Friends of the Mississippi River will host a tour of St. Paul raingardens led by Shawn Tracy of the Association of Metropolitan Soil and Water Conservation Districts and staff from Capitol Region Watershed District.

The tour will feature several raingardens constructed by Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) and the City of St. Paul’s Department of Public Works. These gardens received a Sustainable St. Paul award last spring, and a 2007 Blooming St. Paul Award from St. Paul Parks and Recreation.

In addition to improving water quality, these raingardens are also a neighborhood amenity, contributing beauty, wildlife interest, and an opportunity for education in a subwatershed of Como Lake known as St. Paul’s “Garden District”. The tour will also include a visit to the residential garden of a CRWD Stewardship Grant recipient.

Bus transportation is provided for the tour, and participants will be entered in a raffle to win a rain barrel, provided by Capitol Region Watershed District. The tour is free and open to all, but pre-registration is required.

[Neither registration nor a waiting list are being taken at this time.] Read more…