Three Rivers' Natural Resources Management

10/09/2026

You might be sick of hearing about them, but we aren't done talking about them and beeing 😜 excited about the discovery of a Rusty-patched Bumble Bee nest in the nursery.

The nest at the nursery senesced a few weeks ago and was dug up for research (under Federal research permits). The brood cells will be counted to determine how large the colony was. The nest will be scoured for parasites and disease. Pollen samples will be taken to determine the favorite foraged flowers.

The last picture shows where the nest was found at a dead end (circled in red) and then where the nest entrance was found (circled in green).

There were also several queens seen leaving the nest during surveys this summer, each one providing an opportunity for another nest (and more rusty sightings) in our parks next year!

10/07/2026

10/06/2026

🍂 Break out your PSLs and finest flannels. Leaf peeping season is upon us! 🍁

Most trees are just starting to show a whisper of fall color, but if you are looking to get started early, look no further than the staghorn sumacs at a park near you.

Nobody puts together a better color story than nature herself, so grab your camera and hit the trails!

Check out all things fall on our website: https://www.threeriversparks.org/page/fall-three-rivers

09/17/2026

Excited to share this crossover with Eastman Nature Center and Monarch Joint Venture, an honor to get these moments of magic out in the field learning together. Complete awe of the number of monarchs utilizing the parks, especially Crow-Hassan Park Reserve these past couple of weeks.

The monarch deployed with a CTT Bluemorpho plus tag by our own Wildlife Supervisor, was named "Kathy" in honor of Kathy Heidel and also an important supporter of all things prairie, donor Kathy Strom.

Monarch "Kathy" is still showing active location information and has traveled over 260 miles since being released on September 4th at Crow-Hassan.

These efforts are to not only showcase this unbelievable migration but the power behind restoration work, and the research that is to follow from these movements being better understood. Handling butterflies is delicate work and tag attachments such as this should be done by professionals.

09/11/2026

Make sure to catch this online presentation featuring the amazing volunteers and staff from our wildlife department hosted by Monarch Joint Venture to learn more around prairie seed collections.

Prairie restoration thrives when communities get involved. Our next FREE webinar will explore how volunteers can play a vital role in harvesting and cleaning native prairie seed to help rebuild resilient, diverse landscapes. Learn about effective strategies for training and engaging volunteers, including coordinating private groups.

Seeds of Change: How Volunteers Power Prairie Restoration, presented by Angela Grill, Three Rivers Park District, Steve Solbrack, and Elizabeth Andress, Twin Cities Rotary EcoClub

Tuesday, September 22 at 1:00 PM CT (2:00 PM ET | 12:00 PM MT | 11:00 AM PT)⁠
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Bring your questions and get ready to discover how you can get involved.