Recent Volunteer Projects

Eagle Scout Project Reveals Nature Preserve Hideaway

Eagle Scout candidate Erik Goetzke, BSA Troop 337 of Northfield, recently undertook a major task of clearing brush and buckthorn from Wolf Glen, a secluded hideaway between Cottonwood Pond and Moonlight Hollow. Erik, his fellow scouts and adult leaders spent an entire Saturday working very hard to transform Wolf Glen from an small clearing in the woods to a beautiful site where visitors can relax and enjoy nature. Their efforts revealed the hills and native vegetation surrounding the site that had been obscured by exotic (non-native) and invasive species. Boy Scout Eagle projects must be planned and supervised by the Eagle Scout candidate. He is responsible for logistics, recruiting volunteers, tools & materials, food and successful completion of the project. Great job Erik and thanks to all of the scouts and adults of Troop 337!



BSA Troop 337, scouts, leaders and volunteers     One of two brush burning piles



Students from Carleton College help with Earth Day Project

Five students from Carleton College in Northfield helped with the reforestation project on the 100 year flood plain. This Earth Day project was spearheaded by Joe Kaliszewski, General Manager of Joe’s Lawnscape, Inc. from South Saint Paul and member of the Land Stewardship Committee. The project included locating and flagging seedlings planted earlier, mowing around the seedlings and spreading woodchips around the base of the small trees. The students were recruited by Beth Bennett our Carleton ACT (Acting in the Community Together) site coordinator.



Carleton College students spreading
wood chips around trees                                   Joe Kaliszewski “The Mad Mower”



Eagle Scout Project Yields 20 Trail Benches

Eagle Scout candidate Steve Williams, BSA Troop 285 of Saint Paul, along with his fellow scouts and adult leaders spent well over 100 hours building 20 trail benches for The Science Center at Maltby Nature Preserve. Before Steve could actually build the benches, his Eagle Scout project had to receive approval on several levels. He first prepared a detailed plan and got the approval from his scoutmaster and his troop committee. His project was then approved by his Boy Scout district advancement committee and finally from BSA Northern Star Council. As part of his project, Steve did all of the planning, recruited his volunteers, secured the necessary funds, lumber and hardware to build the benches. He then got fellow scouts, friends and even parents to help assemble and deliver the benches. The benches are constructed of treated lumber and several pounds of hardware each.

The benches will add new places to sit and enjoy the wildlife, beauty and peace of the Nature Preserve. With Steve’s help, The Science Center at Maltby Nature Preserve is now an even nicer place to visit and relax.

Cannon River Cleanup


What Lazy Boy Did This?

Why would someone dump old household furniture on the banks of the Cannon, a Minnesota Wild and Scenic River, that provides habitat for many rare plants and animals and offers summer recreation and respite for us? That’s what organizers of the first-ever Cannon River Watershed Cleanup want to know.

Many do not recognize, or do not respect the unique natural resource that flows through our landscape. Thus, tires, bottles, cans, yard waste, tangles of fishing line, desks, sofas, chairs – and probably somewhere, even the kitchen sink litter the river’s shores and those of the creeks and streams that flow into the Cannon.

To help rectify the problem the first ever Cannon River Watershed Cleanup was held on Saturday, April 29, from 9:00 am. to noon at several sites on the Cannon and it’s tributaries. The cleanup was organized by staff from The Science Center, who formed an informal partnership with other educational and conservation organizations, county and municipal agencies and concerned citizens. Volunteers pitched in at 7 sites along the Cannon and its tributaries in Cannon Falls, in Northfield, in Faribault at city parks along the Cannon and Straight Rivers, in Randolph along Chub Creek and the Cannon, at Lake Byllesby Regional Park in Dakota County, at Phillippo Scout Reservation and at the mouth of the Cannon in Red Wing.

Each year, as the cleanup is conducted, we intend to include more sites along additional tributaries within the 1,462 square mile Cannon watershed that carries waters to the Mississippi, a drinking-water source for millions of people downstream. It’s important not only to remove the trash, but also to educate the public about our vital watershed resources.

Volunteers wore rain gear and looks of determination as they bagged the unsightly debris – and smiles of satisfaction at the end of the event. The neat thing about cleanups is that people who participate in them really love doing this kind of thing – they are hands-on, git ‘er done kinds of people, and picking up disgusting garbage in the rain really turns them on! These are people who really know how to have fun!” said Hilary Ziols, one of our partners , who is outreach coordinator for the Cannon River Watershed Partnership in Northfield.

In Northfield, 14 volunteers, collected 400 pounds of trash and some other heavy stuff. At Phillippo Scout Reservation, on the south shore of Lake Byllesby, parents and cub scouts to participated in the cleanup.

Nine volunteers from Dakota County and the Lake Byllesby Improvement Association worked at Dakota County’s Lake Byllesby Regional Park. Dan Boykin, LBIA president, reported, “We found a small treasure, a hand-made wooden model boat, and we removed two pickup loads of trash including four tires.”

In Faribault, nine somewhat soggy volunteers gleaned 300 pounds of litter from the a city park on the shores of the Straight River, largest tributary to the Cannon.

The biggest cleanup site was at the mouth of the Cannon River, where it empties into the Mississippi. Thirty-five volunteers from the Red Wing Wildlife League, the Environmental Learning Center and the City of Red Wing dug, tugged and hauled out more than 10 tons of trash, including 10 automobiles, 7 refrigerators, several stoves, many tires and other debris. ‘It was just a site where people have been dumping their trash for years and years,” said Capt. Bob Schleicher, director of Minnesota Rivers Revitalization, Inc. After the cleanup, Capt. Schleicher returned to the river to post “NO Dumping” signs.

Along the Cannon and Chub Creek in Randolph, 10 volunteers from The Science Center pulled a pickup load of bottles, cans and fishing debris from the banks in addition to two recliner-rockers, a turquoise toilet, a T.V. and the front seat out of an automobile. At noon, 20 damp and dirty, but smiling volunteers from several cleanup sites gathered at The Science Center to enjoy grilled hotdogs with all the trimmings and trade trash stories. We all left knowing we had done something good for the Cannon River Watershed.

Bags and gloves were provided by DNR Adopt-a-River Program and drinking water was donated by Cannon Valley Water Conditioning, of Dundas, Waste Management provided a roll-off container for trash collected.

The organizers thank all the hard-working volunteers that ranged in age from children to college students to gray-haired seniors. Save the date, September 30, when the next cleanup is planned. Let’s all pitch in.

Faribault – Jeff Jarvis, 507-384-0516; jjarvis@ci.faribault.mn.us
Northfield – Hilary Zoils, 507-646-8400; hilary@crwp.net
Randolph – Sil Pembleton, 507-664-0770; sil@thesciencecentermnp.org
Lake Byllesby – Barb Banks 952-891-7980;Barb.banks@co.dakota.mn.us
Cannon Falls – Dan Boykin, 507-263-0775; dboykin@cvtel.net
Red Wing – Bob Schleicher, 651-388-3047