Conservation

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

Fishing for fishers: FMR supports a new study
Why is the fisher expanding its range to the southern part of the state, including the Twin Cities? Why is its population declining? FMR is partnering on a University of Minnesota study of this elusive member of the weasel family to help find out. Read more
Fisher climbing over log
Spring Lake Park Reserve
At Dakota County's Spring Lake Park Reserve along the bluffs of the Mississippi River, our oak forest and prairie restorations are home to more than 80 native plant species. Read more
Spring Lake Park Reserve wildflowers
Long fall? Extended prescribed burn season!
The lingering fall this year gave us the rare opportunity to implement a fall burn at our Hastings River Flats prairie restoration. Here's why we jumped at the chance. Read more
Prairie fire, prescribed burn at Hastings River Flats
Minnesota's new climate goals are a great start — now it's time to follow through
The Walz administration's recently released Climate Action Framework is laudable. Now it's time to translate the framework into action. Read more
A farmer standing on a patch of grass on the edge of cropland, looking down into a stream that runs alongside it.
Video: How we protect land — The story of Pine Bend Bluffs Natural Area
Watch our new video to experience the stunning landscape of Pine Bend Bluffs Natural Area habitat corridor from a bird's-eye view and hear the story of its protection. Read more
River aerial view from Pine Bend
"Is it good or bad?" Rethinking language around invasive species
A deep dive into the term "invasive species" — species that spread rapidly, or species out of place — plus how we can revise the value judgments we place on them. Read more
Think twice before removing that thistle

Not all thistles are invasive in Minnesota. Here's how you can tell if you're looking at one of our five native thistle species and why you should leave those species in the ground.  >>

Read more
Where we work: South Branch Vermillion River Aquatic Management Area
Located along a newly re-meandered stretch of the South Branch of the Vermillion River, this 24-acre woodland-turned-savanna is now a showcase for successful savanna restoration. Read more
Where we work: William H. Houlton Conservation Area
At the William H. Houlton Conservation Area — one of the largest undeveloped riverfront properties in the metro — we're restoring 160 acres of soybean field and grazed grasslands into prairie and oak savanna. Read more
Where we work: Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary / Wakáŋ Tipi
Beside riverfront railroads and beneath blufftop Dakota burial mounds, this St. Paul natural area is a sacred place. We're partnering with Native-led Lower Phalen Creek Project to restore its habitat with culturally important practices and plants. Read more

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Upcoming Events

Saturday, April 29, 2023 - 9:00am to 11:00am
Hastings Sand Coulee Scientific and Natural Area
Saturday, May 13, 2023 - 9:00am to 11:00am
Nicollet Island, Minneapolis
Applications due Fri, May 5 - 5 pm
Virtual and in-person