Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Rss
info@plslwd.org
952-447-4166
  • Home
  • About 
    • District Overview
    • District Background
    • Meetings
      • Meetings
      • Board Materials, Meeting Minutes & Video Recordings
      • Citizen Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • District Plans & Reports
    • MS4 Application & SWPPP
    • District Press
    • Maps
    • Partners
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Waterbodies
    • Arctic Lake
    • Buck Lake
    • Cates Lake
    • Crystal Lake
    • Fish Lake
    • Haas Lake
    • Jeffers Pond
    • Pike Lake
    • Prior Lake, Lower
    • Prior Lake, Upper
    • Prior Lake Outlet Channel
      • Prior Lake Outlet Channel (PLOC)
      • Outlet Structure
      • FEMA Repairs
      • Prior Lake Outlet System Reports
    • Rice Lake
    • Spring Lake
    • Sutton Lake
    • Swamp Lake
  • Projects and Programs 
    • Projects
      • Alum Treatments
      • Carp Management
        • Carp Management
        • Carp Removal UPDATES
        • Carp Volunteer Opportunities
      • Ferric Chloride Treatment Facility
      • Fish Lake Shoreline & Prairie Restoration Project
      • CR 12/17 Wetland Restoration
      • Lower Prior Lake Protection Projects
        • Fish Point Park Retrofits
        • Sand Point Beach Park Project
        • Indian Ridge Water Quality Improvement
        • Watzl’s Beach Shoreline Restoration
      • Raymond Park Restoration Project
      • Spring Lake Shoreline Restoration
      • Sutton Lake Stormwater Storage Project
    • Monitoring
      • Stream Monitoring
      • Lake Monitoring
      • Precipitation
    • Rules and Permitting
    • 2020 Water Resources Management Plan
  • News & Events
  • Learn More
    • Home and Yard
    • Shoreline
    • Boating
    • Ponds & Wetlands
    • Agriculture
    • Fact Sheets
  • Get Involved!
    • 50th Anniversary of the District
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC)
    • Farmer-Led Council (FLC)
      • FARMER-LED COUNCIL EVENTS
      • FLC Cost-Share Opportunities
      • Cover Crop Initiative
      • Lake-Friendly Farm Program
    • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Volunteer Events
      • Monitoring Opportunities
      • Carp Volunteer Opportunities
    • Cost Share – Fund Your Project
    • Training & Workshops
  • Contact
    • Board Members
    • Staff
Search our website...

Posts tagged "native"

Tree & Native Plants Sales

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - April 1, 2021 - News

Purchase some new native trees, shrubs and flowers for your yard! Trees and shrubs provide shade, habitat, improve water quality and help add beauty to a property.

Every spring several area local governments host annual tree and native plant sales, providing residents an excellent opportunity to purchase native trees, shrubs and flowers for their yards at a low-cost.

Below are three local sales taking place now, but don’t wait to place your orders as items may sell out!

Scott SWCD Tree & Native Plant Sale:

The SWCD offers native trees and shrubs, including a backyard bundle with a combination of trees and shrubs. Trees & shrubs are bareroot seedlings and purchased in bundles. They also offer native seed mixes and native plant kits that are ready to plant. Great way to add wildlife & pollinator habitat to your yard! Order here.

Open to all Scott County residents. Pick up day is April 30.

Shakopee Arbor Day Sale:

The City of Shakopee offers a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees including oak, cedar, ironwood, pine and spruce species. All trees are sold in containers. Deciduous trees are 6′-12′ tall with a 1-2″ trunk; Conifers are 2′-3′ tall. Order trees here.

Order deadline: April 16. Open to Shakopee residents. Pick up day is April 24.

Savage – Prior Lake – Credit River Arbor Day Sale:

The Savage Arbor Day sale offers a variety of shade, ornamental, and evergreen trees for purchase. Prices range from $29 to $62. Order trees here.

Order deadline: April 19, 4 pm. Open to all residents of Savage, Prior Lake and Credit River. Pick up day is April 24.

View Full Article Prior Lake, SWCD, Savage, Scott, Shakopee, native, native plants, native trees, residents, shrubs, tree, yard

Native Prairie Workshop Webinar: July 23

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - June 25, 2020 - News

Would you like to see your lawn transformed native flowers, and support pollinators and Minnesota wildlife? 

Join the Scott Soil & Water Conservation District for a FREE Native Prairie Workshop Webinar on July 23 at 6:30 pm. Register for the free workshop here.

Learn about site preparation, how to get your planting started, receive maintenance tips and find out more about possible funding.

You do not need to live on a large property to create natural areas, help pollinators and enhance wildlife habitat. Something as small as a half-acre of your lawn or as large as a 10 acre or more crop field can be converted to beautiful and environmentally beneficial native grasses and flowers! Even a smaller patch of native plants in your backyard is beneficial for pollinators.

Contact the Scott SWCD for more information about the webinar or starting your project at 952-492-5425.

View Full Article Water quality, cost-share, cost-share funding, native, native plants, native prairie, pollinators, prairie, prairie restoration, restoration

Lawns to Legumes – Funding Available to Plant Native Flowers

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - February 12, 2020 - News

Minnesota residents can now apply for assistance to create pollinator habitat in their yards through Lawns to Legumes, a new Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) program!

Lawns to Legumes offers free workshops, planting guides, and opportunities to apply for reimbursement of gardening costs associated with establishing residential pollinator habitat. The Scott Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) has received a Neighborhood Grant for Lawns to Legumes, providing funding for Scott County residents to establish residential pollinator habitat.

Call the Scott SWCD to apply for funding and receive help designing your project at 952-492-5425!

Even better? Get a neighbor to join you! Habitat connectivity is important for pollinators – the more patches of flowering plants available to them across your neighborhood the better!

For more information on the Lawns to Legumes program and project options, click here.

View Full Article L2L, Lawns to Legumes, cost-share, native, native flowers, native plants, pollinators, residents

Shorts Family Stabilizes their Prior Lake Shoreline with Long Roots of Native Plants

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - September 13, 2018 - News, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

Article written by Scott SWCD staff.

Once the water receded after the flooding in 2014, Chris Short went out to survey the damage in his backyard.  It was worse than he expected.  The retaining wall that was installed in 1990 to keep the shoreline in place, was now sitting in a heap on the edge of Prior Lake. The photo at right was taken in August 2016.

The high-water levels during the 2014 flood caused the wall to collapse, leaving the bank completely exposed.  The edge of the lawn that had been against the wall was now breaking off in chunks and falling into the lake.  He knew he needed to take action because the erosion was not going to stop on its own.  Chris did not necessarily like the idea of putting in another retaining wall because the last one failed when it was needed most.

Chris wanted something that would look nice and require minimal maintenance, plus stand up to flooding, wave action, and overland flow.   After asking around to see who could help him with his shoreline, Chris was directed to the Scott Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Jordan.  He attended a free shoreline stabilization workshop they held in the fall of 2016 and began to work with Scott SWCD employee Todd Kavitz.

Todd proposed reshaping the shoreline to make it less steep, then planting the area to native plants.  Native plants have very long roots, which make them great shoreline stabilizers because those roots hold the soil in place.  Plus, once established, native plantings have beautiful flowers and are great wildlife habitat.  Chris liked the idea because it would “create a natural setting while helping to clean up Prior Lake.”  The Scott SWCD worked with Chris to create a design for the shoreline that would work for him and fix his erosion problem.

Scott SWCD assisted Chris in applying for cost-share for 75% of the cost of the shoreline stabilization project, which he received.

The cost-share funds were made available by the Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District.

Because of the technical and financial help Chris received, he was able to naturally stabilize his shoreline. The photo at left was taken August 2018. The area was regraded and planted to native seeds in June of 2017.  This spring 72 native plant plugs were added near the bottom of the shoreline for additional stabilization.  Native plantings take a few years to get established, and just over a year has passed since Chris seeded his shoreline.  Chris has had to do some work on his shoreline this summer, including clipping the planting down before the weeds in the planting went to seed.  With a few more years of maintenance, the shoreline will become even more beautiful and will continue to stabilize the shoreline for years to come.  For Chris, putting in a native shoreline is worth it because the native plants are good for the lake and he gets to see the flowers in bloom.

If you live on a lake and would like to create a more natural shoreline, contact the Scott SWCD at 952-492-5425.  They can help you design a native shoreline that works for you, and financial assistance may be available.  You can do your part for water quality and beautify your shoreline!

View Full Article Lake, Prior Lake, lakeshore, long roots, native, native plants, restoration, shoreline, stabilize

Add Native Plants to your Yard! Try using the Blue Thumb plant selector tool.

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - June 1, 2018 - News

Need help figuring out what types of native plants to add to your yard? Check out this plant selector tool from Blue Thumb!

You can search for plants by name, flower color, bloom time, sun exposure, soil moisture and more.

If you’re interested in putting in a rain garden or shoreline buffer, we have cost-share funds to help residents who live in the District to pay for their projects. Free project design assistance is also available. Contact us for more information!

View Full Article buffer, native, native plants, rain garden, raingarden, shoreline
  • 1
  • 2

News & Events

  • Ongoing Projects
    • Fish Point Park Retrofits
    • Highway 13 Ferric Chloride
    • Monitoring
    • CR 12/17 Wetland Restoration
    • Carp Management
      • Where are the carp?
    • Flood Study
    • Indian Ridge Park Water Quality Project
    • Spring Lake Shoreline Restoration
  • Completed Projects
    • Arctic Lake Subwatershed Analysis
    • Lower Prior Diagnostic Study
    • Spring Lake Alum Treatment
  • News
  • Flooding Updates
  • Prior Lake
  • Spring Lake

News Archives

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

Phone: (952) 447-4166
Email: info@plslwd.org

PLSLWD on FacebookPLSLWD on Twitter

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About Us
  • News & Events
  • FAQ
  • Waterbodies
  • Prior Lake Outlet Channel (PLOC)
  • Projects and Programs
  • Contact Us
(c) 2018 Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District, All Rights Reserved. Minneapolis web design by Iceberg.