FMR turns 20 – How it all began

In 1990, two years after the passage of the legislation that established the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt appointed the Mississippi River Coordinating Commission to work with the National Park Service to develop the comprehensive master plan (CMP) for MNRRA. Prophetically, Peter Gove, an executive at St. Jude Medical, was named the citizen chair of that Commission.

Most of the Commission members represented government agencies or river industries, recalls Peter. There were only four citizens out of a group of 22. Furthermore, when we began our work with a series of community meetings throughout the MNRRA area, I noticed that most of the folks in our audience represented industrial river users and the surface water transportation industry. That was not surprise, as the Mississippi is a working river. But I was concerned that the broader public interest was not represented at these meetings, and I anticipated the same situation as the CMP was developed.

The MNRRA legislation had focused on protecting, preserving and enhancing the waters and lands of the new national park. The Commission was directed by Congress to focus on the preservation and enhancement of the environmental values of the area; enhance public outdoor recreation opportunities; and to protect scenic, historic, cultural, natural and scientific values while continuing the commercial uses of the river. At the same time, other than the Sierra Club, none of the then-active environmental/conservation groups had the resources to monitor the creation of the MNRRA plan. Peter wondered who would look out for citizens concerns.

I concluded that there needed to be a citizen advocacy group focused on the Twin Cities Mississippi River to initially provide input into the master plan development and then to take on the role of ‘speaking for the river going forward, Peter explains.

FMR founding board member John Anfinson took up the cause for similar reasons. Back then, there was no single voice for the entire Mississippi River corridor through the Twin Cities. We were 25 communities, five counties, and lots of different organizations and agencies – different people focused on different pieces of it. FMR was created to bring it all together with a single focus. And unlike government entities like the National Park Service, FMR could be more political and advocate on specific issues. We could be a citizen voice and speak freely.

Fortunately, the McKnight Foundation had recently launched its Mississippi River initiative, adds Peter, and the new Mississippi River program manager, Dan Ray, responded quickly to my concerns in this regard. McKnight provided the first grant to what we named ‘Friends of the Mississippi River. I am particularly proud that FMR has received McKnight support throughout its tenure.

Anfinson, who now serves as the Chief of Resource Management for MNRRA, adds, We have become the go-to organization for the press and people concerned about whats happening to the river. When we started, people might have gone to the DNR, Fish & Wildlife, City Council or politicians, but now, if theres a question about something on the river, they call FMR right away. FMR has truly become the voice of the river.