From ESI fellow to FMR staff: Naomi's river story

Even though I grew up 15 minutes away from the Mississippi, almost all of my childhood river experiences took place on different rivers. I went canoeing on the St. Croix and tubing on the Cannon River. Despite singing songs about the Mississippi in kindergarten, I really didn't spend much time near the river or thinking about the river.

So when I joined the Environmental Stewardship Institute (ESI) here at Friends of the Mississippi River in high school, I knew next to nothing about the Mississippi.

As a summer ESI program fellow, I learned about watersheds and storm drains. I remember being shocked that storm drains — filled with trash and pollutants — flow straight to the river. Finding out how recently the river had been so polluted that fish couldn't live in it challenged my perception of it as something I could take for granted.

But I was most surprised when I learned that the water I had been drinking my whole life came from the Mississippi. Even though I hadn't been thinking about the river, I literally could not live without it.

Because I enjoyed my time as a summer fellow, I stayed on with the ESI program as an assistant for two summers. Then, in 2022, I became the ESI Program Associate at Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR), and now I get to shape and grow the program that taught me so much.

As I moved from high school to college, the Mississippi moved from something invisible that I relied on to something that I saw and thought about every day. During freshman year, I crossed the Washington Avenue bridge every morning and every evening. Looking down into the river provided moments of peace and reflection during a challenging year. The river became something I could walk along the shores of, or sit by and listen to. Our campus is shaped by the river, so even when I wasn't next to it, I was aware of its presence.

I'm in my final year of college now, and I am still helping to facilitate the program for youth that I participated in. This summer I spent a lot of time on the river with ESI. I had been on the river with FMR before, but I gained a new appreciation for it this year as our program intensified its focus on river experiences. I had more responsibility than before, and there were new challenges this summer. But no matter how stressful things were, I always looked forward to our river outing days.

One day, two of my coworkers were sick, and I was the only ESI facilitator left. We had a few issues with our transportation, and it was starting to feel like we weren't going to make it. But once we finally got on the river, I felt that stress all fall away. I felt calmed by the gentle movement of the canoe and the breeze. All I had to think about was my paddle in the water, the bald eagles overhead and the stunningly green trees all around.

Even when I didn't realize it, the Mississippi has given me so much. As I look towards post-grad life, I wonder how my relationship to the river will evolve. I don't know if I will live so close to the river, or if I'll be working to protect it. But I do know that I will keep giving back by teaching people how to take care of it.

I hope that more Minnesotans will learn about how we affect the river and how it affects us. For such an integral part of our lives, it can become invisible if you don't pay attention to it. Everything we do — from managing our backyards to driving our cars to cooking our meals — has a direct impact on the Mississippi. I hope that we don't take it for granted, and that we understand how important it is that we fight for its future.