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
Tag Archives: Nature
History Hot Spot: Birkmose Mounds
Take an interpretive tour of the Birkmose Mounds covering general history, archaeology, and preservation of mounds. The guided tour is 45-60 minutes and costs $15/person (payable ahead of time online or on-site).. The “Ask Us!” table and entrance to park is free of charge. There will be an archaeologist and historian, with local recommended books for sale, flyers/brochures for Friends of Birkmose Park and Octagon House Museum (Hudson Area History Connection).
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.
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.
Let’s Go Paddling!
Meet at 10am SHARP at the Willow River boat launch Willow River State Park, 1034 County Road A, Hudson
Kayaks are limited! Registration is required, grab your spot here https://tinyurl.com/paddlewillow26
In honor of RiverFest week, join our park naturalists’ on a scenic kayaking trip up to the beautiful Willow Falls, before peacefully floating back down the Willow River. This is a great activity to enjoy individually, with a friend, or as a family! Children who are ages 10 and up, accompanied by a parent/guardian and are capable of operating their own kayak for the entirety of the trip are welcome to join! Please dress for the weather and bring along a lifejacket (if you do not wish to wear one of ours) waterproof shoes, drinking water, sunscreen, and bug spray. This kayak trip takes roughly 2.5-3 hours to complete depending on the pace of the group.
This event costs $25/kayak. Vehicle admission into the park is a separate and required fee.
All outdoor events are weather-dependent.
Questions? Email: naturecenter@willowkinnifriends.org
Stuart Stott’s Music Program and Library Ice Cream Social
Join us for an engaging family concert with loads of group participation. Ice cream provided by the Hudson Area Library Foundation and Friends of the Hudson Area Library.
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.