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 Instagram) and in our Mississippi Messages newsletter.

POSTS

Have you seen a metro fox or coyote recently?

by Karen Schik

October 29, 2019

If you live in the Twin Cities Metro area and have seen gray fox, red fox or coyotes or their tracks, we could use your help! >>

Rusty patched bumblebee buzzworthy in the Star Tribune

October 24, 2019

This summer we found the Minnesota state bee at one of our restoration sites. Why is that newsworthy? >>

Mosquitoes, monarchs and memories: An FMR ecology intern's reflections

by Betsy Daub

October 10, 2019

Daurius Mikroberts, one of FMR's 2019 summer ecology interns, reflects on a summer monitoring birds, pollinators, turtles and native plants at FMR restoration sites. Despite the mosquitoes, Daurius says the internship was "one of the best ways I’ve ever spent a summer." >>

Spring Lake regional park master plan open house Oct. 14

by Irene Jones

October 9, 2019

What's next for this special place (and FMR restoration site) on our great river? You can help decide. >>

'Land conservation key to bringing back Minnesota bird population'

by sue rich

October 8, 2019

We didn't pay MPR to write that headline, but it's exactly the message we want people to understand. >>

Collect them all: Invasive species identification cards

by Ellie Rogers

October 8, 2019

Download four invasive species plant ID guides. They feature all the specifics you need to identify the plant in the field, plus tips on how to stop its spread in your own yard. Read more

Candid camera at Spring Lake Islands

by Ellie Rogers

September 20, 2019

We've trained a wildlife camera's eye on our turtle nest protection area in the Spring Lake Islands Wildlife Management Area near Rosemount. The camera's shots will help us find out if the nest enclosure is working to protect hatchlings. But as we dig through our footage, we're turning up some fun shots of more than just turtles. >>

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 Pine Bend Bluffs 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? >>