State of the River Report

On September 21, 2016 FMR and our local unit of the National Park Service released the updated edition of the award-winning State of the River Report.

The report highlights the status and trends of 14 key indicators of river health, presenting each in a way non-scientists can understand. It addresses factors that impact swimming and fishing, river life, ecological health and other issues that, taken together, provide a clear picture of the overall health of the large and dynamic metro Mississippi River.

Warm, impactful reception

Since its release, the State of the River Report has been warmly received. The report received broad state and national media attention, with news outlets from Washington D.C to San Francisco covering its release. Locally, excellent news coverage from print, radio and TV news outlets has spread the word about the State of the River Report to over a million Minnesotans.

Educators, policymakers and advocates also continue to use the report to protect, restore and enhance our metro Mississippi River.

Report and companion guides

The full report is available here for download.

To help readers make use of the State of the River Report, we’ve also created three companion guides.

• Stewardship Guide 
  The Stewardship Guide provides the top 10 practical steps individuals can take in their home, yard and community to improve the health of the Mississippi.
• Teacher’s Guide
  The brand new Teacher’s Guide helps teachers and students carry the lessons of the report into the classroom. Lessons are anchored in Minnesota state standards providing information, resources and activities to fulfill specific learning benchmarks. Related service projects are also suggested to help students translate what they’ve learned into action.
• Policy Guide
  The FMR Policy Guide offers priority actions that federal, state and local leaders can take for the river. This top 10 list of policy reforms will help decision-makers prioritize river-friendly policies that will help address many of the issues facing the river today.

Thank You!

This report would not have been possible without the tireless work of our distinguished scientific advisors, our generous funders, and contributing FMR members. On behalf of everyone at FMR and the National Park Service, a heartfelt thank-you goes out to all the organizations and individuals who helped make this report a reality! We look forward to continuing to carry its lessons forward.