Mississippi Messages Calendar - March 2013

Calendar of Events Schedule your stenciling outing today! Mid-April through mid-October, 2013 City of Saint Paul If you're looking for a great service outing that is educational, active, outdoors and provides a significant community benefit, consider storm drain stenciling. It's just one and a half to three hours in length, and can be set at a time and St. Paul location convenient for your group. Reservations are now being taken for April through October 2013. Read more » Mississippi River Challenge Kickoff Party Thursday, March 28 — 5:00-8:00 p.m. Amsterdam Bar and Hall, 6th and Wabasha, Downtown Saint Paul Get the paddle party started! Come and enjoy food, drinks and festivities as we kick-off the paddling season, and start to celebrate the 10th Annual Mississippi River Challenge! For more information, please visit MississippiRiverChallenge.org, or subscribe to our Facebook and Twitter feeds! Read more » Native Plants, Raingardens and Lawn Care for Water Quality Saturday, April 20 — 6:30-8:30 p.m. South Creek, Lakeville Whether you're interested in a smaller native planting or want to transform your whole yard into a force for clean water this year, this FMR workshop can get you started. Taught by FMR's former River Stewardship Coordinator Karen Solas, the presentation receives rave reviews from participants, who also appreciate the high-quality and concise take-home materials. Learn more, and register directly from the event page! Read more » Mississippi River Challenge Meet-ups Last Tuesday of the month Various locations This year, Mississippi River Challenge paddlers, volunteers and enthusiasts are all encouraged to come to our series of meet-ups and social hours. Held the last Tuesday of every month at various Twin Cities locations, meetups will feature door prizes, Q and A with staff, and special registration promotions. Whether you're there to register with one of our special promotions, learn more about the Mississippi River Challenge, or just to meet and greet with others involved in this world-class paddling event, each meet-up will be a great chance to get involved in the Mississippi River Challenge community! For more information, please visit MississippiRiverChallenge.org, or subscribe to our Facebook and Twitter feeds!! Read more » Hastings Area Birding Festival Saturday, April 20 — 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Carpenter Nature Center, Hastings Have you always wanted to learn more about the birds that live in your backyard? Whether you're an experienced birder or can't tell a robin from a chickadee, this is the perfect opportunity. With bird banding demonstrations, field trips to local birding hot spots for experts or beginners, a youth birding competition, and "Raptors 101", people of all ages and birding levels will find much to enjoy. Learn more, and download the registration forms directly from the event page. Read more » Raingarden Shrub Planting Saturday, April 27 — 9:30 a.m.-noon Crosby Farm Regional Park, St. Paul Join the award-winning restoration of Crosby Regional Park, nestled at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers in St. Paul. Volunteers are needed to help plant native shrubs in a raingarden near the newly renovated main parking area. (Capacity is limited and party size limited to five.) Preregistration is required. Learn more on the event page, or sign up now with Lindsay at lhefferan@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x24. Read more » Garlic Mustard Removal and Pledge to Pull Training at Pine Bend Thursday, May 2 — 6:00-8:00 p.m. Pine Bend Scientific and Natural Area, Inver Grove Heights In addition to stunning river valley views Pine Bend Scientific and Natural Area provides vital habitat for many birds who rely on the Mississippi River flyway. Come join this award-winning regional restoration project. You can contribute for two hours, or sign up to Pledge to Pull to return to this protected area to complete additional restoration work on your own or with friends or family. Learn more on the event page, or sign up now with Lindsay at lhefferan@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x24. Read more » For current event listings and more information on the events listed above, please visit our events calendar page at www.fmr.org/participate/events. Calendar of Events Schedule your stenciling outing today! Mississippi River Challenge Kickoff Party Native Plants, Raingardens and Lawn Care for Water Quality Mississippi River Challenge Meet-ups Hastings Area Birding Festival Raingarden Shrub Planting Garlic Mustard Removal and Pledge to Pull Training at Pine Bend