Watershed District Receives Program of the Year Award

Watershed District Receives Program of the Year Award, $45,000 Available to Residents in Rebates for Implementing Program

The Rice Creek Watershed District was honored with the 2005 Program of the Year Award by the Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts (MAWD) on December 2, 2005 at a state-wide conference. The Metropolitan Council also recently acknowledged the value of the watershed district’s program by approving a $45,000 grant that will go directly back to those who implement this native landscaping on their land.

Rice Creek Watershed District’s “One-Stop Shopping to Restore Your Yard & Shore” program was created to help protect our lakes and meet the demand of residents interested in raingardens and shoreline buffers. “Residents are realizing that native landscaping is a great way to positively impact the environment while creating a beautifully landscaped yard, but generally don’t know how to accomplish these projects on their own,” said Dawn Dubats, Environmental Education Coordinator at the Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD).

Now homeowners have all of the information they need to implement the projects on their own. Simply go to www.ricecreek.org, click on the “One-Stop” program and follow the three steps. Step One, is to download and watch the 10-miniute “how-to” overview. Step Two is to complete the “planning packet” which addresses everything from permits and cost-estimation to design and where to purchase materials. Step Three is the online plant selector tool where the user just selects soil moisture, sun exposure, color and time of bloom preferences and a list of native plants pops up. After the project is in place and successful for a growing season, the residents will be eligible for a rebate from RCWD based on square footage restored.

The Rice Creek Watershed District launched the “One-Stop” program last spring with four participating garden centers. With the momentum behind this useful program they are anticipating many more participating garden centers in the spring. If you are a gardener or a garden center interested in finding more about this “One-Stop Shopping to Restore Your Yard & Shore” program, contact Dawn Dubats at ddubats@ricecreek.org.