Capitol Region Watershed District’s Partnership with Urban Roots
The partnership between Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) and Urban Roots is as strong as an old-growth oak tree, and as diverse as the habitat of a native prairie. Urban Roots Conservation Program in particular, has germinated countless seeds of hope and health for our community through habitat restoration and rain garden plantings which foster respect for and a relationship to our natural environment by our young people. CRWD has awarded funding to the Conservation Program since 2010. Conservation Program Director, David Woods is a certified Water Steward with CRWD, and Urban Roots interns have been awarded Young Watershed Steward Awards twice; first in 2014 and again in 2023, for their outstanding work. CRWD’s mission is to protect, manage and improve our water resources. Urban Roots’ mission is to cultivate and empower youth through nature, healthy food, and community. These pair so well with our understanding that children are the future and water is life.
Urban Roots Touring Trout Brook with CRWD in 2014.
Urban Roots with CRWD at Willow Reserve in 2024.
Through many years of partnership, we have witnessed the thoughtful way young people are supported and fostered by connecting them with green spaces in their community. Just as a seed needs nutritious soil, ample sun, and nourishing water, the young people of Saint Paul’s East Side need safe spaces, caring mentors, and opportunities to explore their interests as they venture forward in their journeys. The ultimate success story is to see a young person’s enthusiasm for community, justice, and the environment carrying through to their adulthood and we have witnessed this through our work together. This sentiment is captured in the short story below:
A group of eager travelers are on a mission to find the Keeper of Good Water, they travel across wetland terrains and mosquito cursed forests in search of this Keeper. They battle endless piles of Buckthorn in the heat of the summer and fight off the sticky, evil Burdock, only to discover that the true Keeper of Good Water was one among them.
What’s the most valuable seed that you and Urban Roots have planted, grown, and harvested in yourself or our community?
A young person’s enthusiasm for community, justice, and the environment carrying through to their adulthood.
Conservation Interns at the Willow Reserve Restoration Site.
Through many years of partnership, we have witnessed the thoughtful way young people are supported and fostered by connecting them with green spaces in their community.
–Maricella Xiong, Community Engagement Coordinator, and Lindsay Schwantes, Community Engagement Program Manager, Capitol Region Watershed District
