ESI Youth Council explores the future of rivers, hydropower and dams
ESI participants learn about the Lock and Dam 1 (the Ford Dam) in St. Paul.
This year our Environmental Stewardship Institute (ESI) Youth Council will focus on one of the biggest questions facing the metro Mississippi River: What should we do with our aging locks and dams?
These high school youth leaders will be learning alongside our staff and local experts all about the river gorge's history, the power of the Mississippi River and the dams in the Twin Cities. As the youth council kicks off, we asked ESI Program Associate Naomi Nickel for a preview of the year ahead.
Q&A with Naomi
Each year, the ESI Youth Council focuses on an important issue. Last school year, they wrote a children's book about water stewardship. How did you decide to focus on dams, hydropower and rivers in 2026-27?
Naomi: During this past ESI summer program, students had the chance to begin exploring the history of the Mississippi River, the role dams have played in shaping it, and questions surrounding the future of aging river infrastructure in the Twin Cities. Our students identified this as some of the most interesting and impactful programming of the summer, and we wanted to build on that enthusiasm with our school-year ESI Youth Council.
For the past two years, FMR has been working with partners on a curriculum focusing on dams, hydropower and reimagining rivers. This year, the council is very excited to explore these questions more deeply through a curriculum that FMR has been developing with Natel Energy, the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and other partners.
"We wanted to focus on engaging youth because young people will be most affected by this issue in the long term, yet many are unaware that dam removal here in the Twin Cities is even a possibility."
How will the youth council learn about the gorge and locks and dams in the Twin Cities?
Naomi: In ESI, we explore environmental topics through a combination of hands-on experiences, fieldwork and more traditional classroom learning. This year, the youth council will help us pilot an experiential version of the forthcoming curriculum, exploring how its lessons can be brought to life outside a traditional classroom.
We'll engage our partners and FMR staff, hear from experts with different perspectives and take field trips, including a planned paddle through a lock and dam. Through these experiences, we hope ESI Youth Council members develop a deeper understanding of these complex issues, balancing renewable energy, aquatic ecosystems and community needs to bring others into meaningful conversations about the future of the Mississippi.
The youth council exists in part so that these youth leaders can educate others and advocate with their communities on real environmental issues. What might that look like this year?
Naomi: The council hopes to host an event that brings together other youth to engage with the issues surrounding the future of dams in the Twin Cities. This event is still taking shape — we may take students on a tour of a lock and dam, or have workshops on different aspects of this issue. Part of the year's focus will be on working with the council to decide how to most effectively communicate about dams with their peers.
We wanted to focus on engaging youth because young people will be most affected by this issue in the long term, yet many are unaware that dam removal here in the Twin Cities is even a possibility. Most high schoolers don't even understand the role that the locks and dams have played in shaping our history and the river that we have today. We hope to educate students and inspire them to make their voices heard on this issue — and many others.
How can FMR supporters follow along?
You can subscribe to FMR's enews and follow the ESI Instagram account to find out more about this work directly from ESI participants.
Learn more about the Environmental Stewardship Institute
Friends of the Mississippi River created the Environmental Stewardship Institute in 2019 to help close the opportunity gap for BIPOC and underrepresented communities in the environmental field. Youth leadership is a key part of our approach to equity and a long-term approach to diversifying and expanding the environmental sector. We hold a summer intensive program and a school-year youth advisory council. Learn more about ESI.
FMR's Environmental Stewardship Institute is part of our larger Stewardship & Education program. Check out our other opportunities for youth to get involved with FMR.
Thanks to partners and funders
Thank you to 3M Foundation, Beim Foundation, Berglund Foundation, Cargill, City of Minneapolis, City of St. Paul, George Family Foundation, HB Fuller, Langwater Foundation, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Natel Energy, St. Paul Jaycees Foundation, Trillium Foundation, WM Foundation, Xcel Energy and donors like you for making our ESI program possible.