Volunteers Thanked for Environmental Work

Eighty-three volunteers were thanked for their services and assistance over the past three years at the 2021 SSMN Natural Resources Workgroup Volunteer Thank You event on December 7 at the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center in Lake Elmo. 2021 was our most active volunteer year to date with over 60 collaborators -- even business food service was contributed to work sites!

Louise Watson (in green jacket)

Volunteers helped with the Bluebird Recovery Program, the What's That Plant? educational event, stormwater protection, open space evaluations, garlic mustard pulls, bird collision prevention, rubbish and litter cleanups, and Public Lands Day events with the MN Extension Master Naturalists. The Lily Lake Park buckthorn removal workday on December 3 drew Friends of Lily Lake, city employees, and other SSMN volunteers.

Team leader Louise Watson thanked volunteers with pep talks and refreshments and disclosed plans for 2022.

Also present were rain garden maintenance coordinator Ruth Alliband, and Washington Conservation District Educator Angie Hong. Thank you Ruth for your rain garden passion! Thank you Angie Hong for this GREAT STORY ABOUT US in the Stillwater Gazette.