FMR's Spring 2015 Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Guide

Volunteers planting trees.

FMR events are a great way to learn about and help restore the river, for individuals and groups alike.

Spring fever has struck again. We're ready to get outside and help the river we love. Whether you want to help restore local natural areas or your own backyard, organize your own outing or keep things simple and join an existing event, FMR's got you covered. 

Your time. Your impact. 

Before we launch into our upcoming offerings, allow us to note a few things. At FMR, we know your time is precious, so we aim to make the most of it. Here's how:

  • We take care of supplies, logistics and directions so you can focus on learning about and helping the river. 
  • Our volunteers' experience is as important as the work at hand. We strive to get you the information you need in a jargon-free manner, and often limit event capacity to make sure everyone feels comfortable asking questions and has the right amount of work to do.
  • We make sure your contributions have lasting power. At FMR, restoration activities are part of larger long-term resotraion or conservation plans. So if you're removing invasive species at one event, you can trust we'll be back to build upon your work. Additionally, we select restoration areas strategically. So while you may be working in one small area, you're also contributing to larger, interconnected efforts that are improving wildlife habitat and water quality in the Mississippi watershed.
  • You're never volunteering for just FMR. Every FMR activity involves partners — city park departments or commissions, state and federal agencies, watershed districts, private landowners, other nonprofits and community institutions. So when you volunteer at, say, Pine Bend Scientific & Natural Area, youre not only volunteering for FMR, but the MN Department of Natural Resources as well as the National Park Service.

 

What are you looking for?

We strive to offer programming that meets differing needs. As a result, we have over a hundred public and group events each year, varying in size, location, activity and commitment level. Of course, with all of these offerings, it can be hard to figure out the best fit for you and yours, which is where this guide comes in. Are you looking for:

An Earth Day activity

  • Join our Minneapolis Earth Day cleanup in the Mississippi River Gorge, Saturday, April 25th, 9:30 a.m.-noon! There are also links on this event page to find out more about additional cleanups throughout Minneapolis, or whom to contact to set up your own group cleanup.
  • If you're looking for a cleanup a little more off the beaten path, consider our South Creek Cleanup, Saturday, April 25th, 9-11:30 a.m. Volunteers can stick to paved lots and trails, grassy areas, or bring their waders (or borrow ours) and venture stream-side.
  • For an all-day, family-oriented educational event, consider the Hastings Area Birding Festival, Saturday, April 18th.
  • If you have a group of 15 or more and are looking for a weekday activity, we're unfortunately booked through April and May for our group event programming. However, it's a great time of year to suggest a storm-drain stenciling outing and/or an interactive watershed education presentation to your class, coworkers, church or community group, and get one on the books for summer or fall. After all, caring for the planet is a year-round thing. 

I want to help restore habitat and improve water quality for:

  • Two hours or so.
    Great, most of the events on the FMR calendar are two to three hours in length. We add events frequently so be sure to check back, or sign up for Mississippi Messages to receive event calendars and river news.

  • ... a few more hours than that, but Id like some flexibility, and might want to bring friends and family on my own.
    Check out the Pledge to Pulls. Theres one at St. Pauls Crosby Park May 29th and one at Pine Bend Scientific & Natural Area May 6th. Each begins with a training and kickoff, then asks participants to return to the area and remove invasive species at times that work for them. For the Crosby event, the pledge is required. However, the pledging and follow-up is optional for those volunteering at Pine Bend SNA. Additional information is available on the FMR calendar.

On occasion, active FMR volunteers receive advance notice of special in-demand events, such as the Vermillion River trout survey. Above, a pair of trout eye their temporary captors.

Photo: FMR

Im a service learner. What do you have for college students with hours to complete? Or instructors?

I'm looking for information to help me act in my home, yard and neighborhood.

  • Yard and gardening practices are a significant contributor to the health of our local waters.
    - Our May 5th rain-barrel workshop offers rain barrels for just $40. If this date doesn't work for you, or if this event has reached capacity (they do fill quickly), sign up for Mississippi Messages to receive notices of upcoming FMR events as we are planning for more rain barrel workshops this year.
    - While it's hard to replace a workshop, FMR's Landscape for The River page features the most practical and easy to follow local resources to help you get going on water and wildlife-friendly projects for your yard this season.
  • FMR offers experiential water-quality presentations for classrooms and groups of approx. 30 or more in St. Paul and with youth groups in North and Northeast Minneapolis. Get in touch via this online form.
  • In September 2012, FMR and the National Park Service released the first-ever State of the River Report, detailing the ecological health of the Twin Cities stretch of the Mississippi River. While the report is available in its entirely at StateoftheRiver.com, FMR and NPS staff are also presenting the report April 11th at Fulton Brewery (preregistration required).
  • For a more national perspective, learn more about the Clean Water Act, its history and current challenges, April 7th
I'm more in the mood for a tour. 
  • How about a bird walk? We have two options this spring. Both take place in natural areas where FMR is working to restore habitat to support our avian friends. 
    - The April 18th Hastings Area Birding Festival is a larger-scale, family-friendly event that offers several tours as part of their full day of quality programming.
    - FMR's May 9th urban bird hike features a lesser-known East Side St. Paul natural area near the river and is an excellent fit for people who want to learn more about local birds in a low-key fashion.  
ARGH!! This is too many choices. Is there a human I can talk to? 
Of course!
FMR Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator sue rich can be reached at 651-222-2193 x14.
FMR Outreach Assistant and Registrar Amy Kilgore can also be reached at 651-222-2193 x31.
 Thanks for checking us out! We look forward to hearing from you. 

Upcoming Events

Saturday, April 20, 2024 - 9:30am to 12:00pm
West River Parkway and 36th Street/44th Street, Minneapolis
Applications due Friday, May 3 by 5 p.m.
Virtual and in-person
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 - 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Hampton Woods Wildlife Management Area