Beside riverfront railroads and beneath blufftop Dakota burial mounds, this St. Paul natural area is a sacred place. We're partnering with Native-led Lower Phalen Creek Project to restore its habitat with culturally important practices and plants to better honor the site's history and ongoing importance to Dakota people. >>
Conservation and Restoration Blog
FMR works with landowners, government agencies and concerned residents — including hundreds 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.
A map of our protection and restoration sites is available here, 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.
April 22, 2022
A deep dive into the term "invasive species" — species that spread rapidly, or species out of place — plus how we can revise the value judgments we place on them. >>
April 15, 2022
This former railyard is now a restored prairie on the Mississippi River in North Minneapolis. Along with the pollinator demonstration garden, Ole Olson Park adds vital habitat to our urban corridor and a beautiful riverfront spot for residents. >>
March 25, 2022
In 2018, we started a three-year research project at Hampton Woods Wildlife Management Area to find out which methods of buckthorn control best protect and encourage native plants. And now the results are in! >>
March 13, 2022
Our ecologists actively restore and maintain habitat at more than 30 sites across the metro region. But we're always looking for additional projects that can support wildlife, protect our water and increase climate resilience. In 2021, we added five new restoration projects totaling 273 acres to our restoration portfolio. >>
March 7, 2022
FMR is excited to announce the hiring of Laura Domyancich-Lee, FMR’s new ecologist. >>
February 13, 2022
Part of a habitat corridor through the heart of Hastings, this 10-acre park is home to the first mill on the banks of the Vermillion River, an important tributary of the Mississippi. Visitors can find the mill ruins there, as well as FMR's restored oak savanna and pollinator planting. >>
February 7, 2022
Just as our breeding bird surveys have shown more birds and more species using FMR-restored prairies, our latest pollinator surveys further demonstrate the wildlife benefits of restored habitats. >>
January 14, 2022
The industrial uses that once dominated the northern half of Nicollet Island have given way to a mix of homes, trails and a beloved park where we're restoring pockets of prairie and a forest of maples and climate-adapted tree species — vital habitat for the downtown Minneapolis river corridor. >>