In the Media
FMR is proud to serve as the voice for the Mississippi River and the people who care about it — at the Capitol, in our communities and in the media. Many thanks to the reporters who take the time to cover important river issues.
This session, Minnesota lawmakers allocated only about a tenth of the funds it would take to construct a bio-acoustic fish fence at Lock and Dam 5 upriver of Winona. FMR agrees with U of M researcher Dr. Sorenson thinks a deterrent barrier is the last, best defense we have to stop invasive carp from establishing breeding populations — and the ensuing ecological damage — in Minnesota's beloved waterways.
In the most thorough article we've seen yet about the cutoff wall that holds up St. Anthony Falls, MinnPost describes the collapse of the falls that spurred the wall's creation in 1876 — and its worryingly unexamined life since. FMR board member John Anfinson and Land Use and Planning Program Director Colleen O'Connor Toberman explain how we advocated at the Capitol this session for $1 million to examine the wall and create a risk assessment study.
FMR has been waiting for a river flood to gather more information about the hazards posted by Ford Motor Company's floodplain dumpsite in St. Paul, known as Area C. This year, we'll have new data.
FMR Water Program Director Trevor Russell spoke to WCCO at Crosby Farm Regional Park for a 2023 "Good Question" segment. Trevor explains that the Mississippi River is cleaner and healthier than it once was, but it's not clean and healthy, and what swimmers should be aware of before diving in.
FMR and other advocates with the Stop Carp Coalition hoped for $17 million to create a barrier at Lock and Dam 5, the best option we have at the moment to keep carp from spawning upstream. Instead, the Legislature alotted $1.72 million for carp management.
At the same time the Minnesota Legislature was ending its 2023 session without funding an invasive carp barrier, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was rushing a crew down to Lock and Dam 5 near Winona after an angler reported spotting invasive silver carp there. FMR is noted as an advocate of the barrier.
Without inspecting the cutoff wall at St. Anthony Falls, we don't know what state it's in and how close it might be to breach or collapse. This article outlines the history of renewed interest in the wall and quotes FMR board member John Anfinson on why this uncertainty is a problem.
A three-story wall runs beneath the Mississippi River and keeps St. Anthony Falls from collapsing. This "cutoff wall" is essential for drinking water and our riverfront, but it's nearly 150 years old and hasn't been inspected since its construction. FMR board member John Anfinson explains why we're advocating for study funding at the Capitol.
For our 30th anniversary, this profile looks back to FMR's beginnings and spotlights our current work with clean-water crops, land restoration, river rules and more.
In 1988, the public showed overwhelming support for directing a significant percentage of Minnesota Lottery funds to environmental projects. That dedication will expire in 2025 — unless state lawmakers give voters the opportunity to renew it. FMR is mentioned both as a recipient of funding and an advocate for its rightful use.
FMR Land Use & Planning Program Director Colleen O'Connor Toberman responds to Dennis Anderson's April 1 column in a letter to the editor: "Minnesotans are right to be concerned about a lack of decisive action to stop invasive carp."
FMR Land Use & Planning Program Director Colleen O'Connor Toberman writes an editorial on the urgent need to study the underground wall holding up St. Anthony Falls.
What will the state’s waterways look like if legislators and agency leaders don’t approve an invasive carp barrier this session? Acclaimed Star Tribune outdoors columnist Dennis Anderson paints a distressing picture.
Reporter Melissa Thorud says increasing numbers of invasive carp “could have an impact on the tourism that the river brings to small river towns.” The article notes that FMR encourages community members to get involved and advocate a barrier to their legislators.
About the bill that would allow work to start on an invasive carp deterrent to prevent their further upstream spread, Colleen O’Connor Toberman said, "We don’t have time to waste. There is no plan B.”