Register you group and receive park assignment, call 651-480-6182. Check in at Vermillion Falls Park, 215 21st St. Hastings.

Volunteer with the Hastings Parks and Recreation Department and plant a tree in celebration of Arbor Day. Bring gloves.

This outdoor, farmers’-market-style event is open to all. In addition to multiple native plant vendors, there will be informational booths where attendees can talk with individuals from Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation District, Dakota County Master Gardeners, and the City of Burnsville natural resources group.

Please register to attend a free Landscaping for Clean Water presentation. See dozens of beautiful, inspirational, and affordable garden designs using native plants and helping clean our waters. After attending you can sign up to receive design and installation assistance. Some Dakota County residents will qualify for a $250 grant to install their new gardens.

Turfgrass Maintenance Workshop is for property managers, groundskeepers, and other commercial and public turf managers.

Learn sensible, cost-saving ways to maintain turfgrass and practices that protect lakes and rivers while keeping turfgrass looking its best. Attendees have an opportunity to attain MPCA Level 1 certification in turf care maintenance practices. Topics include fertilizer selection and application, pesticide application, equipment calibration, mowing techniques, environmental effects, soil testing, irrigation best practices and more. Lunch will be provided. Workshop is free.

Pre-registration is required by July 11. To register, send email to environ@co.dakota.mn.us.

Retailers, farmers, and other interested parties in the agriculture industry are invited to a free 4R Technology Review Field Day at the Dave Legvold Farm. The event is hosted by the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resources Center, in partnership with The Mosaic Company, Environmental Tillage Systems, The Fertilizer Institute, and other industry leaders.

The 4R Technology Review Field Day will provide retailers and farmers with information on 4R practices, research and technologies, demonstrations, with guest speakers Tim Radatz, MAWRC; Mark Dittrich, Minnesota Department of Ag; Jeff Vetsch, University of Minnesota; Melinda Sposari, TFI; Steve Emory, CPS; and Adam Herges, Mosaic.

Lunch is included. Continuing Education Credits are available for Certified Crop Advisers in attendance.

Looking for good neighbors to protect water quality

Applications being accepted for Master Water Stewards program

The Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization (VRWJPO) invites residents to become Master Water Stewards (MWS). The MWS program provides training and opportunities for residents to protect and improve water quality and habitat.

Freshwater Society developed the MWS program in 2013. The VRWJPO is one of many watershed organizations sponsoring MWS classes.

The cost to enroll in the MWS program in the Vermillion River Watershed is $125 per person, which covers course fees and field trips. The cost will be reimbursed to participants upon certification as a Master Water Steward. Scholarships may be available for situations of demonstrated financial hardship.

The next MWS session begins in October and runs through April 2018. To learn more, visit the Master Water Stewards website or attend any information session in the metro area or Sept. 5 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Dakota County Western Service Center, room 334.

Master Water Stewards are certified by participating in a broad training curriculum led by experts in the fields of hydrology, stormwater management, water policy, community-based social marketing, and raingarden assessment and installation. They must complete a capstone project that captures rainfall and allows more water to soak into the ground, and lead a community outreach event. Stewards then become a point of knowledge and influence in their communities.

For more details and to apply, visit www.masterwaterstewards.org. Direct questions to the Vermillion River Watershed, paula.liepold@co.dakota.mn.us or (952) 891-7117.

It’s easy, make and take a rain barrel.

What’s one of the simplest, high-impact ways to save water and help protect our watershed? Using a make & take rain barrel.

The workshop will begin with a presentation on how home lawn and garden practices impact our waters and how we can make a difference. Next we’’ll discuss the watershed-friendly benefits of rain barrels in more detail, then review how to build, incorporate, install and maintain them.

With guidance from Friends of the Mississippi River staff, participants will then build their very own rain barrel to take home following the workshop. Participants will receive the necessary parts ($35 per kit) and  be guided through the process of converting used syrup barrels from Coca-Cola into a rain barrel to take home and install.