Celebrate 30 years of FMR!
For our 30th anniversary, our wish is for you to join us in restoring, protecting and enhancing the Mississippi River.
FMR works with landowners, government agencies and concerned residents — including hundreds of volunteers — to protect and restore bluffs, prairies, forests and other lands important to our communities and the health of our metro Mississippi.
Here's what our conservation staff are currently working on and encountering in the field.
Learn more about all our protection and restoration sites at our conservation map, as well as more information about our approach and program.
Conservation updates are also shared on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and in our Mississippi Messages newsletter.
POSTS
November 28, 2023
An old pasture and orchard turned neighborhood preserve holds nearly 30 acres of oak forest, prairie and woodland pond for wildlife in Maplewood. Read more
November 6, 2023
Meet four plants in the restored tallgrass prairie and floodplain at Wakaŋ Tipi in St. Paul, a sacred place to the Dakota. FMR and our partners Wakaŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi talk about the medicine and habitat these trees and wildflowers provide. Read more
October 2, 2023
Our new pollinator biologist explains the phenomenon of butterfly puddling — sometimes on blood — and how we can make sure these insects get the nutrients and energy they need. Read more
September 7, 2023
FMR's senior ecologist Karen Schik's hard work helped protect and restore thousands of acres of important river habitat while strengthening community connections. Thank you, Karen! Read more
August 29, 2023
Our summer interns supported FMR's conservation and education work, from bird, plant and monarch surveys to summer youth program facilitation. Here are their reflections and highlights. Read more
August 22, 2023
In the Grey Cloud channel on a 3-acre island once thick with buckthorn, we're planting climate-adapted trees and native understory plants, increasing habitat resilience amidst climate change. You can visit via kayak or canoe! Read more
August 21, 2023
Sometimes too much of a good thing can be ... too much. That's the case when Canada goldenrod spreads rapidly in our prairie restorations. But over time we've noticed something small making a big impact on plant diversity. Read more
August 7, 2023
We're always looking for new and better ways to keep buckthorn from becoming dominant in our woodlands and forests. A new method we're trying in the Gorge shows promise and doesn't require power tools or herbicides. Read more
July 18, 2023
The Hastings Sand Coulee Scientific and Natural Area harbors the largest native prairie remnant in Dakota County — about 100 acres — along with an outstanding diversity of plants and animals, including nine rare species. Read more
June 20, 2023
Located along the backwaters of the Mississippi River, this 14-acre park hosts an array of native woodland plants and serves as an oasis along the Mississippi River flyway for migratory birds. Read more
