Blue Thumb From Streets to Streams Shoreline Plantings Native Gardens Raingardens

Your connects to lakes and rivers.

What are streets? Other acceptable answers: impervious surfaces

A simple task involving a broom people can do at home to keep water clean.

What is sweeping sidewalks and streets?

An old-fashioned item that is coming back in style that can be placed at the end of your downspout to catch rainwater.

What is a rain barrel?

Alternatives to concrete and asphalt that allow stormwater to soak in.

What are porous and pervious concrete, asphalt and/or pavers? Also acceptable: Blue Thumb plantings

The solution to stormwater pollution.

What is infiltration?

This program makes it easy for residents interested in doing their part to protect water quality to plan, purchase and plant native gardens, raingardens and shorelines with native plants.

What is the Blue Thumb program?

is the website for the Blue Thumb program.

What is BlueThumb.org or Blue-Thumb.org?

A place to go online to find how-to information about native gardens, raingardens, shorelines - including garden blueprints a plant selector tool and an online movie.

What is the Blue Thumb website?

Where can a person find landscapers to install Blue Thumb projects, a calendar of workshops and available grants?

What is the Blue Thumb website? BlueThumb.org

How can you get involved with the Blue Thumb program?

A.Do a Blue Thumb planting in your yard Help with a planting Adopt a project Host a neighborhood Blue Thumb party Put a Blue Thumb sign in your yard Staff a Blue Thumb booth at local fairs Become a Blue Thumb partner Attend Blue Thumb meetings and work on task force committees Make a donation All of the above None of the above

A plant that lives or grows naturally in a particular region without direct or indirect human intervention.

What is a native plant?

Eliminate watering needs Reduce soil compaction Reduce use of fertilizers and pesticides Reduce flooding Prevent erosion Increase habitat Discourage geese Filter out pollution Absorb stormwater run-off Cost less Add beauty

What are the benefits of native plants?

Native plants save water and filter out pollution because they tend to have roots.

What are long roots?

Where can you purchase native plants?

A. At participating Blue Thumb plant nurseries. B. Anywhere C. Nowhere

Which plant is native to Minnesota?

A. Dandelion B. Lawn grass C. Golden Alexander

Gardens with depressions that are designed to catch rainwater runoff in your yard, growing plants that tolerate getting partially flooded on occasion.

What is a raingarden?

Reduces pollution to our lakes, rivers and wetlands Reduce flooding Help recharge our groundwater (drinking) supplies Traps sediments, nutrients & pollutants Provides habitat, food, cover for wildlife Adds natural beauty

What are the benefits of raingardens?

What is the number of gallons of water from a typical (1,500 sq. ft.) roof in a 1-inch rain?

A. 50 gallons of water B. 925 gallons of water C. 10,000 gallons of water

How long does a raingarden stay wet?

A. 10 minutes B. Less than 2 days C. One week

How much water can a 10 ft. x 10 ft. raingarden capture in a year?

A. 90 gallons B. 900 gallons C. 9,000 gallons

Native plants along a shoreline that act as a buffer between the water and upland areas.

What is a shoreline planting?

･ Long roots of native plants filter out pollution ･ Attracts birds and butterflies ･ Flowers add color & visual continuity of shorelines around the lake ･ Adds privacy ･ Plants take up excess nutrients reducing algal blooms ･ Long rooted plants help decrease flooding ･ Vegetation discourages geese from congregating (feel vulnerable to predators in taller vegetation) ･ Plants provide oxygen for fish ･ Aquatic plants serve as wave-breaks slowing down incoming waves ･ More permanent fix for erosion problems

What are the benefits of a shoreline planting?

These nuisance animals leave excessive droppings along lakeshores creating a bacteria and coliform problem.

What are Canada Geese?

One pound of phosphorus creates how many pounds of algae?

A. 5 pounds B. 50 pounds C. 500 pounds

An area of land that drains to a particular body of water - for example Rice Creek.

What is a watershed?