John O. Anfinson named Superintendent at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

New MNRRA Superintendent John Anfinson

Photo: National Park Service

River historian and founding FMR Board member John Anfinson has been selected as the next superintendent for Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Formerly he served as the Chief of Resource Management for the park and succeeds Paul Labovitz who relocated to be the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore superintendent in May.

MNRRA is the only National Park whose mission is to protect, enhance and interpret the world-renown, Mississippi River. Designated by congress in 1988, the park runs through 25 communities, five counties and is managed by multiple local, state and federal entities. Consequently, MNRRA relies on partnerships for everything it does. John knows the river in the Twin Cities about as well as anyone alive, says FMR executive director Whitney Clark. Hes also deeply passionate about protecting the rivers public values. We look forward to working with John in his new role says Clark.

Anfinson has been researching, writing and speaking about the upper Mississippi River for over 25 years. He is the author of The River We Have Wrought: A History of the Upper Mississippi (2003), River of History (2003), and many articles as well as a sought after keynote speaker about the Mississippi River. In 2005, Anfinson was selected as one of ten U.S. delegates to the joint U.S./Dutch symposium on water resources at The Hague, Netherlands. More recently Anfinson helped initiate the Invasive Carp Task Force, for Minnesota and serves as co-chair of the effort.

In 1993, Anfinson was one of the founding Board members of Friends of the Mississippi River. He continues to serve on the Board as an ex-officio member.

Want more? Listen to Johns recent interview on Minnesota Public Radios the Daily Circuit.