GRASSROOTs
CONSERVATION
Your yard is ground zero
for grassroots conservation!
Crow Wing SWCD wants to partner with landowners for the sake of conservation. If you want to make a difference, it starts in your own yard. Whether you own a large lot or occupy just a small plot of land, we can point you to a handful of conservation practices that will benefit your property, your neighborhood, and nearby waterways.
All property is located within a watershed, which
describes an area of land that contains a common set of streams and rivers that all drain into a single larger body of water. The key word to remember with watersheds is “Connection.” Everything is connected to everything else in a watershed. For example, your lawn is connected to the street, which is connected to the storm sewers, which is connected to a stream, which is connected to a lake, etc... Therefore, what you do in your yard has the potential to affect many other places. To protect one, we must protect them all.
LANDSCAPING FOR CONSERVATION
There are a handful of conservation projects that landowners within towns or cities can apply to their properties.
Rain Gardens are one of the most effective conservation enhancements one could add to a yard. A rain garden is simply a landscaped area, planted with wildflowers and other water loving native vegetation that soak up stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are strategically placed to collect excess runoff from hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, and walkways. These hard surfaced areas are called “Impervious surfaces”. The goal of the rain garden is to absorb as much of the water that is running off these impervious surfaces, slowly filtering water back into the ground rather than running off into storm drains.
YOUR YARD CAN BE THE
DIFFERENCE!
There are a handful of conservation projects that landowners within towns or cities can apply to their properties.
Rain Gardens are one of the most effective conservation enhancements one could add to a yard. A rain garden is simply a landscaped area, planted with wildflowers and other water loving native vegetation that soak up stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are strategically placed to collect excess runoff from hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, and walkways. These hard
surfaced areas are called “Impervious surfaces”. The goal of the rain garden is to absorb as much of the water that is running off these impervious surfaces, slowly filtering water back into the ground rather than running off into storm drains.
Arrows in the illustration show the direction of runoff from impervious surfaces. Ideal rain garden locations are shown within the white and yellow lines.
50% to 75% Cost Sharing for environmental projects: FCFS, limited funding available for Shoreline Restorations, Rain Gardens, Erosion Control.
Project does not have to be on a lake or river.
Call Crow Wing SWCD at 218-828-6197
or fill out site visit request online.
BWSR Accepting Applications for Spring 2024 Lawns to Legumes Projects
Cost-share funding available to Minnesota residents to create pollinator habitat
July 31, 2023
St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is accepting applications for Spring 2024 Lawns to Legumes pollinator habitat projects. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 30, 2023. Any applications submitted on August 22, 2022 or later that were not previously awarded a grant will remain in consideration for Spring 2024 funding, and do not need to be resubmitted.
Apply online at Blue Thumb’s website.
For more information on Lawns to Legumes, visit BWSR’s website.