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

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
Where we work: Ole Olson Park
This former railyard is now a restored prairie on the Mississippi River in North Minneapolis. Along with the pollinator demonstration garden, Ole Olson Park adds vital habitat to our urban corridor and a beautiful riverfront spot for residents. Read more
How can we reduce buckthorn and preserve native plants? The results are in!

In 2018, we started a three-year research project at Hampton Woods Wildlife Management Area to find out which methods of buckthorn control best protect and encourage native plants. And now the results are in!  >>

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Meet five new FMR restoration sites

Our ecologists actively restore and maintain habitat at more than 30 sites across the metro region. But we're always looking for additional projects that can support wildlife, protect our water and increase climate resilience. In 2021, we added five new restoration projects totaling 273 acres to our restoration portfolio.  >>

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Welcome Laura, FMR's new ecologist

FMR is excited to announce the hiring of Laura Domyancich-Lee, FMR’s new ecologist.  >>

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Measuring success: recent pollinator surveys at FMR-restored prairies

Just as our breeding bird surveys have shown more birds and more species using FMR-restored prairies, our latest pollinator surveys further demonstrate the wildlife benefits of restored habitats.  >>

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Where we work: Old Mill Park
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: Nicollet Island
The industrial uses that once dominated half of Nicollet Island have given way to a mix of homes, trails and a beloved park where we're restoring pockets of prairie and a forest of maples and climate-adapted tree species. Read more
A new conservation director for FMR
FMR is very pleased to welcome a familiar face to a different role in the organization. Beginning this month, our former ecologist Alex Roth assumes the duties of conservation director, leading FMR's Land Conservation department.

FMR is very pleased to welcome a familiar face to a different role in the organization. Beginning this month, our former ecologist Alex Roth assumes the duties of conservation director, leading FMR's Land Conservation department.  >>

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