Every spring Great River Greening brings 1,000 volunteers out to natural spaces in Minnesota to restore our land and water. This season’s events will draw even more people, working on sites throughout the state.We kick things off in April with a celebration of Minnesota Public Radio’s Water Month. Volunteers will work alongside MPR Radio hosts and members, in Mendota Heights, to create an environment that can better filter the water flowing from Valley Creek into the Mississippi River.

“This is an exciting season for us. We are working in treasured, vast, and, in some cases severely threatened areas, across the state. The impact will show in healthier land, cleaner water, and even more friends of all ages learning how preserve our natural heritage. It is going to be a tremendous challenge, but Great River Greening volunteers always come through for us. Rain or shine." [grg_quote_name]Deborah Karasov, Great River Greening Executive Director [/grg_quote_name]

As the ground thaws and the sun gets stronger, more is planned.In the metro area volunteers will plant nectar-rich flowers and cast milkweed seedpods, as part of an ongoing effort to aid in the survival of endangered pollinators.Areas include Pilot Knob, which was recently added to historical registry, and Doyle-Kennefick, a planned regional park located in Central Scott County. This future park is currently in the acquisition and stewardship phase. Once fully acquired, it will include 1,139 acres of striking landscapes of native hardwood forest, oak savanna, prairie, and pristine wetlands scattered across a rolling glacial topography.Trees and shrubs are going into six acres nearby the Minnesota Valley State Trail, and into Crosby Farm Regional Park, Saint Paul's largest natural park, which winds along the Mississippi River.In outstate Minnesota, high school students will help restore a Wildlife Management Area in Central Minnesota; and community members in St. Peter will work to prevent pollution seeping into the Seven Mile Creek, a Minnesota River feeder.Throughout the spring, underserved high school students will join our Field Learning for Teens program, to learn about ecology and explore green careers; corporations will bring their employees out to roll up their sleeves and connect over the rewarding work of stewardship.In all, the numbers of volunteers joining us will far exceed our typical spring.