Happening

On June 14th, over 70 people braved the 105-degree heat index to help clean up the Mississippi River at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis. Conservation Minnesota, in partnership with United By Blue, Target, and Friends of the Mississippi River, spent two hours combing the river banks, neighborhoods, trails, and grassy fields for small plastics.

Conservation Minnesota designed Conservation Crew to encourage middle schoolers to think critically about our environment. Each Conservation Crew—made up of five to 25 student and supported by a teacher or school staff—selects their focus and service project. Our Youth Program Coordinator reports on the first year of Conservation Crew.

What happens in St. Paul and Washington DC matters, it’s important to remember that much of the work that protects the Minnesota we love is happening at the local level in communities across the state. Conservation Minnesota is the only organization currently hosting gatherings of environment commission members from across the state.

In 2019, Conservation Minnesota played a crucial role, alongside our national partners, in helping to permanently reauthorize the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). On May 6th Secretary Haaland visited St. Paul’s Midway Peace Park to announce that $61 million of ORLP grants will be distributed this year to 26 metro areas across the country with three Minnesota parks slated to receive $9 million each. 

The perfectly manicured, clean-cut lawn has been a symbol of the American Dream since the 1800s. But a new trend from across the pond might change that. The No Mow May campaign allows homeowners to rethink yard maintenance while helping the environment. 

All over Minnesota there are relics of CCC projects—the steps across the Mississippi headwaters at Itasca, the great stone and log cabins in Gooseberry State Park. Today's Conservation Corps builds for new challenges. As the impacts of climate change grow, program leaders hope to expand the CCC legacy through a new program—the Civilian Climate Corps. 

Food & Agriculture Program Manager, Keely is working on the emerging issue of PFAS in biosolids applied on agricultural lands, and the resulting contamination in crops, soil, surface and groundwater. 

Krueger’s Christmas Tree Farm has been a part of Minnesotans' holiday season for over six decades. Third-generation tree farmer John Krueger is now in charge of daily operations, and keeping the legacy—and the magic—of their farm thriving. 

Conservation Minnesota has begun a new phase in how we connect with issues and people around the state. I’ve recently changed roles from working in the east metro area to becoming the organization’s Food & Agriculture Program Manager. I recently hosted an online conversation with Conservation Minnesota members to discuss how climate is impacting agriculture and how we can create a vision for action and climate-resilient solutions across Minnesota’s agriculture industry and economy.

In a question of public land and private property, Minnesota’s Land Exchange Board recently defended a Lac qui Parle property owner’s right to sell their land to the DNR.