Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District
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Posts tagged "clean up"

Volunteer Clean-Up: Oct 23-25

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - October 6, 2020 - News

This fall’s Clean Water Clean-Up is still on, but will look a little different than usual to give volunteers more flexibility and reduce the number of people present at the same time. The clean-up will be held over the weekend of Oct. 23-25 at Sand Point Beach Park (14349 Crest Ave) and Jeffers Pond in Prior Lake. Volunteers can come any time over the course of the weekend and will have the option of removing buckthorn at Jeffers Pond and/or raking leaves at Sand Point Beach!

We ask that all volunteers sign-up for the event beforehand as event details will be emailed to participants prior to the event. To sign up for the event click here.

As usual volunteers should bring their own work gloves and tools to rake or remove buckthorn. Event is free and family-friendly. Volunteers will be entered into drawing for door prizes from local businesses. View Full Article →

View Full Article CWCU, Jeffers Pond, Prior Lake, Sand Point Beach, clean up, clean water clean up, community event, event, volunteer

Volunteers Bust Buckthorn at Fall Clean-Up

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - October 28, 2019 - News, Prior Lake

Neighbors of The Woods at The Wilds Park will notice things looking a little different at the Prior Lake City park. If they failed to notice the towering piles of cut buckthorn stacked at the park, they might realize that you can now see into the kaleidoscope-colored woods and through to the wetland beyond.

On Sunday, a small legion of volunteers descended onto the park to remove buckthorn and rake leaves at this fall’s Clean Water Clean-Up. The small park was a hive of activity with nearly 40 volunteers hard at work. The volunteers removed nearly all of the buckthorn at the park which City staff shredded into 44 cubic yards of wood chips weighing an estimated 12 tons; and raked up half a dump truck load of leaves! These fabulous results were accomplished over the span of just a few hours. The event was co-hosted by the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District and the City of Prior Lake and several area businesses generously donated door prizes.

Photos from the event can be found on the Watershed District’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PLSLWD.

Removing the buckthorn from the park opened up the understory of the park’s woods and will allow the native shrubs and understory plants to flourish and give trees seedlings a chance to grow without buckthorn there to choke them out.

Buckthorn is an invasive shrub originally from Europe; it frequently takes over the understory of forested areas in Minnesota, crowding out native plants and often eliminating plant diversity in the forest understory. Buckthorn is easy to spot this time of year as it is one of the few things that is still dark green; if you see dark green shrubs in the understory layer now, chances are good that it’s buckthorn.

Have buckthorn in your backyard? Now is a great time to remove it! The City of Prior Lake has buckthorn pullers available for residents to borrow at no cost. Call Barb at 952-447-9896 for more information. You can find out how to identify buckthorn and manage it on our website here.

Missed out on the fun? The District and the City will be hosting another clean-up this spring. Stay tuned by checking the Watershed District or City websites or email kkeller-miller@plslwd.org to be added to the email notification list.

View Full Article CWCU, buckthorn, clean up, clean water clean up, clean-up

Come Bust Buckthorn Oct 27 @Fall Clean-Up

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - September 6, 2019 - News

The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District and the City of Prior Lake are once again hosting their annual Fall Clean Water Clean-Up event on Sunday, October 27 from 9:00-11:30 am. This time it will be held at the Woods at the Wilds Park, located at 3190 Wildwood Trail in Prior Lake.

Volunteers are needed to remove buckthorn and rake leaves at the park for this family-friendly event. This spring’s volunteers removed 1.8 tons of buckthorn and other woody debris and raked over 1.6 tons of leaves at Fish Point Park – all in just a few short hours!

Buckthorn is a non-native, invasive species which can take over wooded areas, crowding out native plants, degrading wildlife habitat and negatively impacting water quality.

Leaves, grass clippings and other organic matter can also impact water quality when they wash down street gutters into the storm drains and end up in our lakes. Urban development causes excess amounts of these natural materials to be released into lakes, where they break down and release phosphorus which feeds algae. Algae blooms can be a serious threat to water quality, aquatic life, property values and water recreation. The good news is that residents can take action in their own communities!

REGISTRATION: Volunteers are asked to register in advance for this family-friendly event and to bring work gloves, rakes and handsaws or loppers for buckthorn. Sign up for this free event here or by calling the Watershed District at 952-447-4166. Local businesses have generously provided door prizes and light snacks will be served.

In the case of poor weather, the event will be held the following weekend on November 3 at the same time and place.

View Full Article CWCU, buckthorn, clean up, clean water clean up

Busting Buckthorn & Raking Leaves – Successful Clean-Up at Fish Point Park

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - April 30, 2019 - News

The weather was practically perfect last Sunday as roughly 50 volunteers gathered for the 2019 Spring Clean Water Clean-Up held at Fish Point Park in Prior Lake. The annual Spring Clean Water Clean-Up was co-hosted by the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District and the City of Prior Lake. 

Volunteers pitched in to remove buckthorn, rake leaves, pick up trash and clean out the park’s iron-enhanced sand filter which catches phosphorus from the 80 acres that funnels through the park before entering Prior Lake. Excessive phosphorus levels can cause algae blooms in lakes and wetlands. 

This hard-working group removed 1.8 tons (3600 lbs.) of buckthorn and nearly 1.6 tons (3200 lbs.) of leaves from the park. Volunteers included many neighbors and local community members who helped clean-up the park and protect the water quality in Prior Lake. 

Why remove buckthorn and rake leaves? Buckthorn is an invasive, non-native shrub which takes over wooded areas, shading out native woodland plants. Leaves and other organic matter are carried by stormwater into storm drains and end up in lakes and streams. Once in the waterbodies, they release phosphorus, which feeds algae. Algae growth is a serious threat to water quality, aquatic life, property values and water recreation. 

Many local businesses generously provided door prizes and volunteers were treated to a variety of refreshments, including hotdogs provided by the Prior Lake Association.

Photos from the event can be found on the Watershed District’s Facebook page. Special thanks to Jen Reinders for sharing her photos from the event with us!


Missed out on the fun? The District and the City will be hosting another clean-up this fall. Stay tuned by checking the Watershed District or City websites or email kkeller-miller@plslwd.org to be added to the email notification list.

Photo credit: Jen Reinders

View Full Article CWCU, Fish Point Park, buckthorn, clean up, clean water clean up, leaves, volunteer

Successful Clean-Up Event at Sand Point Beach Park

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - November 6, 2018 - News, Prior Lake

Nearly 50 volunteers worked up a sweat while cleaning up Sand Point Beach Park in Prior Lake on Oct. 28. The annual Fall Clean Water Clean-Up was hosted by the City of Prior Lake and the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District.

Volunteers pitched in to rake leaves and pull buckthorn to help keep Prior Lake clean and local Scouts planted over 50 shrubs at the park around the newly retrofitted stormwater ponds and water-cleaning iron-enhanced sand filter. Volunteers included many neighbors, local community members and local Scout Troop 339 and Pack 339. Many local businesses generously provided door prizes and volunteers were treated to refreshments, including donuts donated by Edelweiss Bakery.

Volunteers removed a truckload of buckthorn and raked over 2.5 tons of leaves. Excellent work in only a couple hours, many hands makes light work! Many photos from the event are posted on the Watershed District’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PLSLWD/

Why rake up leaves & remove buckthorn? Leaves and other organic matter are carried by stormwater into storm drains and end up in lakes and streams. Once in the waterbodies they release the nutrient phosphorus, which feeds algae. Algae growth is a serious threat to water quality, aquatic life, property values and water recreation. Buckthorn is an invasive, non-native shrub that takes over wooded areas, by outcompeting native woodland plants which leads to more soil erosion and degraded wildlife habitat.

Buckthorn is quite obvious this time of year, as it’s one of the few things in the woods that is still green. If you have buckthorn in your backyard that you would like to remove, now is a good time! The City of Prior Lake even has buckthorn pullers available for residents to borrow at no cost. To check out a puller, contact Barb at the Maintenance Center at 952-447-9896.

Missed out on the fun? The District and the City will be hosting another clean-up next spring. Stay tuned by checking the Watershed District or City websites or email kkeller-miller@plslwd.org to be added to the email notification list.

View Full Article CWCU, Prior Lake, Sand Point, buckthorn, clean up, clean water clean up, volunteer
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Prior Lake – Spring Lake Watershed District

The District covers about 42 square miles in Scott County, MN. Water in the PLSLWD flows mainly from the southwest to the northeast through Spring, Upper Prior and Lower Prior Lakes, and then north through the Prior Lake Outlet Channel to the Minnesota River near Valley Fair amusement park.
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment

Prior Lake - Spring Lake Watershed District
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372

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