The Scott Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is excited to host speaker Dr. Elaine Evans to talk about what’s happening with Minnesota’s state bee: The rusty patched bumble bee.

The Scott SWCD has been awarded funding through the State’s Lawns to Legumes Program to restore critical habitat for the endangered rusty patched bumble bee. Scott SWCD staff will give an overview of funding opportunities while Dr. Elaine Evans from the University of Minnesota discusses why these bees are so important.

This free educational webinar will go over:

• How to identify the rusty patched bumble bee and their role as a critical pollinator species
• The life cycle and behaviors of the rusty patched bumble bee
• What’s being done to protect them
• How you can help expand their habitat and beautify your property with Lawns to Legumes grants

Dr. Elaine Evans holds a PhD in Entomology and works as an Associate Extension Professor at the University of Minnesota Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology. They handle questions related to bee conservation and are currently monitoring the population of the endangered rusty patched bumble bee.

Join Great River Greening, U of M Extension Bee Lab, and the Xerces Society for a hands-on pollinator capture and release sampling field day. Participants will gain more experience with capture and release practices, as well as pollinator identification.
Sampling field days will take place on multiple days at both Ritter Farm in Lakeville and Spring Lake Regional Park in Prior Lake with morning and afternoon sessions available. With multiple sampling efforts throughout the summer, we will gain a better understanding of how pollinator populations are responding to our restoration efforts.
Additional field days are scheduled for:
– Thursday, July 7
– Tuesday, August 9
– Thursday, August 25
To sign up for Spring Lake Regional Park sampling days, visit https://givepul.se/1abay9.

Join Great River Greening, U of M Extension Bee Lab, and the Xerces Society for a hands-on pollinator capture and release sampling field day. Participants will gain more experience with capture and release practices, as well as pollinator identification.
Sampling field days will take place on multiple days at both Ritter Farm in Lakeville and Spring Lake Regional Park in Prior Lake with morning and afternoon sessions available. With multiple sampling efforts throughout the summer, we will gain a better understanding of how pollinator populations are responding to our restoration efforts.
Additional field days are scheduled for:
– Thursday, July 7
– Tuesday, August 9
– Thursday, August 25
To sign up for Spring Lake Regional Park sampling days, visit https://givepul.se/1abay9.

Join Great River Greening, U of M Extension Bee Lab, and the Xerces Society for a hands-on pollinator capture and release sampling field day. Participants will gain more experience with capture and release practices, as well as pollinator identification.
Sampling field days will take place on multiple days at both Ritter Farm in Lakeville and Spring Lake Regional Park in Prior Lake with morning and afternoon sessions available. With multiple sampling efforts throughout the summer, we will gain a better understanding of how pollinator populations are responding to our restoration efforts.
Additional field days are scheduled for:
– Thursday, July 7
– Tuesday, August 9
– Thursday, August 25
To sign up for Spring Lake Regional Park sampling days, visit https://givepul.se/1abay9.

This MPCA Smart Salting Certification Training is an opportunity to learn more efficient winter maintenance best practices (BMPs) while taking a comprehensive look at the many aspects for managing snow & ice on parking lots and sidewalks. The training will also cover the new chloride requirements in the recently released MS4 permit, as well as resources available to help you reduce your salt use.

The training will be held in-person.

Who should attend?

• Hands-on public or private winter maintenance staff
• Those who hire or supervise winter maintenance staff
• Private contractors
• Those who may influence others or are interested in making a difference at work

What you’ll learn:

• Environmental impacts of chloride
• Equipment calibration
• Using weather condition info more efficiently
• Application rates
• Plowing and physical removal
• BMPs for storing materials
• De-icing and anti-icing
• Regulatory issues and managing liability
• Customer and staff educational resources
• Success stories

Earn the MPCA Smart Salting for Parking Lots & Sidewalks certification by taking the optional online test at the end of training and be listed on the MPCA Smart Salting webpage. Certificates are sent to Minnesota participants only and are valid for 5 years.

MPCA permittees are allowed registration preference. If the training exceeds capacity, those that are not permittees will be put on a waitlist and notified accordingly.

Training questions? Contact the MPCA Smart Salting Training Program smartsalting.pca@state.mn.us.

This training is hosted by Dakota County and the MPCA Chloride Reduction Program. with Clean Water Fund and the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund.

Learn best practices to reduce salt use during high-speed and low-speed snowplow operation, while maintaining safety. Participants earn a five-year Level 1 (individual) certification by completing the test at the end of class.

Plan to participate in person to learn more about the ways that agricultural and urban partners are working together to prepare for extreme weather events and improve water quality around Minnesota. This fourth annual event will focus on extreme weather resiliency, with keynote speaker, Heidi Roop, Ph.D., director, Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership at the University of Minnesota.

Who should attend?

Agricultural, government, local, and urban partners looking for ideas on how to develop and strengthen their relationships while improving the water quality of Minnesota lakes and streams are encouraged to attend.

Online registration is open. Registrations are requested before Feb. 21, 2023, to help finalize preparations for the event.