Critical Area

Climate change impacts make park access and greenspace even more important for public health and equity, and guidelines for riverfront development need to respond to the shifting climate in order to protect our river. Here's how our river corridor program's work intersects with climate change and climate justice.  >>

Minneapolis is the first city with a new ordinance to guide riverfront development and protections, and thanks to our collective advocacy, their ordinance includes provisions for migrating birds. Will St. Paul and other communities follow suit?  >>

Metro-area cities and townships are beginning to adopt new baseline riverfront protections. Is your city is on the list of communities writing their ordinances this fall? Find out how you can shape river rules based on your community's values and priorities. One example: Minneapolis might require bird-safe measures for new riverfront construction, since migrating songbirds are especially vulnerable to collisions in cities on the Mississippi flyway.  >>

You may know that the Mississippi River through the Twin Cities is a national park. But few of us know how our special river became a national park in the first place. We interviewed National Park Superintendent John Anfinson about the development proposal that started the fight to protect our park and the surprising role that this exact same site — the potential home for a new River Learning Center — could play in its future.  >>