FMR Partners with Riverside Park Task Force

FMR has begun a new partnership with the Riverside Park Task Force of the West Bank Community Coalition (WBCC) in Minneapolis. The Task Force, made up of a dedicated group of local citizens and students, reached out to FMR about a year ago and asked for our assistance with initiating an ecological restoration project along the bluff at Riverside Park.

The Task Force did several community surveys in collaboration with the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota in order to determine community knowledge of and interest in the natural area within the park. Their research showed a strong, underserved interest and prompted them to request the partnership with FMR. The long term goal is to incorporate the Riverside Park Natural Area into FMR's successful Gorge Stewards program. As a first step, FMR will develop an ecological restoration and management plan, with the hope of starting implementation of recommended restoration work in 2010. Fairview Hospital provided funds to WBCC to cover the cost of writing the plan.

Riverside Park is along the river adjacent to the University and the downtown zone of Minneapolis and in the heart of a diverse community of recent immigrants, students, and families. The four-acre natural area consists of a terraced forested bluff area bisected by a staircase that connects the upper and lower areas of the park. In addition to assessing diversity of native and invasive species, the plan will include cultural history of the park, and it will build upon the Task Force's research on the potential for community volunteer involvement. The plan is scheduled to be completed early in 2010 and will presented to the Task Force, community and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.