This past summer, with funding from the Minneapolis Foundation, MLR piloted an urban version of the Lake Steward program, reimagining city curbs as shorelines and exploring how residents can help protect urban waterways through everyday actions.
The initiative encouraged both homeowners and renters to take simple, positive steps to protect our lakes—planting native gardens, picking up pet waste, adopting a storm drain, or joining community organizations working to safeguard water quality in Lake Harriet.
MLR hired four interns from local high schools and trained them using the Project Water Education Today curriculum to strengthen their knowledge of stormwater management. The interns engaged residents at farmers markets around Lake Harriet, encouraging them to take the “Are You a Minneapolis Lake Steward?” quiz.
From July through August, they visited participants’ yards, shared lake-friendly landscaping tips, and awarded Lake Steward signs to celebrate neighbors helping protect the metro lakes they loved.
“I wanted to do something that was helpful for the community that I live in,” shared Zoe, a Lake Steward Intern who spent her summer encouraging residents to care for the lakes they love.
Zoe even awarded her grandfather a Lake Steward sign: “He’s building a rain garden, so I was sure he’d pass.”
Big or small, every action contributes to healthier lakes, pollinators, and neighborhoods. The pilot fostered a culture of care that set a new norm in the City of Lakes—valuing clean water, resilient habitat, and community collaboration.
We are especially grateful to Marcy Bikes, Curioso Coffee, Queermunity, and Broken Clock Brewing for helping host Tunes, Tunes, and Loons—a bike and music event that brought neighbors together to celebrate the summer with a ride through the greenway.
Thank you to all who came out, rain or shine, to ride, listen, and connect. And thank you to to musicians Daisy Forester and Emma Jeanne for bring the tunes to the event
