Watershed Initiative

Protecting and improving water quality in the Twin Cities area

The Vermillion River Bottoms — one of the last remaining large natural areas in the Twin Cities region — lies at the bottom of the Vermillion River, one of our Watershed Intitiative's focus watersheds.

Water quality continues to be one of the most pressing concerns for the Mississippi River, as the entire Twin Cities stretch of the river is on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agencys impaired waters list. Water quality is closely linked to land use and livability issues in the Twin Cities as well as in the many communities downstream. Through our program activities, we work to activate and engage individual citizens, shape the priorities of local governments and impact public policy related to local water quality.

In the fall of 2003, we launched our Watershed Initiative to combine our strategies of grassroots advocacy, land conservation and public education with a focus on two tributary watersheds in the fast-growing fringes of the metro area. The Watershed Initiative has identified the Vermillion River, in Dakota and Scott Counties, and Rice Creek, which traverses much of the north metro area, as focal points for our efforts.

Our Watershed Initiative is working to engage a diverse group of stakeholders to protect the long-term health of the Rice Creek and Vermillion River Watersheds. With major funding from the Bush Foundation as well as several other foundations, we have been able to take advantage of multiple opportunities for citizen engagement, media attention and program expansion. The Watershed Initiative draws on the strengths of multiple staff to engage citizens in education, monitoring, stewardship and water quality advocacy through a coordinated and comprehensive approach to watershed protection.

The Watershed Initiative includes these projects:

• Stream Health Evaluation Program (SHEP)
• Vermillion River Watershed Standards
• Lakeville Low Impact Development
• Metro Watershed Partners Participation
• Vermillion Stewards

Learn more about where we're working

• The Vermillion River Watershed
• The Rice Creek Watershed