Plant trees and shrubs at Gores Pool WMA

Gores Pool Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 6,459-acre complex of floodplain forest, marshland and backwater along the Mississippi River and Vermillion River Bottoms in Hastings. The WMA is known for its outstanding biodiversity, and overall constitutes one of the largest expanses of floodplain native plant communities in southeast Minnesota. It is also one of the top four sites in the state for rare forest birds, including cerulean warblers and red-shouldered hawks.

Join us for a morning planting at this expansive site! FMR is partnering with Mississippi Park Connection to plant over 130 trees and shrubs in the savanna and maple-basswood forest. These plants will help restore the shrub layer to the plant communities after buckthorn removal, providing more wildlife habitat.

All tools and training will be provided at the event, and no experience is necessary. All volunteers are encouraged to work at their own pace. Space is limited and registration is required. This event is part of the Vermillion Stewards program, engaging Vermillion River Watershed residents to learn about the local watershed while working to protect and enhance its unique natural resources.

Accessibility

The terrain at the worksite is level, but there may be some tripping hazards like cut stumps. Planting trees is a higher intensity activity.

Ready to register?

To sign up and receive directions to the meeting spot, contact FMR Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Sophie Downey at volunteer@fmr.org, 651-222-2193 x27. Please include the name of the event, your name, address, phone number and the number in your party. Due to our smaller event sizes, we ask that you limit groups to 4 or fewer.

You will receive a confirmation email from volunteer@fmr.org within two business days. (If you don't, please check your spam or promotions folder.) 

If you're under 18 and interested in volunteering without the company of your parent or guardian, please take a moment and have them fill out this brief minor permission form.

Can't make it?

To receive notices of future Vermillion Stewards events, contact FMR Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Sophie Downey at volunteer@fmr.org. Or, visit our Events Calendar for our most up-to-date listing of upcoming events. To receive a twice-a-month e-newsletter including all FMR activities and news, sign up for Mississippi Messages.

What about COVID-19?

While we currently are not requiring masks at outdoor events, we are encouraging social distancing while we work. We're watching the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines closely. If plans change based on their recommendations, FMR Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Sophie Downey will email registrants with event updates. (Be sure to add volunteer@fmr.org to your contacts so updates don't land in spam.) And we'll update this page if anything changes.

We will offer gloves and hand sanitizer at the event.