East Metro water‑education program outlines grants, volunteer trainings and youth career pilot for Oakdale

At the Oakdale Environmental Management Commission meeting on March 17, Angie Hong, an outreach specialist with the East Metro Water Resource Education Program, described a slate of education, grant and volunteer efforts aimed at increasing native plantings, pollinator habitat and stormwater stewardship in Oakdale and Washington County.

Hong said the program partners with cities, watershed districts and conservation districts and offers free site visits and designs for residential projects. “Anybody can sign up for those and have a conservation staff person come and meet with you and talk about is this native, is this invasive, how can I plant a rain garden, what kinds of grants are available?” Hong said.

The program is one of 16 municipal and local partners in Washington County and has operated since 2006, Hong said. She highlighted several initiatives likely to affect Oakdale residents: a Lawns to Legumes–funded pollinator pathways effort to create five demonstration neighborhoods (one near the east side of Tanners Lake and areas that drain to Battle Creek Lake), a separate Habitat Enhancement program aiming for about a dozen larger planting projects countywide, and ongoing cost‑share grants administered by local watershed districts that range from about $500 to $15,000.

The watershed partners are pursuing curb‑cut rain gardens tied to planned road work, Hong said, and are talking with the city engineer about opportunities to install them as streets are repaved. She said the program also works with schools and parks and has discussed a possible pollinator planting at Tartan High School, though that remains contingent on construction timing.

Hong described a suite of volunteer and education offerings: an April 12 tree stewards training at Lake Elmo Regional Park that asks volunteers to commit roughly 20–25 hours per year; shoreline contractor and restoration workshops, including a May 20 hands‑on shoreline restoration session on White Bear Lake; homeowner‑association stormwater leader trainings; and a monthly partner e‑mail with short, shareable guidance for city newsletters. She said 94 Oakdale residents have adopted storm drains through the program and that about 25,000 drains have been adopted statewide.

Hong also introduced a three‑week career exploration pilot for rising juniors and seniors in June, aimed at about 10 students and emphasizing hands‑on activities such as water monitoring, erosion control site inspections and basic drone operation. Jessica Sahuteli, Hong’s colleague and the program’s volunteer coordinator, will lead much of that effort, Hong said.

Commissioners asked about outreach and barriers to reaching audiences beyond already engaged residents. Hong said the program struggles to reach people outside existing networks and views youth programming as one tool to broaden engagement. She encouraged the commission and city staff to share event flyers, social posts and volunteer opportunities.

The presentation included contact and online resources: Washington Conservation District materials, the Lawns to Legumes/Bluethumb resources, and the program’s BMP (best management practice) mapping database, which tracks projects and calculates estimated pollution reductions for watersheds.

Commission staff liaison Hannah Dunn and commissioners thanked Hong and discussed opportunities to promote the programs at Oakdale events, including the April Eco Fair.

Less critical details: Hong noted that native‑plant retailers now gather at a regional “landscape revival” event (recently moved to Rock Point Church in Lake Elmo) and that municipal certification trainings (for smart‑salt and other practices) will be offered in partnership with local agencies this year.