Mr. Mick will lead a STEM activity after our community programs. No registration required. Everyone welcome!
Tag Archives: Environment
Introduction to Microplastics
Join us upstairs in room 219 at the Hudson Area Public Library for an informative presentation about microplastics by Environmental Engineer, Claire Hartwig Alberg.
Bison Viewing at Belwin Conservancy
Open dawn to dusk thru September at Belwin Conservancy: Bison Observation Area. Park at the viewing area and climb the platform to get a glimpse at these beautiful creatures. Bring your binoculars. Free
NPS Big River Clam Cleanup
Join us for the National Park Service Mussel Rehabilitation. During this hands-on event National Park Service divers will bring up native mussels from the river bottom for the audience to scrape off the non-native zebra mussels. Explanations and equipment will be provided. Maximum of 40 people.
Rain date: Thursday, July 23, 12:30-2pm
To learn more watch the video: 2026 St. Croix RiverFest: Native Mussel Conservation
Join the St. Croix RiverFest and dive into the hidden world of freshwater mussels in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and discover why these unsung filter feeders are essential to healthy river ecosystems. Often functioning like freshwater coral reefs, native mussels improve water clarity and create vital habitats, but they are also among North America’s most imperiled animals due to pollution, historical harvesting, and fragmented waterways. This conservation update highlights the ongoing efforts of the multi-agency Mussel Coordination Team to protect these remarkable bivalves. Learn about their fascinating life cycle—which relies on specific host fish to reproduce—and explore recent conservation milestones, including first-of-its-kind propagation successes for the endangered Winged Mapleleaf, self-reproducing Higgins Eye populations, and exciting new species discoveries from the 2025 Namekagon River Comprehensive Mussel Survey.
Carpenter Nature Center’s Animals of the St. Croix
Join Carpenter Nature Center (CNC) staff to learn about some of the amazing animals that call the St. Croix River Valley their home and meet them up close!
CNC is an environmental education and conservation organization with the mission of fostering appreciation and inspiring stewardship of the natural world. With campuses on both the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the St. Croix River, CNC is able to preserve wildlife habitat while also providing quality educational opportunities.
Hudson & North Hudson River Cleanup
The annual River Cleanup is a core activity of Hudson’s St. Croix RiverFest. Community volunteers get out on the riverbank collecting trash and working to help clean up the river (trash bags will be provided). While the goal of RiverFest is to get people out to enjoy the river, the River Cleanup is the “purpose” for the RiverFest celebration.
Families and individuals are encouraged to join the Cleanup. Please view the River Cleanup Guidelines for instructions and details.
Meet at the Bandshell for the Lakefront Park area cleanup. Please view a map of Cleanup locations.
Business or organizations please contact Buck Malick at 715-386-7010 to pre-register and receive your cleanup locations.
Drop off the trash collected during the River Cleanup from 11am to 12pm at Picnic Point (south end of Lakefront Park).
Following the Cleanup (around 11:30), RiverFest will host a picnic lunch for the Cleanup volunteers at Picnic Point (south end of Lakefront Park).
Thank you to our lunch sponsors: Jerry’s Foods, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Erbert & Gerberts, Kwik Trip, and Rise Baking Company/Best Maid.
Make & Take Crafts and STEM Activities at the Library
Stop by the Library during open hours (Tues.-Thur. 10am-8pm, Fri. 10am-6pm & Sat. 10am-3pm) for RiverFest STEM activity or make a River Otter. Make them with friends at the library or take the materials home.
Pop Up-Players Street Water Show
This is a new RiverFest program directed by Hudson’s own, Liz Malanaphy. This fun program tells the story of water as it travels through our community through interactive storytelling and will include volunteers from the audience.
In the event of rain, the program will be moved to Music Room at The Phipps Center for the Arts, at 109 Locust Street.
If the weather is stormy, please check here before the show for any location updates.
Kids Street Water Class & Performance
The Kids Street Water Class runs the week of July 20-24 from 9am-12pm with a performance on Friday, July 24th at 7pm.
The Pop-Up Players will explore clean water and the environment with a goal of developing a theatrical performance at RiverFest. Students will study acting, singing, prop making and more. The class will conclude Friday, July 24th at 7pm with and eco-friendly performance for at the Hudson Bandshell.
For kids age 8-12. This is a free class, but you must pre-register by contacting Liz Malanaphy at lizmalanaphy@gmail.com or 715-245-0432.
Invasive Species Control on the St. Croix River – Demonstration & Information
Come and see the Minnesota DNR’s Electrofishing Boat demonstration at 2:30 and 3:30pm (water conditions permitting) at the Lakefront Park Beach.
The Minnesota DNR will have a display booth at Picnic Point. Meet the Aquatics and Fisheries Biologists and see carp mounts and a carp tracking acoustic tag display.
The Minnesota DNR and the Wisconsin DNR are teaming up to stop the spread of Invasive Fish Species such as Silver and Bighead Carp in the upper Mississippi River basin, including the St. Croix River.
Minnesota DNR’s invasive carp program takes an integrated approach to invasive carp prevention and management, focusing on actions that the DNR and partners can take to slow the spread of invasive carp, minimize their impact, and reduce the chance of invasive carp reproducing in Minnesota waters. Those actions include monitoring invasive carp in ways that enable us to respond, prevention and deterrence, response preparation, management and control, and communication, outreach, and coordination. Among other activities, our program tags and tracks invasive carp to learn about their movement patterns, monitors for evidence of reproduction, contracts commercial fishers to capture invasive carp, and works with partners to develop better ways to target invasive carp in Minnesota waters. More info on our invasive carp program is available online at: mndnr.gov/invasivecarp.
Watch a video of the 2024 Hudson St. Croix RiverFest Invasive Species Control on the St. Croix. Thank you to River Channel for sharing this video.