• Explore the Mississippi River by land at Crosby Farm Regional Park and Wabun Picnic Area.

• Explore the Mississippi River by water aboard the Magnolia Blossom Paddle Boat to experience unique vantage points of the river and surrounding watershed.

• Explore the ‘built’ water cycle by touring the Met Council’s Metro Water Resource Recovery Facility.

• Hear from expert presenters about the Mississippi River environments and the ‘natural’ vs ‘built’ water cycle.

• Conduct inquiry-based science investigations of river habitats. 

• Design solutions to engineering challenges based on water issues such as stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water.

• Make scientific observations in the field and learn strategies to use science notebooks in the classroom.

• Share strategies to help students 'think like a scientist,' 'design like an engineer,' and 'write like an author.'

• Engage with rich multimedia learning tools such as Waters to the Sea®

• Integrate citizen science and service learning to clean our waterways and help cities adapt to flooding using the Adopt-a-Drain Program.

We are happy to announce our continued focus on the "built" water cycle vs the natural water cycle!  This includes storm water, drinking water, and wastewater! In addition to exploring the Mississippi River from a paddle boat, from Crosby Farm Regional Park, and from Ft Snelling State Park, we will be exploring the Mississippi River from the perspective of a wastewater treatment plant. Our institute will include a full-tour of a Metro Water Resource Recovery Facility as well as new wastewater curriculum and Adopt-a-Drain K-12 supplies for educators,  designed to teacher students about the "built" water cycle.

All K-12 formal and informal educators are welcome to apply!