Updates and Articles

A booklist on place from FMR staff and board

December 12, 2021

If you find yourself looking for book recommendations this winter as the pandemic continues, here are just a few of our staff and board members' favorites on the river, our relationship to place and where we live. >>

Minnesota updates list of impaired waters for 2022

by Trevor Russell

December 9, 2021

As required by the federal Clean Water Act, Minnesota creates a list of impaired waters — those that fail to meet water quality standards — every two years. For the draft 2022 list, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is adding 305 water bodies with 417 new impairments. >>

River Guardians' impact in 2021

December 8, 2021

Watch the thank-you video we recorded (complete with outtakes at the end) to celebrate the successes of our River Guardians. These advocates took action in 2021 to champion a federal funding program to protect the Mississippi, advocate for more parkland in Cottage Grove and protect Minneapolis' drinking water. >>

Thank you, 2021 river stewards!

by Sophie Downey

December 8, 2021

We are so grateful to our amazing 2021 volunteers! See our video highlights and read more about the positive impact you had on the river this year. >>

Thank you, 2021 youth river stewards!

by Ashley O'Neill Prado

December 7, 2021

In 2021, more than 500 youth stenciled storm drains with water quality messages, conducted scientific surveys of pollinators and worms at our project sites, and helped restore land through invasive species removal. >>

Dam removal brings "river giants" back to Minnesota waterways

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

December 6, 2021

A recent Star Tribune article celebrated the return of paddlefish, sturgeon and other river species as a result of dam removal projects across the state. Could this kind of restoration be possible for the metro Mississippi? >>

Climate change, climate justice and FMR's Land Conservation program

by Alex Roth

December 1, 2021

Land protection and restoration for ecological diversity can keep urban areas cooler and more resilient in the face of climate change. Learn more about how our Land Conservation program fights climate change and its impacts. >>

Endangered species found at Maplewood sites under development consideration

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

November 18, 2021

When we learned that Ramsey County was considering developing open space that we believe provides essential habitat, FMR requested a natural resources inventory. The report confirms: Endangered and rare birds depend on this grassland. Read more

Thank you, Urban Bird Collective!

November 16, 2021

In a recent article, the founder of the Urban Bird Collective, Monica Bryand, talks about why she's "building a more diverse, inclusive birding community," and our own Stewardship and Education Director Laura Mann Hill reflects on the power of BIPOC events.

Shout out to the collective for signing on to support the MRRRI Act, too! >>

A short field guide to metro wildlife

by Casey Ek

November 12, 2021

Whether it's the return of grassland birds to a once-homogenous cropland we've restored to prairie, or the adaptive behaviors of urban foxes and coyotes, the well-being of Minnesota's wildlife can serve as a window into our ecosystems as we strive to be better stewards of the land. Get to know a few of the critters who find habitat in FMR restoration sites. >>