Chisago Soil & Water Conservation District

10/27/2026

Adding native plants to your landscaping is SO beneficial!

10/06/2026

It's that time of year where we are ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the colors of our beautiful trees!

Have you ever wondered why the colors start to change?

10/05/2026

FREE well water screening clinic
Thursday, Oct. 8 (11am-4pm) at Hanifl Fields Athletic Park (7032 137th St. N, Hugo)
Please help to share info about this clinic with people in your community!

What’s in your drinking water? To participate in this free water screening clinic, bring water from your home tap (minimum of one cup - 8oz) in a clean, hard plastic or glass container and include the location and date that you collected the sample. We will run a screen test on your water for nitrate and chloride. You can wait for your results or request them via email. During the clinic, experts will also be on hand to discuss wellhead protection and groundwater concerns, including arsenic, bacteria, pesticides, and Perfluorinated Alkylated Substances (PFAS). Stop by anytime to pick up fact sheets and talk with clinic volunteers. This clinic is free and open to everyone, regardless of what city, county or state they live in.

Pre-register here: https://forms.gle/U1vLXXy8eU2zf4iHA

Co-sponsors include: East Metro Water Education Program (EMWREP), Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership, Washington County, Washington Conservation District, Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix and Rice Creek Watershed Districts, City of Hugo, Minnesota Groundwater Association, and the Minnesota Well Owners Organization.
________________________________________

Please fill out this form for each well you wish to have screened for water quality. Please stay (10-15 minutes) to learn about your screening results. If you cannot stay, provide a valid email address to get your results. If you do not provide an email, please provide your phone number or address.....

09/24/2026

They’re back! Apply today for a $400 grant to plant a native garden next year.

Leer en Español Lawns to Legumes is a planting for pollinators grant program that Blue Thumb facilitates with the Minnesota…

09/21/2026

We need the lakes and the lakes need aquatic plants to remain healthy!

Native aquatic plants help keep lakes healthy, reduce erosion and are a safeguard against invasive species. Yet they get a bad rap as a nuisance, and property owners often remove them with chemicals or machines.

09/14/2026

09/04/2026

Honoring the life and conservation legacy of Jim Birkholz

It is with great sadness that we share that our former Chisago SWCD board chair Jim Birkholz passed away this week. A funeral will be held on Friday, September 11 at 2pm at Linwood Covenant Church (6565 Viking Blvd NE, Wyoming), with a visitation prior to the service from 12-2pm.

Jim was well-known and beloved in Chisago County and around the state. He served on the Chisago SWCD board for nearly 20 years, played a foundational role in establishing the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources in 1987, and has welcomed families with locally grown apples, fresh-baked goods, and a sense of community at Pleasant Valley Orchard for more than three decades.

Jim started his career at the Ramsey Conservation District, where he served as the organization’s first district manager in 1978. Three years later, he moved into a role with the Minnesota Soil and Water Conservation Board, this time working with Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCDs) throughout the eleven county metro area. When the Board of Water and Soil Resources was created in 1987, Jim served as the agency’s acting director for its first three years. He joined the Chisago SWCD board in 2006.

One of the most impactful projects that Jim championed during his time on our board was an inventory of the St. Croix River escarpment lands, in 2011 which began identified 36 high priority gullies in need of repair in order to protect the St. Croix River from erosion, sedimentation, and phosphorus pollution. Since then, our office has worked with landowners to successfully repair more than 30 of those gullies.

Jim was also proud of the role he played in helping to develop the Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership from 2017 to 2024. The partnership brings together 15 local government partners in Chisago, Anoka, Isanti, Pine and Washington Counties who are working together collaboratively to restore lakes, rivers, streams and other natural resources in our region. “Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really devoted people at all levels of government and I’m really proud to have been on those teams,” Jim shared toward the end of his term.

Jim stepped down from the Chisago SWCD board in December of 2024 and was recognized as the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation District’s 2024 Outstanding SWCD Supervisor that same month. We are grateful for the leadership Jim provided to conservation organizations and professionals around Minnesota and the many years he dedicated to protecting Chisago County’s most beautiful places.

08/26/2026

Congratulations to our newest Natural Shoreline Award winners!

We are excited to announce the winners of our 2026 Natural Shoreline Awards, sponsored by the East Metro Water Resource Education Program and Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership. These awards rec…

08/25/2026

Sometimes we’re lucky enough to catch conservation in action before a practice is complete!

Yesterday, Ellen, Chisago SWCD Ag Outreach Specialist, was able to get some impromptu video footage of a drone applying rye cover crop seed to a soybean field. This is the time of year when cover crops start getting applied before crops are harvested. Cover crops are planted to keep cover during non-growing seasons to reduce erosion while also adding nutrients back into the soil.

Keep an eye out and you might see cover crops being applied on a field near you!

08/05/2026

Thanks for the great info, Angie!