In a delightful bit of news, the State of Minnesota’s December 2019 budget forecast estimates a $1.3 billion preliminary budget surplus for 2020.
While sure to ignite debates regarding both new investments and planned tax cuts during the 2020 Legislative session, this could bode well for much-needed clean water funding. >>
FMR ecologist and frequent conservation blog contributor Alex Roth was recently featured by KARE11 in a piece on our metro fox and coyote populations.
Although triggered by a coyote attack on an Inver Grove Heights family's beloved dog, Moose, the story referenced the Twin Cities Fox and Coyote Research Project. FMR is a proud partner for the LCCMR-funded project — and we are so glad that Moose is expected to make a full recovery! Watch the video >>
PBS News Hour recently turned their attention to Minnesota’s efforts to develop Kernza – a perennial wheat that may be key to fixing our lagging soil and river health ... and makes really good pancakes. >>
We received a number of emails in response to our earlier update on FMR's wildlife habitat pile event in the river gorge. Most people seem to be excited about the idea that removing invasive species (buckthorn, in this case) could result in additional habitat creation. Others loved the idea and wanted more specific information about how to build those piles. Here we address a few questions and provide some helpful links. >>
Who will the Upper Harbor Terminal redevelopment serve? Fox 9 News recently asked that question. FMR's Colleen O'Connor Toberman was interviewed alongside community members, elected officials, and the development team. >>
As reported by Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently decided not to ban lead tackle or bullets. As one of the petitioning groups, we were deeply disappointed by the news. But we're hopeful that the issue will emerge in the 2020 Legislative session. >>
From local news articles to word of mouth, Ford Motor Company's toxic waste dump on the St. Paul river floodplain, known as Area C, is gaining more attention. As community awareness grows, so does pressure on Ford and state agencies to study the dumpsite more closely to consider cleanup options. >>
A big thank you to all the young river stewards who helped us protect and restore the Mighty Mississippi in 2019 — all 2,482 of you!
Students stenciled educational messages alongside storm drains, collected trash throughout Twin Cities parks and helped not only restore habitat along the river but research the best ways to keep it healthy in the future. Plus, students in our new pilot program for exploring the environmental field. >>
Where can you walk through a dry waterfall, find karst topography, encounter a walking fern, meet ancient bur oak trees and see the oldest operating flour mill in the state? Vermillion Falls Park in Hastings! Oh, and there's a large rushing waterfall here as well. >>
FMR ecologist Alex Roth's earthworm research made it on the cover of the highly regarded professional journal Science at the end of October, the same journal that published the human genome for the first time. >>