Updates and Articles

How our warm winter affected habitat restoration progress
What will the warmest winter on record mean for wildlife? We won't know for awhile. We do know that it got in the way of our usual winter tasks for wildlife habitat restoration. Luckily, our ecologists like challenges. Read more
Open river with snow along the banks
FMR in DC: Reflections from a whirlwind week in the nation's capital
Grassroots Organizing Coordinator Maddie Miller shares what it was like advocating for the Mississippi River alongside coalition partners in D.C. Read more
FMR grassroots organizing coordinator pictured with Sen. Tina Smith and other members of the MRN delegation.
Educators, sign up for updates!
Sign up and we'll email you when we have new opportunities and resources for teachers and classrooms. Read more
Students work with a watershed model
Restoring public oversight of major MPCA decisions
We all benefit from community oversight of the biggest, most important agency for pollution regulation in Minnesota. Read more
A flurry of hands in the air, fingers pointed up as if wanting to interject in an important conversation.
Our 2024 legislative priorities
It’s time to finish what we started. Here's what FMR will be working to accomplish at the Capitol this year. Read more
The dome of the Minnesota Capitol building, seen in front of an evening blue sky. Text says "MNLEG 2024."
Renewing the call for a federal river restoration program
A bill to create a place-based, whole-river program Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate for the first time. Read more
Great blue heron flying over water
Is there enough 'action' in the DNR's new invasive carp action plan?
The Minnesota DNR recently released its updated Invasive Carp Action Plan. We think the plan is mostly good, but we'd like to see more urgency in one key area. Read more
Silver carp jumping behind motor in waterway
The Atlantic takes on Minneapolis 2040
Because of our advocacy for climate-smart dense urban development, national magazine The Atlantic reached out to FMR Land Use & Planning Director Colleen O'Connor Toberman to get our perspective on Minneapolis 2040. Read more
Minneapolis skyline at night
Can pockets of habitat tip the scales in degraded wetlands?
Invasive reed canary grass forms dense monocultures in many wetlands across the Upper Midwest, but we're experimenting with ways to give native wetland plants a better foothold. Read more
Vermillion River flows through reed canary grass
Just released: Read the landmark new report 'Putting Down Roots'
The report, which measures the environmental impact of crops that provide continuous living cover, was produced by FMR, Ecotone Analytics and the Forever Green Partnership. Read more
A hand prods at the bare dirt, prepping for a seed planting. Text says "Putting Down Roots: Analyzing the economic and environmental benefits of  continuous living cover for MN’s farmers, water and climate"

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Upcoming Events

Saturday, February 7, 2026 - 10:00am to 11:30am
FMR's office, near Harriet Island in St. Paul
Sign up in January; Compete throughout February 2026
Hennepin, Ramsey & Washington counties
This school year
In your classroom or outside