Conservation Education
Environmental Education Programs
In addition to the annual Envirothon, where high school students from around the state compete to prove who knows the most about natural resources, ACD also participated in the Natural Resources Field trip organized by the Extension Office. ACD also developed a conservation display with a wide variety of topics to be used when attending community events and schools. Staff also give many presentations on topics like conservation design, water quality, and lake ecosystems.
Presentations and Displays
ACD staff have prepared and are able to provide presentations and display materials for many topics including but not limited to; riverbank stewardship, rain gardens, lake and stream shore restoration, invasive species control, wildlife corridors planning, lake and stream water quality, stream biomonitoring, geographic information systems, ecosystem restoration, and using native plants in residential landscaping.
www.AnokaNaturalResources.com
ACD developed a website that functions as in interface to access information about the quantity, quality, distribution and management of natural resources throughout Anoka County. The site is also structured to easily integrate access to other local government sites with natural resource information and jurisdiction. As part of the development of this website, ACD also contracted the development of an interactive mapping tool and a water quality and hydrology data access tool that allow the retrieval and charting of ACD's entire water resources database. Efforts are underway to create a plant identification tool and a plant selection tool as well.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
ACD has gathered available GIS information such as aerial photos, wetlands, lakes, streams, soils, landuse, land cover, rare species, natural communities, roads, and watersheds. ACD uses this information to provide residents with guidance to manage their natural resources.