Conservation

FMR works with public and private landowners, local government agencies and concerned community members — including thousands 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

The rusty patched bumblebee: What’s all the buzz about?

by Karen Schik

September 9, 2019

A lone male rusty patched bumblebee found in August at an FMR-restored savanna represents 0.2 percent of the known population worldwide. Necessary not only for native wildflower reproduction, but also for creating seeds and fruits that feed wildlife as diverse as songbirds and bears, our state bee could use your help. >>

It's monarch migration season!

by Ellie Rogers

September 6, 2019

Fall brings chances to spot monarch roosts — dozens of butterflies gathering together on their migration south. FMR ecologist Karen Schik found hundreds earlier this week and sent these videos back from a visit to our prairie restoration at Flint Hills Resources in Inver Grove Heights. >>

FMR's ecologists investigate how to suppress buckthorn

by Betsy Daub

September 5, 2019

As anyone who's joined FMR at a restoration volunteer event knows, buckthorn is particularly difficult to eradicate. This invasive plant often thwarts restoration efforts by returning to sites where it's been pulled and hauled away. What if we could find a way to suppress its regrowth? >>

Meet the loggerhead shrike, the rare butcher bird of FMR-restored prairies

by sue rich

August 29, 2019

This small, striking songbird is a fearsome prairie predator. Sadly, it's considered endangered in Minnesota. Read more

A loggerhead shrike perched on the tip of a bare branch, with a grassy field in the background.

Ecological restoration: A practice in patience

by Alex Roth

August 18, 2019

In the world of ecological restoration, changes don't happen overnight. And sometimes, to create a thriving and diverse habitat for wildlife and for water quality, things get a little messier (or even uglier) before they get better. Read more

Thanks Akia, our shared summer intern

by Alex Roth

July 7, 2019

Akia Vang, our Green Team Alumni summer intern, woke up early to survey breeding birds and stayed late to assist at volunteer planting events. Akia stayed busy during his two short weeks with us. >>

New podcast features FMR ecologist and invasive earthworms

by Alex Roth

June 7, 2019

Three Rivers Park District's new podcast, The Wandering Naturalist, covers fun Minnesota ecology topics from tracking owls to maple syruping. In this episode, FMR ecologist Alex Roth joined the conversation about the effects of invasive buckthorn and earthworms on Minnesota's wildflowers. >>

River access, wildlife habitat, year-round recreation: Cottage Grove’s unique opportunity

by Betsy Daub

May 7, 2019

The City of Cottage Grove has the opportunity to turn an old golf course into open space for wildlife and a recreational park for residents and visitors in an area lacking in river access. Here are our top reasons why we should protect this special place from development. >>

Fisher spotted at FMR restoration site

by Karen Schik

April 21, 2019

One member of the weasel family, the fisher, is more commonly a denizen of Minnesota's north woods than our metro woodlands. Finding a fisher recently at Spring Lake Park Reserve in Dakota County was a rare treat. >>