Great River Coalition

08/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us this year for our Earth Day Bee Run/Walk/River Cleanup!

Photos by Bruce Silcox.

08/09/2026

Learn more about Minnesota's native bees!

While you might be familiar with Minnesota's "big three" bumble bees — common eastern, two-spotted and brown-belted — we actually have over 500 bee species in the state. Learn more about our wild, weird and wonderful bees at the link below.

🔗 https://fmr.org/updates/conservation/native-bees-minnesota

08/04/2026

Blamed for allergies but beloved by pollinators, goldenrod has a surprising past that stretches from liberty tea to the Model T!

Blamed for allergies but beloved by pollinators, goldenrod has a surprising past that stretches from liberty tea to the Model T.

07/31/2026

Give bees a place to hydrate in your garden! This is a super easy way to keep our friends healthy throughout the hot summer.

On a hot summer day our pollinator friends enjoy a nice cool drink ...

07/29/2026

Help support monarch butterflies during this international 10-day event! cec.org/news/join-the-monarch-blitzs-10th-anniversary

🦋 The 10th edition of the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz is here!

What is the Monarch Blitz? It is a call to action for individuals, organizations and community scientists across North America to join efforts to conserve monarch butterflies and the habitat they depend on. This initiative takes place every summer over 10 days.

Why is it important? The Monarch Blitz database is made up almost entirely of observations shared by volunteers. Every observation matters and helps build a clearer picture of monarch breeding habitat across North America!

The countdown is on… join us 31 July to 9 August!

🟠 Spot milkweed and monarch butterflies at any of their 4 life stages:🌿🥚🐛 🦋

🔎 Log your sightings in a community science data platform and make them count!

🧡 Help protect this iconic migratory species

💡Fun fact: monarch butterflies weigh less than a gram and travel up to 5,000 kilometers!

Let’s make the 10th anniversary unforgettable! 🦋

👉 https://www.cec.org/news/join-the-monarch-blitzs-10th-anniversary/

07/28/2026

07/28/2026

Pedal for Pollinators! On Saturday, August 8, cyclists and community members will gather on the scenic Lake Wobegon Trail in Holdingford, MN, for a community event supporting the planting of high-quality pollinator habitat in Minnesota and throughout the country.

More info: art-in-motion-web-store.square.site

07/21/2026

Two Minnesota solar farms swapped the gravel under their panels for native prairie and wildflowers. Five years later the native bees had multiplied twentyfold and were crossing the fence to pollinate the soybeans next door!

Everybody's heard some version of the bad news about bees. Hives collapsing over a single winter, beekeepers watching half their colonies die off, a steady

07/19/2026

Are you seeing bumblebees in your yard or neighborhood? 🐝

What plants do they seem to like best? 🌸 Share a photo or video in the comments below!

07/17/2026

A great opportunity for educators!

Calling all educators! There's still time to join us at the North American Monarch Institute in Roseville, Minnesota, on July 27 and 28.⁠
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The North American Monarch Institute is a professional development opportunity that aims to provide participants with knowledge and confidence to use monarchs and other invertebrates to teach science, math, art, language, or other subjects. ⁠
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Participants gain an introductory understanding of the monarch life cycle, migration, and conservation, as well as hands-on experience with several lessons from the Monarchs and More curriculum. Much of the instruction is hands-on and outdoors!⁠
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If you or an educator you know is interested in joining us later this month, click the link in the comments to learn more and sign up.