Updates and Articles

MPR: UN study says don’t worry about microplastics in drinking water – much

Minnesota Public Radio recently highlighted a World Health Organization study on microplastics in drinking water. The conclusion: “…levels of microplastics in drinking water don't appear to be risky, but that research has been spotty and more is needed into their effects on the environment and health.”  >>
 

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Check out our conservation blog!

Endangered species, fishers, fields of monarchs — FMR ecologists encounter them all at our 37 habitat restoration sites.  

On our new conservation blog, learn more about what our ecologists see in the field, the special places we're working to protect and how we restore habitat. >>

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Endangered speces at FMR sites
The rusty patched bumblebee: What’s all the buzz about?

A lone male rusty patched bumblebee found in August at an FMR-restored savanna represents 0.2 percent of the known population worldwide. Necessary not only for native wildflower reproduction, but also for creating seeds and fruits that feed wildlife as diverse as songbirds and bears, our state bee could use your help. >>

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FMR presents an evening with American Routes' Nick Spitzer and WCCO's Jearlyn Steele October 2019

An Evening Celebrating the Mississippi River on October 3 will feature public radio’s producer of "American Routes" Nick Spitzer who will take us on a journey from the headwaters down south to the mouth through music and storytelling. WCCO's Jearlyn Steele returns to the stage as our emcee>>

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An Evening Celebrating the Mississippi River featuring Nick Spitzer and Jearlyn Steel
FMR graduates its first Youth Empowerment Program participants

Through canoe trips, guest speakers, pollinator surveys and more this summer, we worked with high-school aged youth from the metro area to explore career possibilities and build skills in the environmental field. Learn more about our new Youth Empowerment Program and see these leaders' capstone projects (which included monarchs, jars of river water, and even a baby painted turtle).  >>

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One of the program participants removes invasive species on a rainy day at Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary
It's monarch migration season!

Fall brings chances to spot monarch roosts — dozens of butterflies gathering together on their migration south. FMR ecologist Karen Schik found hundreds earlier this week and sent these videos back from a visit to our prairie restoration at Flint Hills Resources in Inver Grove Heights. >>

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FMR's ecologists investigate how to suppress buckthorn

As anyone who's joined FMR at a restoration volunteer event knows, buckthorn is particularly difficult to eradicate. This invasive plant often thwarts restoration efforts by returning to sites where it's been pulled and hauled away. What if we could find a way to suppress its regrowth?  >>

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UN: Global warming is splintering our food supply

Agriculture is a major driver of climate change, but it can also be a big part of the solution. The future of the planet relies on shifting to sustainable practices more rapidly than ever before.  >>

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"Workhorse" Minnesota River needs our help

The Star Tribune recently highlighted the state's $360 million plan to turn things around for the Minnesota River and cut the river's sediment levels in half. Will it be enough?  >>

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Ford Area C updates email list
Sign up to be an FMR River Guardian and to receive updates on the Ford Area C dumpsite along the Mississippi River in St. Paul. Read more
Shrubs and trees, green with summer growth, cover a small walking area that is the Ford Area C dumpsite. High above, the smokestack from the old Ford plant peeks through a break in the canopy.

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Upcoming Events

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Friends of the Mississippi River office in St. Paul
This school year
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Our River Campaign:
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At the heart of this new campaign is the vision of a healthy Mississippi River.