NEWS RELEASE
June 14, 2011
Contact:
Telly Mamayek, Communications Manager
952-641-4508; tmamayek@minnehahacreek.org
Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Partners with School
Hosts First-Ever Earth Day Event on Minnetrista Property
Deephaven, Minn. – Students at Hilltop Primary School in Minnetrista will celebrate Earth Day this week by learning about the environment in their own backyard. On Wednesday, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) will participate in a day-long learning experience for the students on a 19-acre parcel of land it owns south of the school.
MCWD staff will be joined by representatives from Three Rivers Park District, Tree Trust, Urban Forestry Institute, and the Westonka School District at the first-ever event for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. MCWD’s education team will conduct water sampling for macro-invertebrates such as dragonfly larvae, use turbidity tubes to demonstrate the effect of erosion and sediment on water quality, take students on a tour of a wetland and talk about the impact of runoff on our lakes and streams.
This event will take place on land the MCWD owns on the northeastern shore of Dutch Lake. “It’s a multi-faceted ecosystem with a wetland, maple-basswood forest, diverse plant species and wildlife,” says Mark Ten Eyck, MCWD Land Conservation Program Director. “The MCWD hopes the land will be a resource for schools in the area who regard environmental education as an important part of their curriculum.”
MCWD’s land conservation program acquires land in key areas to improve water quality in the watershed. Protecting this land from development reduces the amount of polluted runoff entering lakes and streams and preserves habitat for fish and wildlife.
What: Hilltop Primary School Earth Day Event
When: 9:30am-2:30pm, Wednesday April 27th
Where: Hilltop Primary School
5700 Game Farm Road E.
Minnetrista, MN 55364
MCWD East Dutch Lake Property
1765 Co. Rd. 110 N.
Minnetrista, MN 55364
Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District covers approximately 181 square miles, including Minnehaha Creek, Lake Minnetonka, the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes and Minnehaha Falls. The District is charged by state law to protect, improve and manage water resources. It does so through scientific research and monitoring, public education, cost-share grant programs, permitting and collaborative efforts with the 27 cities, two townships and two counties (Hennepin and Carver) that are in the District. For more information, visit www.minnehahacreek.org.
Halsted Bay’s water quality grade (D) is among the worst in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) due in part to excessive nutrients. To help improve water quality in the area, the MCWD recently purchased the 112-acre Halverson Farm in Minnetrista, which drains into Six Mile Marsh and Creek shortly before it enters Halsted Bay.
