Updates and Articles

by Ellie Rogers

September 6, 2019

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 Pine Bend Bluffs in Inver Grove Heights. >>

FMR's ecologists investigate how to suppress buckthorn

by Betsy Daub

September 5, 2019

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? >>

UN: Global warming is splintering our food supply

by Peter LaFontaine

September 4, 2019

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. >>

"Workhorse" Minnesota River needs our help

by Peter LaFontaine

September 3, 2019

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? >>

Ford Area C updates email list

September 1, 2019

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.

Meet the loggerhead shrike, the rare butcher bird of FMR-restored prairies

by sue rich

August 29, 2019

This small, striking songbird is a fearsome prairie predator. Sadly, it's considered endangered in Minnesota. Read more

A loggerhead shrike perched on the tip of a bare branch, with a grassy field in the background.

Can we just talk about this UHT concert stadium?

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

August 28, 2019

Minneapolis city leaders are proceeding as if the concert stadium at Upper Harbor Terminal is a done deal, but it's not. Rather than debating venue names, we need to discuss public subsidies, living-wage jobs, and how the community will benefit from this or any development at this important mile-long riverfront site. >>

Residents say affordable housing critical at Upper Harbor Terminal

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

August 22, 2019

Community members are clear that truly affordable housing should be a key part of the Upper Harbor Terminal redevelopment. At one point an attendee asked, "How many of you are here because you or someone you care about is affected by the high cost of housing?" Nearly every hand in the room went up. We should expand the timeline to figure out this vital aspect of this riverfront redevelopment. >>

FMR voices concerns around Upper Harbor Terminal process

by Colleen O'Connor Toberman

August 19, 2019

As we've watched recent Upper Harbor Terminal community engagement activities unfold, we've seen a rushed, confusing and inadequate process that's failing to center community vision. We've written a letter to the Minneapolis City Council and mayor outlining our concerns. >>

Ecological restoration: A practice in patience

by Alex Roth

August 18, 2019

In the world of ecological restoration, changes don't happen overnight. And sometimes, to create a thriving and diverse habitat for wildlife and for water quality, things get a little messier (or even uglier) before they get better. Read more