For more information contact Brian Clark, Natural Resource Technician, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Visit the ACD webpage to learn more about monitoring efforts or contact Brian Clark, Natural Resource Technician, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

Come participate with ACD's Monarch monitoring efforts! ACD staff will provide all the training and materials you need.

Learn to:
- Identify blooming prairie plants
- Find and observe Monarch butterfly eggs and larvae
- Record activities of adult Monarch butterflies

Event info:
Thursday June 20^th, 4:00pm-7:00pm
Cedar Creek Conservation Area: 18510 Lake George Blvd, Oak Grove
Note: this event will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather.

You can RSVP for this event by completing a quick google form. For more information contact Logan Olson, Restoration Technician, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thanks for volunteering with ACD! 

In 2019, The Anoka Sand Plain (ASP) Rescue Program collected MN State Threatened Rotala ramosior (toothcup) seed from a site and the collected seed was taken to the MN Landscape Arboretum's seed bank for storage and preservation. The ASP Program is always on the search for suitable habitat and the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve has habitat, active management and a willing landowner. Bison were introduced to part of the Reserve, creating open soil disturbance with their trails and wallows. 

In fall, 2023, the ASP Rescue team spread a small amount of seed along and the area was recently monitored this spring and countless Rotala ramosior – toothcup plants were identified throughout the wetland depression. Toothcup is an annual whose population fluctuates due to changes in water levels along shorelines and wetland depression habitats and requires disturbance to create bare soil for the seeds to have space to germinate. The ASP Rescue team will continue to monitor this area to determine the results of the seeding, which will help guide future reintroduction and management efforts. For more information contact Carrie Taylor, Restoration Ecologist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

ACD recently had several projects where the contractor used barges to stabilize shorelines that are otherwise be difficult to reach. It has allowed us to stabilize some of the highest priority shorelines and added efficiency to the work. Recent projects have been on Martin Lake and the Rum & Mississippi Rivers. 

Small excavators work from the barge itself. The barge is moved up and down the shoreline. In this way the equipment is never driven in the water where it would disturb sediment and destroy aquatic vegetation. For more information contact Jamie Schurbon, Wetland Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Funding sources include grant dollars from the Clean Water Fund and Outdoor Heritage Fund (both from the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment) as well as match dollars from the landowners, Anoka County, and the Upper Rum River WMO. For more information contact Jared Wagner, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

ACD staff recently boated the Rum River to review potential riverbank stabilization and in-stream habitat sites, which provided an opportunity to assess a few previously installed stabilization projects. Each site was stabilized with hard armoring at the bottom of the slope (where vegetation will not grow due to frequent water level fluctuation) and native vegetation on the upper banks. The sites have remained stable, and vegetation has established to provide riparian habitat value within the Rum River Corridor.

 For more information contact Mitch Haustein, Shoreline and Stormwater Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Nearly a decade after Minnesota's buffer law was enacted in 2015, 99.8% of parcels adjacent to Minnesota waters are in compliance with the law. Buffers are also known as a riparian filter strip adjacent to a stream, river, lake, or wetland. These buffers filter out phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment. Studies completed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency show that buffers are important for protecting and restoring water quality, natural stream functions, and aquatic habitat and life. Buffers are required along public waterways and ditches. Public waterways include lakes, rivers, and streams. This type of waterway requires a 50-foot average buffer. Buffers of 16.5 feet are required along public ditches. 

ACD was proud to announce that Anoka County was 100% compliance back in fall, 2020. This milestone was achieved through strong partnerships between Anoka County, ACD, local landowners, and BWSR. This achievement doesn't mean that the hard work is over but it does represent a great success and displays the impact that strong environmental policy can have across the state of Minnesota. The next phase, includes another ACD review of properties throughout Anoka County to identify non-compliant parcels. This review began in Spring, 2024 and is based on recently released aerial photos. Compliance status and progress is tracked using the Buffer Compliance and Tracking Tool (BuffCAT), a state developed GIS database and mapping system.

Transfers in property ownership and land management changes, will require ongoing efforts by ACD in order to maintain existing compliance and to bring other parcels into compliance. Many landowners with noncompliant parcels have plans in place to seed the sites, or to implement an alternative conservation practice that provides comparable water-quality benefits this spring. Visit the ACD website to learn more about Buffer law implementation or contact Kris Larson, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Stormwater runoff from Fridley's Channel Rd. NE neighborhood currently flows to and through the storm sewer network directly to Rice Creek, untreated. This is a common occurrence in well-established neighborhoods built prior to stormwater treatment regulations. However, thanks to collaboration between the City of Fridley, Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD), ACD, and private landowners, this neighborhood with soon be retrofitted with four curb-cut rain gardens designed to reduce water volume and pollutants entering Rice Creek. 

These gardens have been strategically located throughout the neighborhood in order to capture as much runoff as possible. The benefits of infiltrating this stormwater will amount to an estimated reduction of 56,192 cubic feet of water, 3.57 lbs of phosphorus, and 677 lbs of total suspended solids to Rice Creek per year. Each garden will also be densely planted with native forbs, grasses, and shrubs to provide improved water infiltration and pockets of high-quality habitat in a highly developed landscape. 

Funding is provided by the RCWD's water quality cost share program and the City of Fridley. Landowners at each garden site have voluntarily enrolled in this opportunity and have agreed to maintain these gardens to ensure long-term functionality. For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

This June, ACD is planting 10 lakeshore buffers, part of a shoreline stabilization totaling nearly 800 feet of shoreline at three lakes. Native plants help hold in place the shoreline soils against erosion and provide near shore habitat. ACD and its project partners, such as the Sunrise River Watershed Management Organization, have goals of increasing native and stable shorelines. 

"Disappearing" natural shorelines is affecting lake health at many waterbodies in the region. ACD staff regularly assists homeowners who wish to do native shoreline buffers. With a little guidance, these projects can be do-it-yourself installation, or professionally installed. Cost share grants are available. Big or small, each is a step toward healthier, cleaner lakes and rivers. For more information contact, Watershed Projects Manager, Jamie Schurbon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 763-434-2030 ext 210.  

ACD wrapped up another successful tree sale! 26,800 trees were purchased as bare root seedlings in bundles of ten or twenty-five. The district offered a variety of species including black cherry, mixed oak, maple, lilac, pine trees and a variety of native prairie seed mixes were available. We had perfect weather on pick-up day and staff loved getting the chance to meet and engage with the 354 tree sale customers. If you purchased trees from us this year we want to send out a big thanks you! If you missed the tree sale this year you can start planning for 2025!

For more information contact Kathy Berkness, Office Administrator, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

ACD identified several keystone endeavors for each of the foundational natural resources: Surface Water, Ecological Resources, Groundwater, and Soils as well as Community and Operation. We also recognize the foundational knowledge provided by monitoring, inventory, analysis and planning. As we make progress on these endeavors, we'll have a positive impact on the quality of life in Anoka County. Listed below are achievements from 2023. Each year, it's important to take stock in how well we progressed in the prior year. 

Foundational Knowledge
Monitor - 123 monitoring sites including lakes, rivers, wetlands, groundwater, and precipitation involving quantity, quality and biology.
Inventory - Photo inventory of Rum & Mississippi rivers, Oak Glen Creek, and Martin, Linwood, and Coon Lakes. Aquatic plant inventory of Lake George and Highland Lake. Restorable wetlands and buffer law compliance inventories.
Analyze - Completed Centerville Lake Stormwater Retrofit Analysis (SRA). Advanced Rum and Mississippi SRAs. Completed Subwatershed Analysis (SWA) for Ford Brook and Rum River drainage areas.
Strategize - Annual work plans for ACD, local WMOs, Rum and Lower St. Croix watersheds. Participate in regional planning initiatives.

Surface Water
Stabilize Riverbanks - 3,041 ft. of Rum Riverbank.
Improve Quality of Priority Waters - Martin and Typo Lakes improving. Projects on Lake George, Golden Lake, Mississippi and Rum Rivers.
Stabilize Lakeshores - 180 linear ft. of lakeshore on George and Golden Lakes.
Enhance Hydrologic Function - Pond modification treating 86.8 acres for water quality and stormwater attenuation.
Remove Pollutants - 123 lbs Total Phosphorus and 117 tons Total Suspended Solids reduced.
Treat Urban and Rural Runoff - Enhancing treatment of 97 acres of urban runoff.

Ecological Resources
Protect Priority Ecological Corridors - Two RIM conservation easements totaling 52.4 acres including 3,750 ft. of Rum River frontage. Assumed management of 126 acre wetland bank.
Restore and Enhance Wetlands and Uplands - 50 acres-Prairie, 29 acres-oak savanna & woodland, 29 acres-wetland, 10,000 ft²-riparian habitat, and 2,000 ft²-lakeshore habitat.
Rescue Rare Species - 900 rare plants rescued and planted into 5 protected sites.
Control Invasive Species - 41 acres-buckthorn, 2.6 acres-non-native Phragmites, 5 acres-wild parsnip, 1 site-round-leaf bittersweet, 1 site-golden creeper, 10 sites-knotweed, 1 site-tansey, 0.5 acres-spotted knapweed.
Maintain Projects and Practices - 74 sites inspected.

Improve Rural and Urban Habitat - 12,015 ft². of riparian and shoreline buffers. 

Groundwater
Provide Leadership and Coordination - Serve on metro groundwater sustainability workgroup. Pursue funding for Groundwater Specialist. Pass MASWCD resolution for groundwater conservation funding from DNR user fees.
Reduce Use - Comment on DNR water appropriation permits to reduce waste.
Reduce Contamination - 6 failing septic system fixed, 15 wells sealed.

Community
Inspire Behavior Change - 71 projects installed.
Engage Residents - 167 site consultations, 38 project designs, 5 volunteer events, 354 tree sale customers.
Increase Awareness - Completed Our Riverbank Connection video and accompanying online quiz, 26,507 views of Our Connection video series, presentations to 400+ participants on a variety of topics, workshops, monthly snapshot, quarterly newsletter, active blog, and social media.
Assist with Regulatory Compliance - 99.9% buffer law compliance, Wetland Conservation Act guidance.

Soils
Promote Agricultural Soil Health - Cost share funding promotion, 1 project-10 acres.

Operations
Deliver Commitments On Time and On Budget - Closed out 8 grants.
Recruit, Train, Retain Expertise - Added P.E. licensure, no resignations.

For more information on ACD's 2023 activities check out the full 2023 ACD Annual Report or contact Chris Lord, District Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Rain Guardian pretreatment chambers were on display at the 2024 Operations and Maintenance of Stormwater Systems Conference in Austin, TX. The Rain Guardian booth provided conference attendees with an effective solution for bioretention system pretreatment. Conference attendees included stormwater managers, municipal and county government employees, engineers, contractors, and designers. This is the first time Rain Guardians have been on display at a conference in Texas, and many attendees expressed an interest in Rain Guardian products.

See www.RainGuardian.biz for additional information or contact Mitch Haustein, Stormwater & Shoreline Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jonn Olson was the recipient of the annual "Friend of Martin Lake" award at the May 2024 annual meeting of the Martin Lakers Association. Jonn, along with the Linwood Township maintenance crew, was instrumental during spring 2023 flooding. They helped ensure water continued to flow when bogs were threatening to clog water structures. Jonn is a Linwood Township Supervisor and member of the Sunrise River Watershed Management Organization. The Friend of Martin Lake award originated in the early 2000's, when ACD presented it to the Martin Lakers Association. It has been a traveling annual award ever since.

For more information contact Jamie Schurbon, Watershed Project Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

ACD is looking for volunteers to participate in upcoming Monarch and Monarch habitat monitoring efforts. ACD will host a number of volunteer events this summer in natural areas across Anoka County. We will provide all the training and materials you will need. Your work will contribute to a national dataset helping conservationists better understand and protect the Monarch. 

As a volunteer you will be trained to:
- Identify blooming prairie plants which provide Monarch habitat resources
- Find and observe Monarch eggs and larvae
- Record activities of adult Monarchs

Join us for this fun opportunity to explore natural areas of Anoka County while learning about Monarch conservation! You can indicate your interest in volunteering this summer by completing a quick google form. For more information contact Logan Olson, Restoration Technician, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..