Capitol Region Watershed District’s (CRWD’s) Watershed Steward Awards is an annual event that honors individuals and organizations that exemplify watershed stewardship through activities or projects demonstrating a commitment to help protect, manage, and improve our lakes and the Mississippi River.
CRWD is accepting nominations for the 2024 Watershed Steward Awards, which honor individuals and organizations that exemplify watershed stewardship through activities or projects that show a commitment to protecting, managing, and improving our lakes and the Mississippi River.
To nominate an individual or organization, please complete the Watershed Steward Nomination Form PDF linked below. All nominations are due by Friday, October 25, 2024.
On February 1, 2024, we gathered to honor the 2023 winners and recognize the Board, Community Advisory Committee, and Staff.
The Watershed Citizen Award is given to an individual who demonstrates a personal commitment to citizen engagement, project initiation or exceptional leadership that supports CRWD’s mission.
Melvin Giles is a pillar for the community, a gardener, a peace-bubble advocate, and the director of the Urban Farm and Garden Alliance. Melvin is an advocate for the Capitol Region Watershed District by not only being a grantee of two of our programs but also continuously mentioning CRWD to others on a range of topics, involving CRWD in a place-based approach.
Melvin is a connector and advocates for goodness in every conversation. Melvin has led the way by initiating projects through their own sites at the Urban Farm and Garden Alliance and has advocated for CRWD in new spaces in the community.
Melvin advocates for the District in rooms of policy changers, youth, and community members throughout the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods of Saint Paul because of his own experience with CRWD. In 2020, Melvin Giles and his founding grassroots organization, the Urban Farm and Garden Alliance (UFGA) were awarded a partner grant for implementing a summer of water education for youth in the neighborhood through their Children’s Garden Program. They created lesson plans on the journey of water and shared knowledge on rainwater reuse systems.
In 2021, UFGA was awarded a Clean Water Project Grant to implement clean water projects in UFGA’s Peace Garden. A permeable paver pathway was installed with the dual benefit of increasing stormwater infiltration and wheelchair accessibility throughout the garden. Additionally, UFGA installed a reuse system that captures rainwater from the garage and shed roofs to reuse for garden watering. These projects have greatly improved the strength of the community and the ability to implement clean water in their neighborhood. UFGA partnered with Engineers without Borders and initiated their local projects program.
Melvin Giles is an exceptional community leader and has continued to include the District on potential projects such as tree canopy research and rainwater reuse projects, bringing CRWD into potential partnerships with other local organizations. Even when CRWD is not present, Melvin is always weaving in the watershed district work to local city officials and his own personal network of leaders.
The Young Watershed Steward Award is given to a young person or group of young people who have undertaken projects that exemplify a commitment to CRWD’s mission.
Moua Yang is an exceptional watershed advocate as a staff member at Urban Roots (UR. In the last 10 years, CRWD has held a standing partnership with Urban Roots’ conservation program through the District’s Partner Grants program. Moua has been involved with UR’s program throughout his entire high school career and is now in his first year of college. Being a member of UR’s conservation program for the past six years, Moua’s been involved in CRWD restoration projects in Willow Reserve, Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary, and Bruce Vento/Wakan Tipi. In addition to Moua’s hand in the restoration projects, he has been involved in a range of other watershed-related topics such as rain garden education and liter pick-up initiatives. Since the start of his participation at the age of 14, Moua has developed as a young leader among his peers and is now a crew lead at Urban Roots.
Through CRWD’s long-lasting partnership with Urban Roots and Moua’s commitment to the conservation program, CRWD sites have had a direct benefit from Moua’s presence. In 2023, Moua initiated a pilot program within Urban Roots called Fishing Together, to share with youth his passion for outdoor recreation. He’s taken his passions and energy into developing intentional curriculum for others, taking his role at Urban Roots above and beyond what has been expected of him.
Through his compassionate leadership, Moua makes space for other youth at Urban Roots to feel comfortable and safe when out in the field at CRWD sites. With action and attention, he never seems to run out of enthusiasm for the work. Whether the activity is to remove invasive species in Willow Reserve, bringing a listening ear to honor river stories, or listening to CRWD staff thoroughly share about watershed projects and careers, Moua is consistently attentive, caring, and always looking out for his peers in Urban Roots.
The Watershed Outreach Program Award is given to an organization that demonstrates a commitment to CRWD’s mission through its policies, practices or projects by connecting residents to clean water practices through education, art, and other means.
The Minnesota Water Stewards Program is a certification program that trains and supports community leaders to prevent water pollution and educate their community with the goals of conserving and protecting our waterways. The program is implemented through partnerships between Freshwater Society and local government offices like watershed districts or cities. The program celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2023. In the past decade, the Minnesota Water Stewards program has trained and certified hundreds of stewards to work for clean water.
CRWD hosted our first cohort in 2016 and has hosted a group of 2-6 volunteers every year since. We currently have an active roster of over 20 Water Stewards. This program has created a way for our residents who are passionate about protecting our water resources to learn more about how water is managed within our state and more locally, within CRWD. It has also provided meaningful ways for them to take action to protect water through their capstone projects. As part of the certification, stewards are required to complete work on a stormwater project (often a rain garden) and conduct a community education project.
CRWD’s stewards have contributed hundreds of hours in restoration work, community event tabling, rain garden inspections and community education.
The Watershed Partner Award is given to an individual or organization that demonstrates through its policies, practices or projects a commitment to CRWD’s mission by consistently implementing innovative stormwater management solutions.
The Ramsey County Master Gardeners program is a well-established volunteer training and certification program with over 300 certified members. Master Gardeners complete a year of training and move toward an internship role before becoming certified volunteers. As community volunteers, they focus their time on initiatives that teach the community about various gardening practices, answer gardening questions, beautify public spaces and participate in horticulture research projects. The goals of the program are to protect and enhance the environment, grow community pride by engaging neighborhood vegetable, fruit, and native plant gardens, promote good nutrition by teaching residents to grow fruits and vegetables and strengthen residents and families by promoting the therapeutic benefits of gardening. These goals complement the mission and work of CRWD.
In 2018, CRWD staff met with Master Gardeners living in CRWD to explore ways to strengthen our collaboration. Since then, we have worked to include Ramsey County Master Gardeners in many of the activities we conduct with our Minnesota Water Stewards, and we now have a number of Water Stewards who are also certified Master Gardeners. Some ways we’ve collaborated include setting up Water Stewards to volunteer alongside of Master Gardeners at their Ask a Gardener table at the Farmers Markets, training the Master Gardeners in our rain garden inspection process where they partner with a Minnesota Water Steward to conduct boulevard rain garden inspections, and this past year, CRWD hosted a native plant and weed identification workshop for both Master Gardeners and Minnesota Water Stewards. Ramsey County Master Gardeners even coordinated two tours of Highland Bridge this summer with many of the members attending. Through the support of this team of staff and volunteers, CRWD has been able to further grow our community and stormwater impacts.
The Environmental Leadership in Construction Award is given to an individual or organization that demonstrates excellence and a commitment to CRWD’s mission by implementing exemplary stormwater protection measures throughout the duration of a project.
The Watershed District implements rules for construction to ensure that, when it rains, the water leaving a site is not carrying sediment and pollutants. Systems are also installed that will capture and treat large volumes of stormwater each year. Our staff work closely with construction site managers to ensure inspections are completed, and any issues addressed. Paul did an exemplary job managing the construction of a mixed-use building in the Summit Hill neighborhood of Saint Paul. The project was challenging from the very beginning, tight quarters and nearby historic buildings made staging and heavy construction a balancing act. Despite this, Paul’s project consistently had the highest erosion and sediment control inspection grades in the entire district.
Because of the size of the building footprint, the stormwater treatment systems that were designed for the project were complex and included a filter cartridge system and a never-before-constructed detention system against the north wall of the building that had to be watertight. Paul’s team coordinated closely with CRWD staff to ensure the filter system was constructed according to plan and was extremely responsive in making necessary adjustments and fixes. When the watertight system wasn’t watertight, Paul worked with his contractor team, the City, the design engineer and CRWD to evaluate all the different options for a solution. In this highly stressful situation, Paul was always courteous, professional, and thoughtful. Ultimately, Paul and his team arrived at a solution that satisfied all parties while still meeting CRWD stormwater requirements.
The Watershed Project Award is given to an organization, group or individual for a project that demonstrates an innovative and effective solution for protecting, managing and improving water resources of CRWD.
Midway Peace Park, located on Griggs Street between University Avenue and Saint Anthony Avenue in Saint Paul, is an approximately 3-acre park in the Midway neighborhood and has been a part of the City’s long-term vision to create vibrant greenspaces that strengthen community connections along the Green Line. It is the result of years of planning and collaboration led by the City of Saint Paul – Parks and Recreation Department and Trust for Public Land. Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) joined park planning efforts in 2018 to help with the stormwater management design process. Other partners include Union Park District Council, Gordon Parks High School, Lexington-Hamline Community Council, Common Bond Communities, Health Partners, Concordia University and many others.
The land along Griggs Street between University Avenue and I-94 was underused, inaccessible, and fenced off in an area that lacked parks and green space. The parcels varied from two acres of paved surface to overgrown turf grass, weeds, and small trees. There was no stormwater management and polluted runoff would flow directly to the Mississippi River through storm drains.
Midway Peace Park includes a large field for free play, walking paths, full-court basketball, gathering areas, shade trees, tables and benches, a multi-level playground, two rain gardens, and a signature stormwater feature. The rain gardens with native plants absorb stormwater runoff from the park and adjacent parking lot and allow it to soak into the ground. They also provide habitat for pollinators and wildlife. The unique stormwater feature, located next to the playground and lower walking path, re-circulates pretreated stormwater from the upper rain garden.
CRWD funded the upper raingarden, stormwater feature and the accompanying interpretive signage to raise awareness about stormwater and showcase how it can be utilized as resource. Clean water projects in this park collect and filter 1.5 million gallons of runoff to prevent nearly 900 pounds of sediment and 5 pounds of phosphorus from reaching the Mississippi River each year.
The park opened in 2020 and serves both as a destination along the Green Line, which has few parks along its route, and as an important local park for the surrounding residents and schools.
The Lifetime Stewardship Award is given to an individual who has, during their lifetime, played a significant leadership role in the stewardship of CRWD’s water resources.
Mike has had a successful career in support of public spaces, parks and clean water. CRWD’s first interaction with Mike was when he was the Campus Manager for Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. It was Mike’s early leadership and support that began the District’s initial work in Como Park.
Mike led Saint Paul Parks and Recreation for 14 years during which led to an unprecedented investment in clean water projects, not only in Como Park but across the City of Saint Paul. Projects completed during Mike’s tenure as Director included CHS Field, Arlington Pascal, Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary, Midway Peace Park, Willow Reserve, Swede Hollow, Highland Bridge and many more. Mike’s support and direction made these projects a benefit to both the City and CRWD.
Having such a critical partnership with Mike, who led a nationally accredited, award-winning, equity-focused, and industry-leading municipal parks and recreation agency, was crucial to the success of the District’s capital improvement program.
In addition to supporting clean water projects within City Parks, Mike was a true partner and collaborator as he could assist the District in navigating the channels throughout the City, not just within parks. Mike also provided a critical eye to District work that helped improve our efforts across the entire District.
Mike is a transparent, strategic, and responsive municipal leader and is recognized for his many years of service to the public for the advancement of parks and open spaces in our community.
On January 25, 2023, we gathered to honor the 2022 winners and recognize the Board, Community Advisory Committee, and Staff.
The Watershed Citizen Award is given to an individual who demonstrates a personal commitment to citizen engagement, project initiation or exceptional leadership that supports CRWD’s mission.
Mike is a devoted community member and organizer who has taken the lead on so many outstanding community-led initiatives to protect Como Lake. He joined the Como Active Citizen Network’s leadership team nearly 7 years ago to help coordinate the annual Como Curb Cleanup. He recently helped transition oversight of the program to the District 10 Como Community Council to ensure its longevity. Mike has also been organizing the Como Lake Cleanup in and around the lake for 5 years through his leadership role with the District 10 Environment Committee. Combined, these efforts have engaged 1,160 people in removing 1,260 pounds of trash in and around the lake, and in clearing 192,000 feet of curb line of leaves and other debris to protect Como Lake.
Mike’s philosophy and commitment to his community and Como Lake was perfectly captured in his cameo on CRWD’s recent Como Lake video— “ There is a remarkable power in seeing a bunch of volunteers band together to clean up the lake—to sweep leaves from the streets, to do these small things—on its own may seem insignificant, but when we as a community band together, we make all the difference in the world”.
The Watershed Partner Award is given to an individual or organization that demonstrates through its policies, practices or projects a commitment to CRWD’s mission by consistently implementing innovative stormwater management solutions.
With the City of Saint Paul Public Works, Matt Morreim organized “smart salting” workshops in collaboration with CRWD. The workshops train SPPW staff to reduce the amount of de-icing salt used during winter months. When the salt used for de-icing reaches our waterways it is very difficult to clean up and can harm fish and other aquatic life. In addition to coordinating workshops, Matt also created a course at the state fairgrounds to help his crew practice some of these skills. Matt co-teaches smart salting classes around the region and shares his expertise at the American Public Works Association’s national conference each year.
The Watershed Outreach Program Award is given to an organization that demonstrates a commitment to CRWD’s mission through its policies, practices or projects by connecting residents to clean water practices through education, art, and other means.
The Minnesota Horticultural Society launched its MN SEED Program in the spring of 2020 with the goal of educating and engaging the public in native seed saving. The program collaborates with community partners to host educational events about collecting, processing, and propagating native seeds.
CRWD began collaborating with the Minnesota Horticultural Society in 2021 with a focus on providing resources for residents with rain gardens. Their staff did an amazing job of adapting the program with Covid-19 in mind by hosting virtual workshops, and pop-up events outdoors and through Little Free Libraries. That year alone, they distributed 1900 packets of 60 varieties of seeds!
Our work with the MN SEED Program continued in 2022 with several seed collection events at sites around the District like Willow Reserve, Frogtown Farm, and Pierce Butler Meadows. We greatly value this partnership and are excited to engage more with the gardening community to protect our waters.
The Young Watershed Steward Award is given to a young person or group of young people who have undertaken projects that exemplify a commitment to CRWD’s mission.
The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge interns are a stellar group of young people who have done a variety of work at CRWD sites over the past year. Their work has helped protect and improve our water resources and through this partnership, CRWD staff have been able to share what it means to be a water resource professional.
The intern team conducted restoration activities at Willow Reserve in Saint Paul’s North End multiple times this spring and summer. This included trash pick-up, hauling and laying of mulch on the trails to help designate appropriate walking paths, and they even conducted two bumble bee surveys to help determine the quality of habitat in the Reserve. It was so fantastic when we were able to identify the endangered Rusty Patch Bumble Bee at our first survey which speaks to the quality and importance of the habitat these young people are helping care for.
In Spring, intern leaders joined staff for a day of train-the-trainer at Como Lake where they learned about water quality monitoring and watershed health and then shared that information with other interns throughout the summer. These outstanding young people are also helping partners like the Hamline Midway Coalition build gravel beds and plant trees throughout the neighborhood to replace trees lost to Emerald Ash Borer. We look forward to continuing this partnership in the future and can’t wait to see what these young people tackle next.
The Watershed Project Award is given to an organization, group or individual for a project that demonstrates an innovative and effective solution for protecting, managing and improving water resources of CRWD.
Work began over a decade ago to create a vision for the site of the former Ford Assembly Plant on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in the Highland Park neighborhood of Saint Paul.
Many organizations and dozens of individuals have contributed to the planning and implementation of Highland Bridge. The final project exceeds expectations in every sense of the word. It is transformational for both the community and Highland neighborhood but also for the approach of water management in Minnesota and Nationally.
The water system at Highland Bridge converts a previously highly impervious landscape to restore a previously buried water resource. The stormwater management systems on site are equipped to capture and clean 64 million gallons of runoff each year that would have otherwise flowed to the Mississippi River without treatment. Water is the centerpiece of this beautiful new community and residents are already enjoying it.
This project also demonstrated the incredible power of partnership and collaboration in bringing a project to fruition. Current and former staff of the City of Saint Paul and Ryan Companies brought commitment, creativity and tenacity to make this once-in-a-generation project as exceptional as possible. Everyone approached this project with the “how can we do this” attitude and genuine commitment to innovation. And the result is a tremendous project for the community, water resources, and water quality.
The Environmental Leadership in Construction Award is given to an individual or organization that demonstrates excellence and a commitment to CRWD’s mission by implementing exemplary stormwater protection measures throughout the duration of a project.
The Watershed District implements rules for construction to ensure that, when it rains, the water leaving a site is not carrying sediment and pollutants. Systems are also installed that will capture and treat large volumes of stormwater each year. Our staff work closely with construction site managers to ensure inspections are completed, and any issues addressed.
Jim Dupay of Rochon Corporation exemplifies the type of collaboration we hope to see at all construction sites. In working with Jim at a school redevelopment site in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood in 2021, he was always professional, positive, communicative, and had great stories to share.
Jim embraced the water quality goals of inspections, clearly noting items needing attention and working with his crew to address issues quickly and prevent pollution from leaving the site – even on a busy Friday afternoon! He proactively reviewed plans and ensured the proper installation of the site’s filtration system which will remove sediment and trash from parking lot runoff for years to come. Jim’s positive attitude and dedication to his work will continue to benefit water quality.
The Lifetime Stewardship Award is given to an individual who has, during their lifetime, played a significant leadership role in the stewardship of CRWD’s water resources.
This award is bittersweet because we lost Patricia (Pat) Cavanaugh unexpectedly in 2022, but her legacy lives on in our work and the world in so many ways.
Pat was a part of several firsts for us at CRWD. She sat on our first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee, which was instrumental in the development of our first DEI Plan. That plan has helped guide CRWD on its journey to improving our promotion, hiring and interview process to be more inclusive. It’s shifted our thinking about barriers and emphasized the importance of building long-lasting relationships. And most importantly, we’re sharing lessons learned with our colleagues to help others make strides forward too.
Pat led CRWD’s first Oral History study where she interviewed 24 key stakeholders to hear their stories about the creation of the District firsthand. Her research became the foundation for CRWD’s first history report that showcases the District’s early beginnings and landmark projects. Visit the Our History page to read the report.
As a longtime member of CRWD’s Community Advisory Committee Pat always brought a sense of curiosity and passion for our work. For that and all her outstanding work, we are so grateful. We appreciate Pat’s contributions and miss her presence.
On January 26, 2022 a virtual awards ceremony was hosted to honor the 2021 winners. Watch the recording of the 2021 Recognition and Awards Ceremony on vimeo.com
The Watershed Citizen Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated a personal commitment to citizen engagement, project initiation or exceptional leadership that supports CRWD’s mission. For over 9 years, Scott Alsleben has been bringing Great River School students in grades 7-10 to natural areas throughout CRWD including Reservoir Woods, Como Lake, Como woodlands, Crosby Farm and the Mississippi River. Together, they have explored, hosted regular clean-ups and even toured rain gardens to give students a hands-on experience that connects them to the region and the natural world. He weaves these lessons back into his classes which include urban farming and forestry.
The real life connection to water and caring for the environment for students is making a lifelong impression and building the next generation of watershed stewards.
The Watershed Outreach Program Award is given to an organization that has demonstrated through its policies, practices or projects a commitment to CRWD’s mission by connecting residents to clean water practices through education art and other means. Springboard for the Arts collaborated with the community to reimagine a former used car dealership on University Avenue into a creative community hub they fondly refer to as Springbox. Springbox includes office space, a resource center, an indoor-outdoor community space, and plaza with beautiful eye-catching artistic elements everywhere.
The storm water management features on site are no different. A prominent cistern sits just outside the building’s front doors and collects rainwater from a portion of the roof for irrigation and allows it to slowly soak into the lawn. A rain garden also collects water from a nearby parking lot, preventing runoff from carrying pollution from city streets to storm drains and eventually, the Mississippi River.
Water droplets draw attention to the interior pipes carrying rainwater from the roof to the cistern as does a bright blue roof drain. Artist designed interpretive signage adds cultural significance to the environmental benefit of the project and helps connect visitors to water in new ways, such as through the sacred water walking ceremony.
Springboard’s partners for this project include Flannery Construction, 4rm+ULA Architects, and Ua Si Creative.
The Watershed Partner Award is given to an organization that has demonstrated through its policies, practices or projects a commitment to CRWD’s mission by consistently implementing innovative stormwater management solutions. For over a decade, Christine Baeumler has served as CRWD’s Watershed Artist in Residence, putting CRWD at the forefront of watershed organizations that have institutionalized the role of art and artists into the fabric of its mission. She brought to CRWD the notion that art, in its many forms, can play an integral role in bringing water back into the conscience of our community and help make our work, much of which is invisible, visible. She also envisioned that art could translate CRWD’s scientific work into accessible, interactive, and beautiful pieces or experiences for greater community understanding. She impressed upon staff that art could be the necessary bridge between the technological and social sciences for communicating residents’ role in watershed protection and the best practices and behaviors for improving water quality.
Christine developed CRWD’s Watershed Art Plan – a framework of how to use art to engage the wider community and of which programs and projects serve as ideal opportunities for integration of art. To our knowledge, CRWD is the first watershed organization to have a Watershed Art Plan.
From there, Christine identified art opportunities with staff for innovative, highly visible clean water project, which resulted in artistic railings for the Green Line, stormwater planters and cistern etching on the plaza of CHS Field. She also guided staff in conducting a design competition for an interactive, portable watershed exhibit display for community events.
Christine’s greatest impact can be seen and experienced at CRWD’s office. She curated the artistic pieces found throughout the interior and exterior of the office. Finally, the purpose, principles and process behind all of the work conducted over the past ten years is encapsulated in a Watershed Artist in Field Guide recently prepared by Christine.
The Lifetime Stewardship Award is given to an individual who has played a significant and lasting leadership role in the stewardship of CRWD’s water resources. Seitu Jones is a renowned artist both locally and nationally. He is known for his passion for water, the environment, his community, and justice.
During Seitu’s tenure as a CRWD Board Manager from 2005-2020, he would challenge the Board to rethink their approach to clean water by encouraging CRWD to integrate art and artists into artists into project development and program design. Seitu’s involvement led the District to strengthen our commitment to communities that we have not been reaching. His thoughtful questioning and encouragement led us to adopt the first art, and diversity, equity, and inclusion plans for Watershed District in the state of Minnesota.
The love for water and the community is evident across Seitu’s work with CRWD and beyond, making him a perfect recipient of the Lifetime Stewardship Award.