Conservation

FMR works with public and private landowners, local government agencies and concerned community members — including thousands of volunteers — to protect and restore bluffs, prairies, forests and other lands important to our communities and the health of our metro Mississippi.

Here's what our conservation staff are currently working on and encountering in the field. 

Learn more about all our protection and restoration sites at our conservation map, as well as more information about our approach and program.

Conservation updates are also shared on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and in our Mississippi Messages newsletter.

POSTS

Sheep graze the way for native plants at solar site
Nearly 500 solar grazers have been hard at work eating weedy plants and making room for native pollinator-supporting plants under hundreds of acres of solar panels. Read more
Ewe and lambs under solar panels
Rare birds flock to little-known Maplewood grassland
Grassland birds are under immense pressure due to habitat loss, but there's a special corner of habitat near Battle Creek Regional Park. Learn more about this site's uncertain future and how you can get a glimpse of its feathered residents. Read more
Grasshopper sparrow singing
Where we work: Camp Cozy Park
Located on a peninsula along the Elk River, this former summer resort turned 48-acre city park is home to diverse habitats including two remnant prairies, woodlands and river floodplains. Read more
Camp Cozy prairie and birdhouses
Pollinator habitat blooms beneath a major metro solar installation
Beneath rows and rows of solar panels in Rosemount, FMR is creating 360 acres of pollinator-supporting plantings. Read more
Black-eyed Susan and solar panels
Where we work: River Heights Park
This beloved community park near the river in Inver Grove Heights was saved from development in 2018 and now features a loop trail for walking and a thriving demonstration pollinator garden. Read more
Aerial of River Heights Park
Tell Congress: Hands off Minnesota's national parks
Proposed cuts could harm our local Mississippi River Twin Cities metro park, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, and hundreds of beloved national parks. Sign the action alert and tell Congress to get off the sidelines. Read more
Students gather around a ranger on a boat on the Mississippi River
Where we work: Rosemount Wildlife Preserve
Restoration at this dedicated wildlife sanctuary has turned an old hay field into a thriving prairie and a thicket of buckthorn into diverse woodland habitat. Read more
Prairie and forest
Welcome, Logan!
Our newest staff member has joined our Land Conservation team as a restoration project manager. Read more
Logan in a park
Where to find herons in the Twin Cities metro near the river
There's a reason our logo features a heron — we love these birds, and these birds love the river. We've put together a guide to heron hotspots so you can marvel along with us. Read more
Great blue heron approaches nest
FMR launches new volunteer pollinator monitoring program
Do you get excited when you spot the first monarch butterfly each year? Do you enjoy identifying plants and pollinators when you’re out for a hike? FMR may have just the volunteer opportunity for you. Read more
Woman in field tracking observations

Pages

Upcoming Events

Saturday, July 26, 2025 - 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Hidden Falls Regional Park, St. Paul
Thursday, July 31, 2025 - 5:00pm to 8:30pm
Gibbs Farm, St. Paul
Tuesday, August 5 OR Thursday, September 4, 2025 - 5:30pm to 6:30pm
Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative, Minneapolis