Community Watershed Celebration & Bird Festival 2025

Join us for a free, family-friendly day of nature, learning, and fun at the Browns Creek Community Celebration & Bird Festival! Hosted by the Browns Creek Watershed District in partnership with Bird City Stillwater, a program of Sustainable Stillwater MN, this annual celebration brings together people of all ages to explore the wonders of birds and the importance of conservation in our communities.

This year’s theme—“Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities”—honors World Migratory Bird Day and highlights easy actions we can all take to protect our feathered neighbors, such as restoring native habitats, preventing window collisions, and reducing nighttime light pollution.

🌟 New This Year: Bird Costume Contest!

Let your creativity take flight in our first-ever Bird Costume Contest for kids and adults! Whether your costume is handmade, store-bought, or somewhere in between, everyone in costume gets a treat—and prizes will be awarded for standout entries. While accuracy is optional, we encourage costumes that include educational or STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) elements to spark curiosity and creativity.

🎨 Why Bird Costumes? Why Now?

Creating a bird costume isn’t just a fun art project—it’s a full-on STEAM adventure! From observing native birds like goldfinches and herons, to exploring wing shapes, symmetry, and feathers, this is hands-on learning at its most imaginative.

🐦 What to Expect:

• Live raptors, including a Bald Eagle, courtesy of The Raptor Center

• Hands-on activities and educational exhibits for kids and adults alike

• Interactive booths from partners like Tropical Wings, St. Croix Valley Bird Club, and the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center

• Displays on habitat restoration, bird-safe buildings, and bird-friendly backyards

• Nature crafts, games, and outdoor fun for the whole family

• Bird Costume Contest with prizes and sweet treats for participants

Whether you’re a lifelong birder or just bird-curious, this event is your chance to learn, play, and connect with nature, while helping build a more bird-friendly Stillwater for future generations.

Meet Some of Our Exhibitors:

Tropical Wings is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that works in the St. Croix Watershed of MN and WI, and the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. The focus of Tropical Wings is the welfare of migratory birds shared between the Upper Midwest and Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. As a shared resource, these birds play a vital role in the web of life and depend on quality habitat along and at both ends of their migration to thrive. Tropical Wings is committed to engaging citizens in celebrating and sustaining this natural phenomenon through education and habitat preservation both in Costa Rica and the Upper Midwest.

The St. Croix Valley Bird Club’s mission is “To share our love of birds with others!” We bring together birders who wish to enhance and share their knowledge and enjoyment of birds, while supporting habitat conservation. Members hone their birding skills with the support and camaraderie of other enthusiasts.

Founded in 2018, the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center is located at Lake Elmo’s Sunfish Lake Park. Our facility houses a range of beautifully crafted interactive exhibits geared towards both children and adults. We offer a range of programming, from summer camps to our adult education series, Nature for Life. We’re open to the public seven days a week, all year round. For more information, visit our website at https://sminc-lake-elmo.org/ or call 651-408-2838.