Federal firings, freezes and FMR: A note from our executive director

The first two months of the Trump administration have brought a barrage of headlines about massive cuts to federal agencies, sweeping terminations of staff and attempted rollbacks of environmental protections. Many friends and colleagues have asked me what impacts these actions will have on Friends of the Mississippi River and on the river. Honestly, the staff here at FMR are still trying to understand the potential scope of these changes, but here's what we know so far.

FMR impacts

As I write this, FMR has five federal grants that are currently in limbo or awaiting further review. None have been officially canceled yet. Although we're concerned about some outstanding invoices and stalled project progress, thanks to our donors and philanthropic partners, we have a healthy balance of resources overall. So, while these federal funds are important, their loss would not be catastrophic for FMR.

On-hold FMR projects include habitat restoration on 600 acres to benefit pollinators, work with youth to restore forest and prairie habitat, as well as the creation and delivery of new educational curriculum on locks, dams and hydropower. We will continue to assess the impact of these possible cuts and update supporters. Meanwhile, much of our work goes on. We're restoring habitat at dozens of FMR metro sites and offering a wide variety of upcoming volunteer and educational events this spring.

Partner and agency impacts

Though we can't catalog all the cuts that matter, we wanted to highlight some impacts on a few critical partner organizations and agencies. 

The Trump administration recently terminated three park rangers as well as leases for the office and the main visitor center of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), our local unit of the National Park Service. On March 13, a federal judge ordered the reinstatement of all recently fired federal probationary workers. At this point, it's unclear whether that will happen. 

Several other agencies that play an important role in protecting and restoring the health of the Mississippi have also been affected.

Multiple researchers have been fired from the La Crosse U.S. Geological Survey science center, disrupting work on invasive carp and other Mississippi River issues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is withholding payments to farmers, threatening vital conservation work, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has experienced massive layoffs, impairing habitat restoration efforts. Another key FMR partner, the University of Minnesota, faces uncertainty about major grants supporting research crucial to improving water quality throughout the basin.

Working together

FMR is grateful to be part of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, One Mississippi and other groups collectively tracking, navigating and responding to the executive orders. Thank you to everyone who continues to advocate for clean water, the river and the communities it supports — as an FMR River Guardian and with other worthy organizations. 

Stay in touch

We will continue to share relevant updates on federal cuts and other changes in our twice-monthly e-newsletter, Mississippi Messages.