Friends of the Mississippi River

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Friends of the Mississippi River Friends of the Mississippi River engages people to protect, restore and enhance the Mississippi Rive Read more at fmr.org/equity.

Our work takes place on the ancestral homelands of the Dakota. The river — Haha Wakpa, Misi-ziibi, Mississippi River — we steward in Minnesota has long been stewarded by Native Nations including the Dakota and the Ojibwe.

Want to help share FMR's work around clean-water crops and more river-friendly agriculture? We've got a job opening for ...
10/01/2026

Want to help share FMR's work around clean-water crops and more river-friendly agriculture? We've got a job opening for you.⁠
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FMR is hiring a new Communications Specialist to:⁠
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📢 Play a lead role in highly targeted communications campaigns⁠
💧 Coordinate closely with FMR's Water Team and partners at to spread the word about “next-gen” agricultural practices with key audiences⁠
🧑‍💻 Run FMR's social media⁠
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This is a full-time opportunity, right for a team-oriented strategic thinker and creator who relishes the opportunity to inspire everyday people and decision-makers alike to take action to protect and restore the Mississippi River. ⁠
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The salary range is $60,000-$65,000 — applicants with nontraditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply.⁠
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Learn more about the role and apply: https://fmr.org/communications-specialist

Want to see what our ESI program got up to this summer? We've got full photo galleries showing off their river-related o...
09/22/2026

Want to see what our ESI program got up to this summer? We've got full photo galleries showing off their river-related outings and their special capstone projects. ⁠
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This year’s ESI (that's Environmental Stewardship Institute) summer program participants met for nine weeks to learn about the environmental field and strengthen their connection to the Mississippi River.⁠
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They were exposed to various environmental careers, from advocating for clean water policies to developing environmentally friendly food products. They heard from FMR staff and guest speakers about how the river impacts our lives, and how our work impacts the river. ⁠
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Our 20 team members also developed capstone projects and worked together on team-building activities. By our last week, they were deeply connected to the river and to each other.⁠
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We know that the 2026 ESI team members will bring the lessons they learned from this summer wherever they go. We can’t wait to see what they do next.⁠
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Check out photos from the outings and learn about the capstone projects: 👉 https://fmr.org/updates/stewardship-education/fmr-2026-summer-youth-program/ESI⁠
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A big thanks to 3M Foundation, Beim Foundation, Berglund Foundation, Cargill Foundation, City of Minneapolis, City of St. Paul, George Family Foundation, HB Fuller, Langwater Foundation, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Right Track, Step Up, St. Paul Jaycees Foundation, Trillium Family Foundation, WM Foundation, Xcel Energy Foundation and our donors for making our ESI program possible.

Thank you to Air Lines for being a Headwaters sponsor of FMR's 2026 fall gala!⁠⁠This evening celebrating the Mississipp...
09/19/2026

Thank you to Air Lines for being a Headwaters sponsor of FMR's 2026 fall gala!⁠
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This evening celebrating the Mississippi River is an opportunity to connect with community members who care for the water, while celebrating our collective successes — and the good things to come. ⁠
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Special this year, attendees will get to choose their own river adventure with which to start the evening: a hands-on prairie restoration, a clean water science and food tasting featuring innovative river-friendly crops, or arts activities inspired by the Mississippi River.⁠
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Learn more and get tickets at the 🔗 link: https://fmr.org/events/evening-celebrating-mississippi-river-take-me-river

Restoration opportunity spotlight 🧤🪏🪾⁠⁠Help protect some special habitat along the river in the Twin Cities. ⁠⁠Located i...
09/16/2026

Restoration opportunity spotlight 🧤🪏🪾⁠
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Help protect some special habitat along the river in the Twin Cities. ⁠
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Located in Cottage Grove, Grey Cloud Dunes SNA features two sandy terraces along the Mississippi River and dramatic views. This area provides essential native bee, butterfly and wildlife habitat and is home to a rare dry prairie and a variety of rare plant and animal species. ⁠
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Sign up for our Sept. 30 volunteer restoration event at the site and you'll work with FMR ecologists to remove sumac — a shrub that is native to Minnesota but spreads rapidly, preventing other plants from growing in this prairie ecosystem. By removing sumac, we're tending to this much-needed habitat and ensuring that a greater diversity of plant species and wildlife can thrive.⁠
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Tools and training provided, no experience necessary, but registration is required.

RSVP here: https://fmr.org/events/lop-sumac-grey-cloud-dunes-sna
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09/15/2026

🐝 An encouraging rusty-patched bumble bee update 🐝⁠
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It's been a very good season for this endangered bumble bee species. In past years, FMR Pollinator Biologist Dr. Julia Leone and her team might see a rusty-patched at a couple of FMR restoration sites, and typically just a single bee. ⁠
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This year? ⁠
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"This is the most individual [rusty-patched bumble bees] that we’ve seen in a single season," revealed Julia at a recent FMR staff meeting.⁠
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Not only have rusty-patched been spotted at four FMR sites, the numbers have been encouraging. Two properties in particular, Houlton and Pine Bend Bluffs, had "a lot of foraging females, these are the workers, out together," explained Julia. This tells us that there is an active nest somewhere near, and its bees are using the resources that FMR is helping to restore and protect.⁠
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Pretty cool, right?⁠

Check out the latest FMR pollinator news here 🔗 https://fmr.org/tags/pollinators
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Thank you to Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling for being a Headwaters sponsor of FMR's 2026 fall gala!⁠⁠This evening celebrating ...
09/14/2026

Thank you to Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling for being a Headwaters sponsor of FMR's 2026 fall gala!⁠
⁠
This evening celebrating the Mississippi River is an opportunity to connect with community members who care for the water, while celebrating our collective successes — and the good things to come. ⁠
⁠
Special this year, attendees will get to choose their own river adventure with which to start the evening: a hands-on prairie restoration, a clean water science and food tasting featuring innovative river-friendly crops, or arts activities inspired by the Mississippi River.⁠
⁠
Learn more and get tickets at fmr.org/fallevent.

Address

106 W. Water Street , Ste. 600
Saint Paul, MN
55107

Telephone

+16512222193

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