Stewardship

Shovels in the ground for three new river destinations

by Irene Jones

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November 16, 2017

Three new destinations are beginning to take shape along the river north of St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, each with something different to offer. Coming up: a reclaimed island (image above), a destination riverfront restaurant, and one fully featured playground. >>

A shocking, long-awaited outing — The 2017 volunteer trout survey

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November 14, 2017

“It’s been three years of cancellations with high water in the river and getting rained out," said volunteer Tom Ziegler with a smile. "They [FMR] dangle this carrot when we do the buckthorn removal across the road, that if we did that job, we would get to do this event.”

Well, 2017 was finally the year. >>

Thank you, young river stewards!

by Kate Clayton

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November 7, 2017

Together, they stenciled over 2,000 storm drains with educational messages, collected trash throughout Twin Cities parks, and helped not only restore habitat along the river but research the best ways to keep it healthy in the future. They are FMR's youth volunteers, and their contributions are legion. >>

Stenciling drains for the Mississippi River!

Check out our first mural for water quality!

by Kate Clayton

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October 7, 2017

When you think of a storm drain, what do you see? The concrete of the street, perhaps a metal grate. How about a pathway to our local lakes or the Mighty Mississippi? Or a large beautiful painting that helps illustrate this connection with our local waters?

Now you can check out such a work of art along Como Lake in St. Paul. The result of an 18-month collaborative partnership, the new mural is the first of its kind in St. Paul, possibly in the metro. >>

A virtual invasive plant species walk with FMR ecologists

by Alex Roth

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August 7, 2017

Ever wonder what keeps FMR ecologists up at night? Buckthorn and crown vetch may have pretty glossy leaves or flowers, but for anyone who cares about wildlife, they're a serious threat to forest and prairie habitat in the metro river corridor.

Join FMR ecologist Alex Roth for a walk through our most common invasives: buckthorn, bush honeysuckle, garlic mustard, burdock, spotted knapweed and crown vetch. Along the way, you'll learn why they matter and how to identify and remove them in your own back yard. All in two minutes!

Thank you Tom Reiter and Will Stock for creating this wonderful video!

Wanted: SuperVolunteers!

by Amy Kilgore

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August 1, 2017

If you've been to an FMR event, chances are you've encountered a SuperVolunteer wearing their identifying T-shirt with pride. To join their ranks (complete with a coveted T-shirt and special event invitations) volunteers need to participate in four or more hands-on restoration events or contribute 20 hours total throughout the year.

There are still plenty of upcoming events in need of helping hands to attain SuperVolunteer status! Check out the FMR event calendar or contact Volunteer Coordinator Amy Kilgore, akilgore@fmr.org, to get started.