Education and Outreach Program Support

lower minnesota river watershed district, chaska, mn, 2017-present

Background
Watershed education is the backbone of watershed management, providing a great opportunity to get the community involved in larger efforts. The Lower Minnesota River Watershed District (LMRWD) leads watershed education for the local community, which spans five metro counties. Their carefully designed program helps educate Minnesotans about the unique resources within the District and how to responsibly coexist, enjoy, and protect our valued water and natural resources.

Strengths & Solutions
Young Environmental supports the District as the Education and Outreach consultant and developed the 2022 Public Education and Outreach plan to guide many activities to engage the public. We regularly lead meetings, workshops, trainings, and project tours to showcase watershed management efforts. We provide technical services including graphic design, animation, infographics, interpretive signage, and Story Maps that help tell technical stories using visuals and plain language for nontechnical audiences. In 2020, we helped the District develop social media channels, allowing them to interact with the public even more directly. Our team designed fun activities such as watershed bingo and a scavenger hunt, which were particularly timely during the pandemic. All of these tools help to reach the LMRWD’s ultimate goal to educate, engage, and involve the local community in watershed management.

Project Impact
By reaching out to the public, the LMRWD can share and amplify the important work they are doing, engaging the community to be part of a shared solution. The District also helps promote early environmental education in the Twin Cities metro, helping to educate the next generation of land stewards.

Education and Outreach, Graphic Design, Interpretive Signage, Watershed Tours, Training, Facilitation, Social Media