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.
Entertaining and adorable as they are, goats have found a serious and fitting profession in the ecological management world: consuming as much buckthorn and other invasive woody plants as possible. See how successful our crew was at Hampton Woods and learn more about this increasingly popular restoration method. >>
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It's hard to overstate the importance of Indian Mounds Regional Park. Situated atop the bluff just east of downtown St. Paul, the park harbors a wealth of cultural, historical and ecological significance. The park is also unique in that it's where three of FMR’s programs — land conservation, stewardship and youth engagement — converge. >>
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For more than three decades, Dave Zumeta has kept meticulous lists of the birds he's seen in the Mississippi River Gorge, a band of habitat FMR works to restore that is critical for migrators on the flyway. These lists have become a valuable tool to help us track the health of our river habitat. Learn more about Dave's surprising findings, troubling and encouraging trends. >>
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The Star Tribune recently covered the island-building project at Pig's Eye Lake in East Side St. Paul's riverfront park. As our executive director Whitney Clark stated in the article, FMR supports the project overall, and would also like to see project planners "really consider including climate-adaptive species and use this opportunity to understand more about habitat restoration in the era of climate change." >>
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Have you seen a coyote or fox on your Twin Cities property? If so, let us know if you'd be willing to let our research partners capture and collar these animals! It will help us understand how they're adapting to urban areas, and inform our habitat management strategies for these species. >>
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