Updates and Articles

Residents say affordable housing critical at Upper Harbor Terminal

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.  >>

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FMR voices concerns around Upper Harbor Terminal process

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.  >>

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Ecological restoration: A practice in patience
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
State research offers fresh look at a troubled Minnesota River

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recently released a series of reports, studies and plans addressing water contamination in the Minnesota River, the biggest tributary to the Mississippi in our state. It looks like the river is in need of some big changes if we're to meet our state's water quality goals. >>

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Reconnecting with the river: MPR and North News share North Minneapolis' river stories

Recently, two local media projects from MPR and North News highlighted North Minneapolis residents' relationships with water and our Big River. 

The MPR stories are a riveting listen, while the stunning North News issue is both a refreshing read and a graceful portrait of a community's multi-faceted relationship to the river. >>

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Bold riverfront development plan rises in St. Paul

In the past, development proposals for the former county jail site in downtown St. Paul have fallen through. It's a challenging area: a bluff, railroad tracks and Shepard Road separate the river's edge from the city. But AECOM's proposed Riversedge project thinks big about how to overcome these challenges — and might ultimately deliver.   >>

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Attack of the killer... algae?

A destructive storm can have a silver lining; Hurricane Barry seems to have lessened the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone. But this year's algae blooms are still hurting Minnesota's waterways.  >>

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NPR: As climate changes, taxpayers will shoulder larger U.S. payouts to farmers

A recent National Public Radio story highlighted the risks that climate change may pose to both farm operations and Americans' pocketbooks in the years to come.  >>

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Listen: Kernza's continuous cover

What is Kernza and why do some experts think it's such a big part of Minnesota's farming future? In the Land Stewardship Project's Ear to the Ground podcast, learn more from the people working to advance this exciting new crop.  >>

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Northern Metals granted extension to continue polluting

Following a settlement nearly two and a half years ago, Northern Metals Recycling agreed to stop its polluting operations on the North Minneapolis riverfront by August 1, 2019. That deadline has come and gone, yet Northern Metals is still operating. >>

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