restoration

Snapping turtle hatchlings protected from predators

by Ellie Rogers

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September 10, 2018

Our wildlife cameras caught baby snapping turtles hatching in peace thanks to our new wildlife nest enclosure at Spring Lake Islands Wildlife Management Area. >>

Restoring habitat on an urban island

by Alex Roth

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September 10, 2018

After almost two years of planning, FMR is embarking on our Nicollet Island habitat restoration project designed to enhance wildlife habitat, control erosion and improve water quality. >>

FMR is beginning restoration and enhancement of the natural areas on the north half of Nicollet Island. Photo by MWMO.

Wildlife returning to FMR restoration sites

by Alex Roth

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June 11, 2018

This spring, we kept a close eye on our habitat restoration projects to see if they're paying off for wildlife. If our sightings are any indication, we’re certainly on the right track!

Red-headed woodpeckers were spotted in one of our oak savanna restoration areas, tadpoles wriggled in just-created wetland basins, and turtles were quick (relatively) to take advantage of newly built nest protection sites. >>

Red-headed woodpecker, baby snapping turtle, chorus frog

Burn, baby, burn...but only when we say so!

by Alex Roth

article

May 7, 2018

Spring has officially sprung, and with it comes those familiar signs of life: plants begin to green, flowers bloom, migrating birds return, and fires burn through the prairies at FMR restoration sites!

Learn more about how we use fire to restore wildlife habitat, and the impact of a recent unplanned fire on an FMR restoration site. >>

An April prescribed burn rolls through a blufftop prairie at the Flint Hills Pind Bend Bluffs property.

What's your city planning for its riverfront? Find out and weigh in.

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April 9, 2018

Cities up and down the metro Mississippi are busy finalizing their local river corridor plans, but there's still time to weigh in. Some deadlines to submit comments are fast approaching, including July 17 for Cottage Grove and July 22 for Minneapolis. Learn where your city's at in its process and how you can have your say in the shape of your future local riverfront. >>

What's the best way to control buckthorn and protect native plants? FMR investigates.

by Karen Schik

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April 5, 2018

What pops to mind when you think of restoring a forest? Perhaps people planting trees? ...How about bobcat-like machines busily eating up small trees and spitting out the splinters?

If you'd visited Hampton Woods this spring, this is exactly the scene you would have come across. The machines were forestry mowers, consuming invasive European buckthorn.

Not only were the mowers benefiting the long-term health of the forest, but they're part of a new FMR research project to compare and contrast the effectiveness of different methods to both control buckthorn and support the growth of native plants and habitat. >>

A native ladyslipper plant, a mowed stretch of forest, a glossy buckthorn plant and a bobcat/forestry mower

Special Places: Minneapolis' riverfront Above the Falls

by Alicia Uzarek

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February 12, 2018

To celebrate our 25th year, each month in 2018 FMR staff will profile places along the metro Mississippi River that are near and dear to us, places that connect to FMR but that we also enjoy in our own downtime. By the end of our silver year, we'll have built a map of 25 special river places for you and yours to learn about, visit and enjoy.

This month: Minneapolis’s riverfront Above the Falls.

The Minneapolis riverfront north of St. Anthony Falls is an interesting juxtaposition of the natural, urban and industrial. Here you can enjoy bike and pedestrian trails, or rent a kayak to see a heron rookery, restored prairie, riverfront raingarden parks and sculptures, as well as industrial relics. You'll also want to visit often over the next decade to experience the changing riverfront, as more industrial sites are converted into public parklands.