Farewell Karen Solas, FMR Stewardship Events Coordinator

This holiday season, FMR bids a sad farewell to Karen Solas, our Stewardship Events Coordinator. During the past six years, Karen has been a warm and welcoming face for thousands of volunteers at river and watershed cleanups, restoration events, interpretive tours and educational workshops.

Her incredible passion, both for environmental stewardship and for engaging with volunteers has inspired hundreds of people to not only give their time at FMR events, but to make positive changes in their own homes, yards and communities to improve the health of the river. Her incredible impact on both people and the river will continue to ripple through the community for years to come. Karens thoughtfulness and attention to every last detail, her seemingly endless energy, strong work ethic and sense of adventure have been integral in making FMRs stewardship programming what it is today.

Karens accomplishments are too many to list here, but one has been a particular highlight — the Gorge Leadership Team. Initiated in 2008, Karen has nurtured and trained two-dozen dedicated Super Volunteers who work as a team to restore and manage high-quality natural areas in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and provide invaluable assistance at many of FMRs public restoration events in the River Gorge and beyond.

Upon learning the news of Karens departure from FMR, Gorge Leadership Team member Victoria Rebeck put it well: Good for you! The rest of the world does need an opportunity to benefit from your talents. We will miss you greatly and always appreciate what you did to make this a strong program and an enjoyable, meaningful way for us to serve our community.

Karen will be moving on to work as the Green Corps Coordinator for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In addition to starting this new position, and welcoming her second child into the world this January, Karen (energetic as always!) has promised to return to FMR to paddle this years Mississippi River Challenge and to contribute more than 20 hours to earn a 2013 Super Volunteer T-shirt.

On behalf of FMR staff and the many lives she has touched, we wish Karen the best of luck with her new job, her new family addition and continued friendship with many of us here in the FMR family of staff and volunteers.