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Land Management Projects, 2025 signup sheet

Below are opportunities to assist with land management projects at Cedar Creek, which will give volunteers preference in the 2025 fall deer archery hunt lottery. You may sign up for one or several! Please be mindful of the limited number of slots though - there is a lot of interest in volunteering and we'd like to give as many folks as possible a chance to participate. Please do not sign up for slots unless you are able to attend. If the slots are all full, please do not show up 'just in case' - we are intentional about listing the number of people needed for each task. Registered participants will receive an email with additional details and reminders of timing and what to bring a few days in advance of each event.

Trash pickup along County Road 26. Every spring at Cedar Creek, prescribed burns are conducted in research plots across Cedar Creek. Many of these research plots have been burned regularly for 60 years. When burning the units along a county highway, most of the ditch is burned along with the research plot. As many of us have seen, the ditches around here can be littered with a lot of stuff that shouldn’t be burned or may present a hazard to the fire crew if unknowingly burned or driven over. To prevent this, we are asking for volunteers to help remove litter from the ditches along the south side of our property. Volunteers should expect to walk a couple of miles while filling up trash bags with litter they pick up as they go.

What to bring: water bottle, lunch/snacks, sturdy shoes, work gloves, weather appropriate work clothing. We will provide orange vests and garbage bags.

Bike Bridge Installation. Although most of Cedar Creek's 30 miles of internal road are sand, one is a 30 year old wooden bike bridge that crosses a wetland. This bridge is a crucial commute route for our summer interns and students who go daily (or several times a day) from the main campus area to the experimental fields where they work. In December, volunteers helped Cedar Creek staff safely dismantle the bridge and haul the wood away for disposal. Now we're ready to install the new one! Your crew lead will help you determine what to install and how to do so safely, so no expertise needed - just a willingness to work hard and the ability to bend, lift and carry. If you have special expertise or equipment that you think might be useful (socket sets and cordless drivers), let Mark know! Otherwise, just bring yourself dressed for the weather.

What to bring: water bottle, lunch/snacks, sturdy shoes (bring rubber boots if possible, some can borrow), work gloves (can also borrow), weather-appropriate clothing that can get dirty. We will provide all needed tools and equipment.

Remove fencing around unused research plots. Cedar Creek researchers have installed countless experiments over the last 75+ years. Some of these experiments are no longer used and by removing their infrastructure, we make Cedar Creek look better as well as safer for the wildlife, researchers, and visitors. About 10 years ago, fenced enclosures were built around planted willow trees along the edges of wetlands in a dozen locations. Half of the fence is in the wetland and half is on higher ground. There are t-posts to remove and fences to take down in these locations. Some volunteers on this project will be in knee or possibly waist deep water. Others will be removing and hauling t-posts and fencing. If you have a t-post remover you would like to use, please bring it but Cedar Creek will also provide those and all other needed tools.

What to bring: water bottle, lunch/snacks, rubber boots or waders (Cedar Creek can provide some waders), work gloves (Cedar Creek can provide some gloves), weather appropriate work clothing.

Garlic mustard removal. Garlic mustard is an invasive plant that is overly abundant in some areas of the property. Volunteers will work with staff from Cedar Creek and Anoka County to remove it as part of ecosystem restoration efforts. No plant identification or experience needed - we will provide training and oversight!

What to bring: water bottle, snacks, work gloves (Cedar Creek can provide some gloves), weather appropriate work clothing, and bug repellant. We will provide tools and plant identification guidance at the start of the event.

Scraping and varnishing the bison viewing gazebo. Adjacent to the bison grazing experiment area there is a gazebo for viewing the bison and providing educational information that was built by a group of Boy Scout volunteers. Each year, the gazebo needs to have all of the peeling varnish scraped off and a new coat added to the interior and exterior. No experience necessary as we will provide any training and all tools and supplies needed. Just wear your painting clothes.

What to bring: water bottle, lunch/snacks, weather appropriate work/painting clothes you are willing to get dirty. We will provide disposable gloves, brushes, scrapers, and varnish.

To sign up, select a row below

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