Are you sick of goose poop covering your lawn? Plant a buffer of native grasses, flowers, and shrubs along your shoreline to keep them out! Geese are drawn to open spaces with short, well-fertilized grass, which provides them with a buffet of their favorite food and a sense of security with the ability to easily spot predators. Add water (your lake) to the mix, and you've created an easily accessible 'goose haven'. Taller, denser vegetation along the water's edge deters geese from accessing your lawn from the lake, encouraging them to move along in search of greener pastures.  

The thicker the buffer, the more effective it will be. Not only do buffers discourage nuisance wildlife – they also provide a multitude of other benefits, including protecting your shoreline from erosion, improving water quality, and providing food and habitat for pollinators. You can use this helpful collection of technical resources, produced by the Minnesota DNR, to plan your buffer project. For more information, contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist, at Breanna.Keith@AnokaSWCD.  

Spring is the perfect time to upgrade your lawn irrigation system. Smart irrigation tools—such as Wi-Fi-enabled controllers, soil moisture sensors, and rain sensors—help your system adjust automatically based on weather and soil conditions. These upgrades take the guesswork out of watering and prevent overwatering. 

Thanks to the Metropolitan Council's Water Efficiency Grant Program, funded by the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, several Anoka County cities are offering rebates for smart irrigation controllers that reduce water waste and lower your water bill. Click the links below or check with your city to learn more about eligibility and how to apply.

- Smart irrigation controller rebates: Centerville, Coon Rapids, Fridley, Lino Lakes, Ramsey
- Irrigation audits to assess water efficiency: Fridley

Smart irrigation is a simple, effective step toward more resilient water resources—right here in Anoka County. Visit the University of Minnesota Extension's Lawn Care website for additional lawn management resources. For more information contact Mitch Haustein, Stormwater and Shoreland Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Do you have some corners of your property that are hard to mow or just need a little spruce up? ACD staff recently replaced turf with native plants alongside our parking lot. This area of the yard is steeply sloped and difficult to mow. The 300 sq ft area is now home to nearly a dozen species that will benefit pollinators. In recent years we converted the area around some clumped oak trees into a shrub garden. Those shrubs have matured nicely and required no care. In another area, we simply stopped mowing. The resulting grass is still short (<6") and falls over on itself. The area is easy to walk across, and cuts down on our maintenance.