NEMO Educational Tools
NEMO offers a variety of presentations, tools, and methods both to communities and for local water resource educators to provide effective programs for local decision makers. Use of these tools require preparation before the program, local customization, and training. Contact Northland NEMO for more information.
PRESENTATIONS And Workshops
NEMO presentations of 30-60 minutes are sometimes the best introduction and method for building knowledge about the connection that local decision-makers have with land use, land management, and water quality. NEMO currently has the following presentations:
- NEMO 101 – An introduction to how land use and local decisions impact water quality
- Low Impact Development (LID) – What is it? What are the practices? How can LID help a city meet it’s water resource needs?
- Natural Resource Based Planning
- Ordinances & Policies – what’s required and policies useful to water resource management
- Pervious pavement technologies for local decision makers (ready soon!)
- Bioretention (rain garden) practices – what local leaders need to know
- Stormwater Pond Management – the basics and the use of these in a city (ready soon!)
- Chlorides, Winter Road Management, and the impact on water quality (ready soon!)
- These and other presentations can be tailored to meet individual community needs.
Workshops on the water
NEMO works with a variety of local partners to develop and lead interactive, hands-on shipboard workshops for appointed and elected officials out on the water resources that they play a role in managing. Effective and popular NEMO components include the Guided View, demonstration and activity, quizzes, established learning objectives, and take home points including their roles as decision makers.
Watershed Games (<-- Click for more information)
The Watershed Game is a tool to help individuals understand the connection and impact that land use decisions have on water and natural resources, increase the knowledge of best management practices (BMPs), and increase participant familiarity with methods to achieve better water quality. The new 2009 Watershed Game includes three versions: Lake Model, River Model, and Stream Model.
BLUE STAR AWARD PROGRAM
The Blue Star Program is a certification and award program that offers municipalities that excel in stormwater management the positive public recognition that they deserve. This Blue Star Assessment allows cities to conduct a fast and easy-to-use self-assessment on key stormwater indicators like development codes, site-design guidelines and post-construction stormwater management standards. Cities that score high enough will earn the Blue Star Award and receive well-earned positive public recognition for their commitment helping keep Minnesota’s waters clean.
To learn more, or to register your community, visit: http://www.bluestarmn.org/
LESSONS ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE
This unique NEMO workshop brings local decision makers out on the landscape, into the watershed, to observe, discuss, and see really how land use and land management impacts water & natural resources. They are not bus tours – but rather education programs that provide sound science that supports informed decision making.
Workshops at the Science Museum of Minnesota
NEMO has partnered with the Science Museum of Minnesota to provide unique workshops that include content specific to individual rivers, lakes, and communities. Workshops include 3D imaging, and take place in the Science Museum, over-looking the Mississippi River in St. Paul. The unique venture offers family members of local decision makers to join them in the museum for free during the workshop.
Train the Trainer
NEMO is building increased capacity by providing training to local watershed and natural resource educators on effective workshop and program design, delivery, and evaluation.
Municipal Surveys
NEMO and Stormwater U partner to assess stormwater education needs of communities.