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THE 8^th ANNUAL GREAT SHINGLE CREEK WATERSHED CLEAN-UP

 

The ten cities that are in the Shingle Creek and West Mississippi Watersheds – Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Crystal, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale –celebrated Earth Day with the “Great Watershed Clean-Up” beginning Saturday, April 18 through Saturday, April 25, 2009.  Hundreds of volunteers from Plymouth to the Mississippi River walked along streams and lakes, in parks and along boulevards, picking up everything from pop cans to abandoned vehicles during the weeklong event. 

 

Organized in 2001, the goal of the event, which is sponsored by the Shingle Creek/West Mississippi Watershed Management Commissions, is to clean up the watersheds and educate participants about water quality. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                Brooklyn Center                                                    Crystal                                    Sage Academy, Brooklyn Park

 

During the 2009 clean-up Brooklyn Center’s 142 volunteers collected 113 bags of debris as well as removing signs, tires and plywood from the creek.  Brooklyn Park’s events began on Earth Day, April 22, and culminated on April 25 when most of the clean-up occurred.  Over 123 bags of debris were removed by 266 volunteers.  Maple Grove volunteers picked up trash around storm water ponds and parks.  More than 3,000 volunteers registered in Minneapolis at 41 locations removing 20,000 pounds of garbage. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Ong, Cooper High School,                   New Hope Coordinator and City Forester  New Hope Mayor, Kathi Hempen

And Diane Stauner                                                       Shawn Markham

 

 

Robbinsdale volunteers, a local Girl Scout Troop and their families picked up 50 bags of debris, a wooden pallet, a tire and a gun (Robbinsdale Police were called).  Champlin’s 70 volunteers picked up trash, bicycles and a guitar.  Crystal volunteers cleaned up a storm water pond near County Road 81 and the railroad tracks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robbinsdale                                           Crystal                                                    Village Creek Teens

 

8^th Annual Shingle Creek Clean-up Chair     Diane Stauner, Commissioner, New Hope

 

Brooklyn Center Coordinator                      Jenny Whiting

Brooklyn Park Coordinator                          Mary Pat Black

Champlin Coordinator                                   Todd Tuominen

Crystal Coordinator                                      Rick Rauen

Maple Grove Coordinator                             Deb Coss

Minneapolis Coordinator                              Arik Rudolph

New Hope Coordinator                                Shawn Markham

Osseo Coordinator                                        Randy Korfiatis

Plymouth Coordinator                                  Marjorie Vigoren

Robbinsdale Coordinator                             Tom Marshall

 

 

The main stem of Shingle Creek begins in Brooklyn Park and flows southeasterly to its confluence with the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.  Shingle Creek is formed at the junction of Bass Creek and Eagle Creek and is approximately 11 miles long.  There are 16 lakes in the Shingle Creek watershed.  The central portion of the West Mississippi watershed is drained by Oxbow Creek which flows easterly and then heads north, eventually outletting to the Mississippi River.  The southern portion of the West Mississippi watershed is drained by the Edinbrook/Century Channel, which runs from TH 169 to Mattson Brook and from there to the Mississippi River.  If this land is polluted, our river will be too.

 

Follow a cigarette butt, candy wrapper or empty pop can tossed or blown into the street, and you’re likely to find it littering the bank of one of our streams or lakes.  That’s because rain and melting snow flow from large areas into streams through the storm sewer system.  The large area that funnels water into a stream is called a watershed.  As water travels through the watershed it picks up debris and pollutants and carries them to the stream.  If this land is polluted, our river will be too.  That’s why your help in keeping the watershed clean is important.