Updates and Articles

Before taxpayer funds go to Upper Harbor Terminal, the public deserves answers

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

March 11, 2020

The flood forecast

by Peter LaFontaine

March 11, 2020

A waterlogged 2019 makes for a floody 2020. Here's what Minnesota is gearing up for as the spring melt approaches. >>

Counting critters at Pine Bend Bluffs, our longest-running restoration

by Karen Schik

March 9, 2020

Over the last 20 years at Pine Bend Bluffs, we've converted a buckthorn forest to oak savanna and a Siberian elm canopy to prairie. Now we're monitoring the site to see how wildlife is responding. Read more

New 'Wishbone' walkway proposed for Minneapolis riverfront

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

March 4, 2020

The Wishbone is a proposed new walkway that would cross the river in downtown Minneapolis. We look forward to exploring its environmental and technical considerations, and community dialogue about how this project fits into the city's riverfront park priorities. >>

Action Alert: Protect the 'People's Environmental Law' [CLOSED]

March 4, 2020

The 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is our nation’s bedrock “look before you leap” environmental law. The Trump administration has proposed deeply troubling rollbacks to it. Please show your support for "The People's Environmental Law" before March 10, 2020. >>

Join the fight to protect landmark environmental law

by Trevor Russell

March 4, 2020

The Trump Administration announced proposed changes that would severely undermine the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) – a decades-old law that ensures thorough scientific review and public participation in major environmental projects. >>

The abundant prairie: A William H. Houlton Conservation Area wildlife update

by Alex Roth

February 28, 2020

In just its second year, the restoration project at Houlton is yielding impressive wildlife gains: from 16 bumblebees in the first year to 575 now, from 15 kinds of butterflies to 25. These results show progress toward the thriving habitat we hoped to create. >>

Riverfront polluter Northern Metals violates laws... again

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

February 26, 2020

After polluting on the North Minneapolis riverfront for years, Northern Metals was given a second chance to build a new facility in Becker. However, before that facility was even fully open, a large pile of cars caught fire and burned for five days. We spoke to KSTP News about Northern Metals' history of violations and community harm. >>

KSTP TV: Ford site cleanup ‘top priority’ for neighbors [video]

February 24, 2020

Our river corridor director Colleen O'Connor Toberman gave KSTP reporters a tour of Ford Area C to explain why so many in the metro area are calling for thorough cleanup of the toxic riverfront dump site. >>

Area C community meeting draws crowds and questions

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

February 21, 2020

At a recent community meeting, 150 residents gathered to hear about the history and future of Area C, the Ford Motor Company's hazardous waste pile sitting on the floodplain in St. Paul. Out of the many questions raised, one in particular didn't have a clear answer: Will anyone make Ford clean up its mess on the Mississippi River? >>