Land Conservation

Saying goodbye to a dear friend, Tecla Karpen

by Tom Lewanski

June 21, 2017

Tecla Karpen and students in "Karpen Woods"

Losing our cottonwoods: What’s at stake?

by Karen Schik

November 7, 2016

A key species of floodplain forests, Eastern Cottonwood trees aren't regenerating naturally in the floodplains. FMR ecologists and volunteers are using cottonwood cuttings or live stakes to re-establish a floodplain forest in Hastings.

Installing cottonwood live stakes in the floodplain forest near Hastings

Seeds for stewardship: Volunteers collect native prairie seed at Heritage Park

by Adam Flett

October 14, 2016

A flourishing prairie. Dozens of volunteers. Fall colors. Heaps of seed collected for future restoration efforts. Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped collect native seed — and to photographer Rich Wahls for capturing such a lovely morning working for the river!

Habitat restoration volunteers collecting native seed in the prairie.

A writhing mass of … Indiangrass seed?

by Karen Schik

October 7, 2016

When things move that shouldn’t it’s a cause for investigation. The self-seeding motions of a pile of volunteer-gathered Indiangrass seed caught this FMR ecologist by surprise.

Earthworms invade our forest floor

by Alex Roth

September 1, 2016

When people think about natural seasonal changes, we usually look up — bud break, bird migration, leaf change, etc. But what about the natural world under our feet? There's a buzz of activity, including the effects of one particularly damaging invasive species: earthworms. >>

Blazing blooms!

by Karen Schik

August 9, 2016

July and August are the most flowerful months in our native prairies and wetlands. Enjoy a few of the beauties FMR ecologists have recently come across in their field work.

Endangered species recovery at FMR restoration sites

by Alex Roth

August 8, 2016

Plant and animal populations decline for many reasons — habitat loss, climate change, pollution and other factors. The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 to prevent the decline and extinction of at-risk species and aid their recovery. At FMR, one of the ways we can best benefit endangered species is through the enhancement or restoration of native habitat. FMR’s many restoration sites do just that, providing much-needed habitat for both common and endangered plants and animals.

While the Endangered Species Act has benefitted countless species, we’d like to think our restorations have as well. We've spotted three endangered species — loggerhead shrike, Blanchard's cricket frog and Henslow's sparrow — at our sites so far this year!