In the Media

FMR is proud to serve as the voice for the Mississippi River and the people who care about it — at the Capitol, in our communities and in the media. Many thanks to the reporters who take the time to cover important river issues.

Pioneer Press ― June 25, 2017
by Frederick Melo
Summer concert-goers hoping to catch a free outdoor performance in the Twin Cities have any number to choose from, but along the iconic Mississippi River, it’s slim pickings. St. Paul officials say they’re as committed as ever to “activating” the river with happy hours, fitness classes and future kayak rentals, but not necessarily through large, splashy headline concerts.
Star Tribune ― May 29, 2017
by Tom Meersman
Minnesota farmers will be given extra time and in some cases financial help to comply with the state's buffer law that requires them to plant perennial vegetation between crops and creeks. Farm groups say the changes don't go far enough, and environmental leaders (including Friends of the Mississippi River) object to how the measure would be funded.
MINN Post ― April 19, 2017
by Ron Meador
FMR was proud to be a lead organizer of Minnesota's first Water Action Day, flooding the Capitol with roughly a thousand citizen advocates for clean water. Veteran reporter Ron Meador reported on this surprisingly bright spot during a fairly dark legislative session for our waters.
Stillwater Gazette ― March 5, 2017
by Angie Hong
East Metro Water columnist Angie Hong relays the key lessons of the State of the River Report for watershed residents, including actions everyone can take to help the Mississippi River today.
Star Tribune ― February 2, 2017
by Jennifer Bjorhus
Gov. Mark Dayton has set a bold new goal for Minnesotans: Slash water pollution 25 percent by 2025. Such a charge requires new solutions for the biggest source of pollution to the Mississippi River: agricultural runoff.
Villager ― January 31, 2017
by Whitney Clark, executive director of FMR
Recently, the city of St. Paul unveiled draft plans to redevelop the Ford Plant site along the Mississippi River. The 135-acre campus is now clear of structures with plans for a new 21st-century riverfront community in the works. FMR has long been involved in this process, and here's what river lovers need to know.
MPR News with Tom Weber ― January 24, 2017
by Tom Weber, Jo Erickson
The DNR is working to protect a 72-mile stretch of the Mississippi River that runs through the Twin Cities area. It published new development rules for businesses along the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area, which took effect on Jan. 4. MPR News host Tom Weber spoke to Friends of the Mississippi River Executive Director Whitney Clark, Dan Petrik, a land use specialist with the DNR and former Republican lawmaker Marty Seifert about how local businesses are responding.
Hastings Star Gazette ― January 11, 2017
New rules for the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) will improve protections for water quality, habitat and scenic views.
Star Tribune ― December 29, 2016
by Josephine Marcotty
It’s taken a decade of starts and stops, contentious debates and delicate negotiations, but this month a new era begins for the treasured 72-mile stretch of the Mississippi River that winds through the Twin Cities.
Pioneer Press ― December 29, 2016
by Tad Vezner
After close to a decade of wrangling between conservationists like Friends of the Mississippi River, developers, and dozens of cities and counties state officials have published new rules governing what can be built on the Mississippi River’s edge and what can’t.
Star Tribune ― December 27, 2016
by the Star Tribune editorial board
The Strib praises two Friends of the Mississippi River victories: the triclosan ban and the establishment of new rules that will guide development along the metro Mississippi riverfront as "milestone measures to protect Minnesota’s treasured lakes and rivers for future generations."
KARE 11 ― December 27, 2016
by Boyd Huppert
On January 1, Minnesota officially changes from a caucus state to a primary state, and our soap will no longer contain the chemical triclosan, known to pollute rivers. The state ban on the antimicrobial ingredients is the first in the nation, but the federal Food and Drug Administration recently followed suit and enacted a ban effective September 2017.
KSTP ― December 26, 2016
by Jennie Lissarrague
Pioneer Press ― December 6, 2016
by Maja Beckstrom
Over the past decade, environmentalists have worried about the effect of microbeads, those tiny bits of plastic in facial scrubs that wash down the drain into rivers and lakes. But it turns out a bigger threat might be our clothing.
Hastings Star Gazette ― November 13, 2016

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