In the Media
FMR is proud to serve as the voice for the Mississippi River and the people who care about it — at the Capitol, in our communities and in the media. Many thanks to the reporters who take the time to cover important river issues.
For our 30th anniversary, this profile looks back to FMR's beginnings and spotlights our current work with clean-water crops, land restoration, river rules and more.
In 1988, the public showed overwhelming support for directing a significant percentage of Minnesota Lottery funds to environmental projects. That dedication will expire in 2025 — unless state lawmakers give voters the opportunity to renew it. FMR is mentioned both as a recipient of funding and an advocate for its rightful use.
FMR Land Use & Planning Program Director Colleen O'Connor Toberman responds to Dennis Anderson's April 1 column in a letter to the editor: "Minnesotans are right to be concerned about a lack of decisive action to stop invasive carp."
FMR Land Use & Planning Program Director Colleen O'Connor Toberman writes an editorial on the urgent need to study the underground wall holding up St. Anthony Falls.
What will the state’s waterways look like if legislators and agency leaders don’t approve an invasive carp barrier this session? Acclaimed Star Tribune outdoors columnist Dennis Anderson paints a distressing picture.
Reporter Melissa Thorud says increasing numbers of invasive carp “could have an impact on the tourism that the river brings to small river towns.” The article notes that FMR encourages community members to get involved and advocate a barrier to their legislators.
About the bill that would allow work to start on an invasive carp deterrent to prevent their further upstream spread, Colleen O’Connor Toberman said, "We don’t have time to waste. There is no plan B.”
FOX 9 quotes Colleen O’Connor Toberman on the latest invasive carp catch: "We needed a barrier yesterday."
FMR's Colleen O’Connor Toberman talks about the cost of dealing with invasive carp spread versus a proactive approach.
FMR's Colleen O’Connor Toberman explains how the catch underscores the urgency to fund a deterrent for invasive carp.
FMR's Colleen O’Connor Toberman and Whitney Clark explain our urgent push for legislative funding for a bioacoustic fish fence during the current session.
FMR Land Use & Planning Program Director Colleen O'Connor Toberman explains how the downtown context of the proposed RiversEdge development affects the standards for building height.
Chloride pollution comes largely from road salt washing off into waterways. FMR's State of the River Report is quoted here, showing 40 Twin Cities water bodies exceeding chloride water quality standards, and another 40 that may soon be “impaired” — unable to support life.
Why choose Lock and Dam 5 for a carp barrier? This article quotes FMR Executive Director Whitney Clark on the factors that would make it an effective site to prevent the spread of invasive carp.
FMR Executive Director Whitney Clark speaks to the need for legislative action to fund a deterrent that would slow the spread of invasive carp on the Mississippi River.