Painted turtles and pink lotus flowers help keep our waters from turning green
You can now visit these colorful, water quality-themed mural at Como Lake! This mural is the second design by community members to decorate Como Lake's shores.
Ever wondered why so many metro lakes turn green in the summer?
For St. Paul's Lake Como and many others, one main reason is nutrients that come from neighborhood lawns and streets. After it rains, fertilizer, leaves and grass clippings are directed into our local lakes, creeks and rivers via storm drains, in turn feeding algae and excessive plant growth.
At Como, a pair of murals reminds us of this important connection between our yards, streets, lakes and rivers, and celebrates the community in the process. >>
Volunteers rock spring. Join us this summer!
The DeLaSalle High School Green Team showed garlic mustard whose boss at Nicollet Island, our newest habitat restoration site.
So far this spring, FMR volunteers of all ages have removed truckloads of invasive species, planted hundreds of native wildflowers and trees, stenciled hundreds of storm drains and even "bombed" a prairie-in-progress (we mean seed-bombed, of course).
And we're not even halfway through the outdoor events and outings season! >>
Claim your day: FMR is scheduling summer group outings
A group of students from Neighborhood House summer programs stencil storm drains in a St. Paul neighborhood.
If you're looking for a service outing that's educational, active, outdoors and provides a tangible community benefit, consider storm drain stenciling in St. Paul with FMR.
Reservations for outings, as well as classroom presentations and litter cleanups, are now being taken for summer and fall 2018. >>
Thank you, young river stewards!
Members of the Youth Conservation Corps, one of 56 groups who helped stencil storm drains in St. Paul and Minneapolis with educational messages about how they connect to the Mississippi River.
Together, they stenciled over 2,000 storm drains with educational messages, collected trash throughout Twin Cities parks, and helped not only restore habitat along the river but research the best ways to keep it healthy in the future. They are FMR's youth volunteers, and their contributions are legion. >>
Check out our first mural for water quality!
FMR worked closely with neighborhood groups and local artist Gustavo Lira to design St. Paul's first storm-drain mural. The koi fish represents Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, the music notes Como Dockside and the snapping turtle Como Lake.
When you think of a storm drain, what do you see? The concrete of the street, perhaps a metal grate. How about a pathway to our local lakes or the Mighty Mississippi? Or a large beautiful painting that helps illustrate this connection with our local waters?
Now you can check out such a work of art along Como Lake in St. Paul. The result of an 18-month collaborative partnership, the new mural is the first of its kind in St. Paul, possibly in the metro. >>
As featured in the Hmong Times: Earth Club restoring local river habitat
Chao Xiong (left) and Aliya Mohamed (right) enjoy giving back to their community by preserving the river.
We're so excited that the Harding High Earth Club is on the cover of this month's Hmong Times for their work with FMR! These young citizen scientists and habitat restorers have been essential to our work at Indian Mounds Regional Park and at the riverfront forest below it in East St. Paul.
Get outside this spring with FMR
Come one, come all! Individuals, families and groups of all sizes are invited to get outside and help the Mississippi River with FMR. We host roughly 200 outings and events annually with over 5,000 participants from throughout the metro area. (Photo by Amy Kilgore)
Feeling the urge to get outside? FMR has heaps of spring events and activities for individuals and groups alike. Read on or visit our Events Calendar to choose the best fit for you.
A banner year for FMR's youngest river stewards
American Indian Magnet School students take pride in keeping their school grounds and neighborhood clean, and keeping all the trash from flowing into the streets and the Mississippi River. Thanks to all of our young river stewards for setting such great examples!
This year, youth from throughout the metro river corridor helped us educate Twin Citians about the connection between our homes and streets to the river, restore important natural areas, and research what works best for local ecological restoration projects. Despite all the thunderstorms, 2016 was a fantastic year for FMR youth programs and accomplishments.
Stenciling ... That's a wrap, folks
Groups of all ages can stencil with FMR! Here Metro State Upward Bound students stenciled in an area with a great view of downtown Saint Paul.
Thank you to all of our wonderful 2015 stenciling volunteers! Stenciling is an effective way to spread the message that anything that goes down that storm drain ends up in the Mississippi River. Thanks to our volunteers of all ages who helped stencil, from public and corporate groups to middle schoolers, we have exceeded our goals for the year.
Three cheers to Twin Cities youth for painting the town!
Thanks to those who have stenciled with FMR so far this year! New photos have been posted on our Flickr page.