Join Carpenter Nature Center for an Animals of the St. Croix presentation featuring some of CNC’s live animal ambassadors! Get up close and personal with some of the amazing critters that call the St. Croix River Valley home.
Vehicle admission into the park is required. All outdoor events are weather dependent. For more information email: naturecenter@willowkinnifriends.org.
The St. Croix Valley Community Band Concert with guest conductor Cassie Berchard and vocalist Colleen Raye is popular RiverFest event. This FREE concert celebrates community and the scenic St. Croix River with something for people of all ages.
You won’t want to miss this fun-filled family evening! Families are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs and settle in to enjoy the show.
Featuring the Song for the River Croix, composed by Laurie Allmann and Carol Caoutte in 2009. It was scored for the St. Croix Community Band by Kris Tjornehoj in 2014, when it was first performed for River Fest.
The RiverFest theme song will be played for a sing-along. View the lyrics to the RiverFest, It’s the Best! song.
See the RiverFest mascot Scrappy on display! Created by sculptor Mary Johnson, the splashing bass figure is metal armature. Each year students from the Phipps Center for the Arts “Just Add Water” art and science class help complete the sculpture by processing and re-purposing the litter collected in Hudson during the river cleanup to create a new “skin” for Scrappy.
The public and Rotarians are invited to a free moderated panel discussion on the subject of river water quality, following regular meeting of Hudson Daybreak Rotary.
Michael Mroz, City of Hudson, Public Works and Parks Director, will describe the system for collecting and cleaning snow and rain from the City streets before discharge into the Willow and St. Croix Rivers. He will also describe actions residents of Hudson can take to limit the discharge of harmful chemicals to the rivers.
Tara Daun, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Director of Conservation and Stewardship, will describe the impaired condition of the St. Croix River and how rain and snow runoff from farm fields reaches the Willow and St. Croix Rivers. She will describe efforts by farmers in the watershed to limit the discharge of phosphorus and nitrogen to the rivers.
Buck Malick will moderate the panel. Hudson Community Channel 15 Cable TV will record the panel for later viewing.
Please use the “Pervious Events” link at the the bottom (left) of the page to view the 2024 past events.
Join Miss Sara and Miss Annie, from the Hudson Area Public Library to learn about ducks! After storytime, there will be treats, bubbles, hula hoops and more.
Pipe Cleaner Bugs or Water Cycle Bracelets and Keychains – make them with friends at the library or take the materials home.
Bioblitz programs and hikes begin at 3pm on Friday, July 21 and continue on Saturday, July 22, ending at noon.
Visitors can sign up to learn about moths, birds and other plants and animals found at Carpenter Nature Center’s Wisconsin Campus. Learn from bird, invertebrate, reptile, amphibian, and plant experts in a fun day of citizen science. Come to the Wisconsin Campus and join inventory teams in restored prairies, riparian habitats, and wooded bluff lands to discover and document plant and animal species. All ages are welcome at this FREE program.
Surveyors will hike the woods, prairies and oak savannahs of CNC’s Wisconsin Campus and report their findings to our Bioblitz HQ at the Al & Laurie Hein Visitor Center at 279 S. Cove Road, Hudson.
To sign up for a specific program or hike register by calling Jen at 651-437-4359 (ext. 108) or Abbey at 651-437-4359 (ext. 118).
Plans are underway but here is a peek some of the programs:
Saturday at 4:45am: “OMG it’s Early Bird Survey” with Ben Douglas
The team will get up before civil sunrise (at a very un-civilized time) to survey birds.
Saturday at 10am: Bumblebee Survey with Chris Smith
Planning for additional programs (including plant surveys) is underway. Please check back later for more details or visit Carpenter Nature Center’s website.
Bioblitz programs and hikes begin at 3pm on Friday, July 21 and continue on Saturday, July 22, ending at noon.
Visitors can sign up to learn about moths, birds and other plants and animals found at Carpenter Nature Center’s Wisconsin Campus. Learn from bird, invertebrate, reptile, amphibian, and plant experts in a fun day of citizen science. Come to the Wisconsin Campus and join inventory teams in restored prairies, riparian habitats, and wooded bluff lands to discover and document plant and animal species. All ages are welcome at this FREE program.
Surveyors will hike the woods, prairies and oak savannahs of CNC’s Wisconsin Campus and report their findings to our Bioblitz HQ at the Al & Laurie Hein Visitor Center at 279 S. Cove Road, Hudson.
To sign up for a specific program or hike register by calling Jen at 651-437-4359 (ext. 108) or Abbey at 651-437-4359 (ext. 118).
Plans are underway but here is a peek some of the programs:
Friday at 3pm: Dragonflies and Damselflies with Jeff Fischer
This program will be indoors, before heading outdoors at 4pm to catch, identify and release dragonflies and damselflies.
Friday at 3pm: Citizen Science tools and i-Naturalist
More information coming soon!
Friday at 6pm: Plant & Bird Hike
More information coming soon!
Friday at 8pm: Moths with Dr. Kevyn Juneau
This program will start with an introduction indoors, then the group will head outside to trap, identify and release moths.
Planning for additional programs (including plant surveys) is underway. Please check back later for more details or visit Carpenter Nature Center’s website.
Get outside and join us for a scavenger hunt at Willow River State Park. Meet at the Willow River Nature Center and search for items on a checklist throughout the park, then come back to the Nature Center and collect a small participation prize!
**This event costs $5/person or $10/family (cash or card) in support of our nonprofit’s mission. Events are free to Friends members, become one here: https://tinyurl.com/Friendmember
Vehicle admission into the park is required. All outdoor events are weather-dependent. For more info email: naturecenter@willowkinnifriends.org.
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.