Maggie Karschnia

Professional Title

Minnesota Sea Grant & Water Resources Center Stormwater Extension Educator

What I do for Sea Grant

I serve the University of Minnesota Sea Grant program and Water Resources Center by delivering community programs and services about complex water-management and water-quality issues, specifically related to urban stormwater, community resiliency, and watershed education.

As an extension educator, I will be focused on leading and contributing to research that supports extension programs, education, and outreach related to urban stormwater and community resiliency, including identifying the needs and developing, teaching, and evaluating research-based curriculum. Programs in my portfolio include:

The Minnesota Stormwater Research Program
The Watershed Game
Non-point Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO)

This position is a collaborative (50/50) appointment between Minnesota Sea Grant and the Water Resources Center.

Education

M.A. - Natural Resources & Environmental Education: Hamline University
B.S. - Conservation: University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Outreach Projects

Regional Stormwater Protection Team (RSPT)

RSPT's mission is to protect and enhance the region's shared water resources through stormwater pollution prevention by providing coordinated educational programs and technical assistance.

The Watershed Game

The Watershed Game is an interactive, educational tool for local community leaders and educators that helps individuals understand the connection between land use and water quality

Close-up view of bristles on a truck's street sweeper brush.

Clean Sweep Program

Get Swept up! Clean Sweep Education & Training Program. The Water Resources Center (WRC) and Minnesota Sea Grant (MNSG) at the University of Minnesota partnered with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to develop the Clean Sweep Program. This education and training program is designed to help communities initiate street sweeping programs that will help them meet their water quality goals by targeting their efforts where it counts the most.

Illustration of city neigborhood with houses and gardens, labeled with green infrastructure strategies including forested land, rain barrels, rain gardens, green roofs, green tree canopy, tree trenches, stormwater curb extensions, bioswales, and permeable paths

Partnering with Local Governments for Climate Adaptation

Minnesota Sea Grant, together with the University of Minnesota Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) and Birchline Planning LLC, teamed up to work with local governments to identify areas where code and ordinance updates might provide communities greater freedom to choose GSI and other nature-based solutions for managing stormwater.