Fall intern helps map out FMR conservation strategy
FMR has permanently protected 45 sites in the greater metro area since 1993. Our fall 2021 Land Conservation intern, Nick Jacobson, created a tool to help us answer the question of where to focus next. Which lands can we most effectively protect, restore and enhance along the Mississippi River for its wildlife and human communities? >>
A new conservation director for FMR
We're excited to share that former FMR Ecologist Alex Roth is our new conservation director. (Photo: Dodd Demas 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. >>
Mississippi Dunes: Cottage Grove's great missed opportunity
The Cottage Grove City Council recently approved a plan for the former Mississippi Dunes golf course. While the plan includes a modest riverfront park, many residents hoped for more. >>
River Oaks Park
A tiny 2-acre remnant bedrock bluff prairie in Cottage Grove holds mighty habitat diversity and offers stunning 180-degree views of the Mississippi River and its surroundings.
A tiny 2-acre remnant bedrock bluff prairie in Cottage Grove holds mighty habitat diversity and offers stunning 180-degree views of the Mississippi River and its surroundings. >>
Climate change, climate justice and FMR's Land Conservation program
Land protection and restoration for ecological diversity can keep urban areas cooler and more resilient in the face of climate change. Learn more about how our Land Conservation program fights climate change and its impacts. >>
A short field guide to metro wildlife
Whether it's the return of grassland birds to a once-homogenous cropland we've restored to prairie, or the adaptive behaviors of urban foxes and coyotes, the well-being of Minnesota's wildlife can serve as a window into our ecosystems as we strive to be better stewards of the land. Get to know a few of the critters who find habitat in FMR restoration sites. >>
Endangered species found at Maplewood sites under development consideration
When we learned that Ramsey County was considering developing open space that we believe provides essential habitat, FMR requested a natural resources inventory. The final report confirms: Endangered and rare birds depend on this grassland for their survival. >>
New video showcases why habitat corridors are critical
Our latest video created by Mike Durenberger gives a bird's eye view of the Vermillion River corridor as it flows into the Mississippi River in Hastings. FMR restores six sites along this stretch in order to connect habitat and protect water quality. >>
Where we work: Pine Bend Bluffs Natural Area
Critical for wildlife, this 1,300-acre corridor of protected lands along the dramatic western bluffs of the Mississippi River south of the metro includes Pine Bend Bluffs SNA — our first major conservation project in the 1990s — an award-winning restoration, and one of our favorite places to bird and see the sweep of the river south of the cities. >>
Cottage Grove seeks community feedback about Mississippi Dunes plan
Last week, 50 community members gathered to discuss opportunities to influence decision-making about the former Mississippi Dunes golf course in Cottage Grove. Here are several ways to speak up in the coming weeks. >>