Canoeing, a bike ride, wetland planting and more are part of the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District's plans for Creek Week. Submitted photo by John Cuoco, 2024 winner of RPBCWD photo contest.
The Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District (RPBCWD) will host Creek Week from June 8-14 with a series of events celebrating local water resources and promoting community engagement in watershed stewardship.
“We’re so excited to offer these events during Creek Week,” said Eleanor Mahon, community engagement coordinator with RPBCWD. “There are so many different ways to have an impact on clean water, and Creek Week is all about reaching new people within our watershed and helping them find the unique way that they can make a difference.”
RPBCWD is a local government unit established in 1969 to protect, manage and restore water resources. It encompasses 50 square miles of land that drain into any of the three creeks in its name. The district includes parts of seven cities – Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Chanhassen, Chaska, Deephaven, Minnetonka and Shorewood – and two counties: Carver and Hennepin.
In addition to scheduled events, RPBCWD will promote its Stewardship Grant Program, which supports residents installing projects that protect and improve water resources. Eligible projects include native plantings, habitat and shoreline restorations, alternative lawns and more. More information on these grants can be found at rpbcwd.org/grants.
Creek Week activities include a Learn to Canoe Night on Thursday, June 12, at the Eden Prairie Outdoor Center from 6 to 8 p.m.; a Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop on Monday, June 9, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; an 18-mile bike tour around the Purgatory Creek watershed on Sunday, June 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and a volunteer wetland planting event on Saturday, June 14, from 9 to 11 a.m.
RPBCWD will also host a park pop-up Sunday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chanhassen’s North Lotus Lake Park, 295 Pleasantview Road. The event will feature yard games, crafts, ice cream and a storybook trail, with yoga in the park from 10 to 10:45 a.m.
To learn more or register for an event, visit rpbcwd.org/creek-week.