ADAPTING COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE TO CLIMATE CHANGE: Solutions for stormwater management and community forests
- “The Latest in Low Impact Development: Engineering and Landscape Design”
- NEMO Workshops (see list of possible topics above)
Members of the the General Public
MCWD has the following to offer the general public:
- Printed Media
- Videos and Television Programs
- Interactive Displays and Exhibits
Printed Media
Local papers carry news about the MCWD, and the MCWD Board President pens a watershed-related column in the local Sun-Sailor newspapers every other month. Click here to read current and previous press releases and columns
Looking for a brochure or booklet? We’ve got a couple to offer and are open to working with you on your special needs.
Videos and Television Programs
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Interactive Displays and Exhibits
We have a number of displays and exhibits available for events or simply to have on display at city hall or your local library.
Contact us and we may be able to attend your community festival or event. We’ll bring along our displays and exhibits, as well as giveaways, goodies, and a person to answer watershed questions.
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The Enviroscape interactive watershed model allows you to sprinkle ‘pollution’ (colored powder) and then see what happens when it ‘rains’ (spray bottle) on the watershed. | |
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The Your Street Connects to Lakes and Rivers interactive display has a pipe where users can drop balls of ‘stormwater’ in at the storm drain and see them come out at the local swimming hole. |
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The Watershed Interactive Kiosk is an electronic interactive tool where users can lean about stormwater from an urban frog singing a stormwater rap, a raindrop who journeys through the stormwater system, and other characters. Comes with a sound dome to keep the noise factor to a minimum. If you would like the Kiosk to visit your center, please contact Contact MCWD's Education and Communications Manager. |
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40th Anniversary Traveling Display MCWD is turned 40 in 2007! The display interprets the history of the area, featuring ‘Tools of Change’ – historical artifacts. We’d love to put it in your city hall, local library, or community center. |
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The Putt Putt Away Pollution Golf Course is available for your event or festival e-mail admin@minnehahacreek.org or by phone 952-471-0590.Download pdfs of descriptions/signs of each hole
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See interactive displays and exhibits, above, and other resources below.
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Digital Watershed Atlas is a 4-CD set rich with current and historical maps, aerial photos, and narrative about the watershed. Has content that can be used with a number of existing school curricula. Click here to learn more. |  |
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Waters to the Sea is an interactive CD-ROM that explores the rivers of the Upper Mississippi region from the Ice Age up to the Present. Features virtual river journeys, multimedia storytelling, and fun activities. We offer a lab pack available for teachers to check out. Includes 30 copies of the CD-ROM. Click here to learn more, or contact MCWD's Education andCommunications Manager, to check out the lab pack. |
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The MCWD is a partner in the metro-wide Children’s Water Festival for 5th graders. Contact us to find out how to get into the lottery to secure a spot for your class. Click here to learn more. |  |
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Many schools have received grants from MCWD’s stewardship fund, allowing them to hold water festivals of their own, create outdoor classrooms and play areas, build rain gardens, and more. Click here for more information. |
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We are available on a limited basis to come to your classroom and talk about water quality and watershed issues. Contact MCWD's Education and Communications Manager, to learn more. |
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The fund is also available to nonprofit citizen groups and other organizations to fund water related educational programs and projects, as well as innovative water quality improvement and stormwater management projects. Click here for more information. | |
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NEW in 2007! MCWD is assisting the formation of new grass-roots citizen groups like lake associations and ‘friends of’ creeks or wetlands through the Watershed Association Initiative. A partnership with Minnesota Waters. Special Funding is available. Click here for more information or contact MCWD's Education and Communications Manager. |
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We've done presentations for a variety of groups like religious education forums, Chambers of Commerce, or the Rotary Club. We're happy to come to your group with a presentation about what you can do to protect water quality or a primer on our organization. Or let us know what you have in mind. Contact MCWD's Education and Communications Manager to learn more. |  |
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Many newer developments have legally defined wetland buffers with special rules. We’ll give short, informal presentations for neighborhood groups and homeowners associations to help them understand what’s involved. Contact MCWD's Wetland Technician for more information. |
For Realtors and Other Businesses
| Lake Minnetonka Yesterday and Today | Promote your business with a beautiful, full color map of Lake Minnetonka, featuring water quality information and a narrative of the history of the Lake Area. We’ll work with you to customize the map with an imprint of your corporate logo and information. Click here for details. |
| Buying and Selling Lakeshore Property Workshops | MCWD sponsored two half-day continuing education workshops for Realtors in 2006, and we’ll sponsor more if we get enough requests. Contact MCWD's Education and Communications Manager to learn more. |
For Developers, Builders and Contractors
| Training Workshops and Seminars | MCWD’s permitting staff are always available to help you navigate the permitting process and to make sure your site is in compliance. We occasionally offer workshops on topics like erosion and sediment control or shoreline rip-rap. |
| WaterPro | Our Quarterly Newsletter for folks like you. Contact MCWD's Education and Communications Manager to get on our mailing list. Click here to see current and previous issues. |
| Low Impact Development Resources | Visit our LID web page to browse information on Low Impact Development, documents and manuals, presentations, and web links. Also see the 'LID Corner' on page 2 of the Fall 2005 issues of Water Pro. |
| Permitting Website | Visit our permitting web page to learn about permit requirements and download application materials. |
| Brochures | Coming Soon!! We are currently working on a series of brochures about stormwater, erosion control, wetlands buffers, rip rap, and stormwater ponds. |
Links to Other Great Education and Outreach Resources
EPA's Watershed Outreach Digital Toolbox A brand new resource with ready-to-use materials and templates, including public service announcements, logos and mascots, and samples of popular posters, bookmarks, fact sheets, brochures, and more to help spread the word about what citizens can do to protect water quality.
Minnesota Water: Let's Keep it Clean! A local group of more than forty public, private, and nonprofit organizations engaged in educating Twin Cities residents about how to care for Minnesota's precious water resources. A great source for water-quality information, updates, and seasonal tips.
Project WET — Water Education for Teachers Sponsored by Minnesota DNR, Project WET is a water-education program for educators and young people ages 5-18. The program provides classroom-ready teaching aids and training opportunities for teachers.
SEEK — Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge The SEEK web page is a searchable clearinghouse for all types of Minnesota environmental-education resources.
WOW- Water on the Web WOW offers high school and college students an opportunity to learn water science through hands-on activities. Real-time water-quality data is provided through lake monitoring stations located across the state.