Updates and Articles

"Is it good or bad?" Rethinking language around invasive species

September 14, 2022

A deep dive into the term "invasive species" — species that spread rapidly, or species out of place — plus how we can revise the value judgments we place on them. Read more

Meet our Twin Cities locks and dams

September 14, 2022

See a map of our three Twin Cities locks and dams, a timeline of when and why they were built, and find out why we may not need them anymore. Read more

Congrats to our 2022 ESI summer intensive fellows!

September 11, 2022

We doubled the size of our summer intensive program for high school-aged youth this year. Find out what our fellows explored and learned, read two reflections on the program and see their final projects. Read more

Why I became a Mississippi River Legacy Society member

September 8, 2022

Minnesota's 3 little lizards

September 8, 2022

There are about 150 native and non-native lizard species in North America. Only these three manage to survive the harsh Minnesota climate. Read more

A racerunner lizard at the Flint Hills Resources site.

How we choose sites to protect and restore

September 1, 2022

Our Land Conservation program has protected and restored more than three dozen sites near the metro Mississippi River. Here's how we decide where to focus our efforts. Read more

ESI guest post: PFAS in Minnesota and impacts on east metro drinking water

August 31, 2022

This is a guest post from 2022 Environmental Stewardship Institute (ESI) fellow Alecia Jendro who researched the history of 3M's PFAS disposal in the East Metro, the resulting health and environmental impacts, and what's being done about it now. Read more

Making clean-water crops a reality on the landscape

August 30, 2022

These emerging crops can help heal the river while also supporting farmers and rural communities. Read more

A side-by-side showing a field of green Kernza on the left, and a bare, brown field of soybeans on the right. Both photos were taken on the same day.

Goldenrod or ragweed: Which causes allergies and which benefits pollinators?

August 29, 2022

Don't blame the wrong plant for that runny nose and itchy eyes. Read more

A close-up of a goldenrod plant in bloom.

ESI guest post: The nitrogen cycle and how it affects different organisms

August 25, 2022

This is a guest post from 2022 Environmental Stewardship Institute (ESI) fellow Spencer who created a video exploring the nitrogen cycle and the health of aquariums and how that compares to the Mississippi River. Read more