2014 Vol. 8 Issue 2 April - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 Free and Low Cost Seminars: Landscaping, Shoreline Restoration and Raingardens Two local organizations are sponsoring free or low cost seminars on ways to improve your yard and the quality of the ground water around you. Sessions on shoreline restoration, design and installation of a raingarden and other topics are open to the public, and will be held over the course of the next 6 weeks. Pre-registration is required. Here is a look at local sessions, along with contact information: April 30—Shoreline Restoration—6:30-8:30 Do you live on a lake, pond or stream and want to create a shoreline that is not only gorgeous but will help protect the health of that water? If so, join us for a fun class and learn about how we have altered our shorelines over the years and what you can do to protect your land from eroding away. Have a beautiful mix of flowers and grasses to look at from your yard and from your boat, AND help keep geese from hanging out in your yard. The cost for this session is $10. Held at Vadnais Heights Fire Station next to city hall. For more information contact Kristine Jensen at Vadnais Lake Area Water Management Organization (VLAWMO) at 651-204-6074 (Kristine.jenson@vlawmo.org May 8—Raingarden Site Assessment: Drainage and Soil—6:00-8:00 p.m. Learn how to analyze your site, test for soil infiltration and determine your drainage area. Follow up this class by doing this assessment in your own yard and then bring the results to the next session, held May 20. The results will help with the design of your own raingarden. Taught by conservation designer specialist Joe Lochner, Ramsey County Conservation District. The May 8 session will be held at a private residence in Roseville. Directions can be obtained upon registration. Sponsored by the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District. For more on this free session contact Shelly Melser at 651-792-7965 or email to shelly.melser@rwmwd.org. May 14—Design and Installation of Raingardens—6:30-8:30 p.m. You’ve already learned the benefits of raingardens but now want to know HOW to actually install one on your property. Join VLAWMO at the Vadnais Heights Fire Station for the low down on how to get City News Page started. You will get your hands dirty as you begin design work for a raingarden on your property. If you preregister and live within the VLAWMO area, your registration will include an aerial photo of your property, ready to use at the class. This will help determine where to put the raingarden in your yard, how to determine the types of soil you have and how to design and install the project. The cost is $10 for the session. It is free if you attended an earlier session called Intro to Raingardens. To register contact Kristine Jensen at 651-204-6074. See email address at left. May 20—Raingarden Design Workshop: Garden Layout and Plant Design—6:30-8:30 This session is sponsored by the Ramsey- Washington Metro Watershed District as a companion seminar to the session held on May 8. (See left) This seminar is free but the first session is a pre-requisite. In this session you will use the information you gathered in your personal site assessment to design your own raingarden. Figure out how to resolve drainage issues and get the assistance of master gardeners and instructors. The class will be taught by conservation designer specialist Joe Lochner. Contact Shelly Melser for more information at 651-792-7965. See email address at left. May 21—Maintenance of Raingardens and Shoreline Restorations—6:30-8:30 p.m. Join VLAWMO at the Vadnais Heights Fire Station for a look at maintaining your landscaping projects. Once you’ve installed your raingarden or completed your shoreline restoration, there are things that must be done to make sure it looks beautiful and lasts for years to come. The session will be fun and interactive and will stress the basics you need to know to take care of your projects. You will learn about common weeds and how to identify them, as well as other general maintenance activities that will keep your yard looking beautiful for years to come. The cost of the session is $5. Contact Kristine Jensen at 651- 204-6074. Her email address is listed at left.