Meaningful Connections on the River
Looking back on the 15 months covered in this annual report, we are proud of our work, which continues to connect students, youth, families, environmental stewards, and our broader community to the Mississippi River in meaningful ways.
In partnership, we planned and planted the first of its kind urban forest climate change experiment in America, and more than 3,100 trees along the river, to address the devastation caused by emerald ash borer. Our youth education team connected with more than 20,000 students, including 9,200 connections after March through distance learning. We partnered with many local organizations to expand access to kayaking through the Mississippi River Paddle Share program. We also launched Women of the Mississippi River, an effort to compile the stories of women, both contemporary and historical, who have greatly impacted the Mississippi River in Minnesota.
In July, our staff began meeting regularly to discuss diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. We reconsidered how we support people experiencing homelessness in the park, affirm the stories of Black, Indigenous, and people of color along the river, and acknowledge the past and present exclusion of communities of color. We supported equity training with Amazeworks for NPS and MPC staff, board, volunteers, and members. We are grateful for the community that joined us by supporting this work and participating fully in it during this challenging year.
More than ever, we value and honor the right of each person to connect with and steward the river. We recognize, with humility, that we must do more to confront racial inequality and bias in the park and in our organization. Our commitment to a just community is as important as our commitment to the river and both require real actions yesterday, today, and every day in the future.
Katie Nyberg
Executive Director
Barry Clegg
Board Chair
John Anfinson
Superintendent
This year we established one of our most ambitious projects to date: the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) study at Crosby Farm Regional Park. The project stems from the difficult truth that we are losing significant tree canopy due to the emerald ash borer. In response, with our project partners, we created 24 research plots throughout the park, each hosting 50 trees. Some, like cottonwoods, are familiar friends in the floodplain, while others, like southern pin oaks and sycamores, are newer arrivals projected to do well in a warmer and wetter Minnesota.
Born out of collaboration with local land managers, scientists, and research institutes, ASCC is a testament to the fact that we are resilient when we work together. The work does not end now that these 1,200 trees are planted, either. Today, volunteers with the Crosby Crew continue to maintain fencing, collect data, and connect with other park visitors every week. While we wait to discover which trees will thrive here in the future, we are grateful to dedicated volunteers who have become champions of the park.
Join us on Earth Day 2021 to learn more about our Plant for the Future Campaign!
Donor Spotlight: Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary Club
Photo Credit: Jodi Petrich-Massey
“Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary members understand the importance of protecting one of our greatest assets, the Mississippi River. From sponsoring a gravel bed nursery in Coldwater Spring to providing volunteers for hands-on projects, we are proud to support the great work of Mississippi Park Connection and to do our part in supporting the health and vitality of the urban forest for years to come.”
YOUTH EDUCATION
Teaching during a pandemic is hard enough. When the pandemic pushed teachers to provide online learning, our park education team coordinated with them to find out what they needed. Teachers asked for engaging park related content that could serve both classroom and independent learning. We quickly assembled three distance learning products for educators.
Both Big River Journey Online and Living River Online bring our live field trips directly to students. Online Classroom Visits bring a national park ranger, trained river educator, or a park partner group to a 3rd-6th grade class of up to 100 students.
Our new learning portal offers teachers a convenient place to access this engaging content, and for students to learn about the amazing scientific, cultural, and natural heritage of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Watch a short video with Ranger Lyndon to learn how we pivoted to distance learning last spring.
“When faced with educating students online during a pandemic, I turned to Big River Journey Online to provide curriculum and an engaging environmental learning experience. Through art, science, math, environmental studies, poetry, literature, and history, the river was a topic we could come together around and study during these unique and unprecedented times.”
PADDLE SHARE
In a time when many places were closed or had limited capacity, the river became an essential space for community gathering. Our National Park Service partner was able to grow its Paddle With A Ranger program in response to increased demand for outdoor activities throughout the river corridor and beyond. Mississippi River Paddle Share’s best season to date in 2020 saw a 31% increase in kayak reservations from the 2019 season, with 67% of those surveyed saying they had never paddled on the Mississippi River.
Partner Spotlight: Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
“Having access to Mississippi River Paddle Share kayaks this summer allowed us (adults who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color) to connect to ourselves, one another, and nature in profound ways. To be able to find this connection amid a pandemic and a civil uprising is no small thing. We are grateful to our friends and allies at the Mississippi Park Connection for making this resource available to us and look forward to continued partnership and collaboration.”
This partnership inspired staff from the National Park Service and Mississippi Park Connection to organize BIPOC-led stewardship events for people of color. Participants unanimously agreed that these events provided a therapeutic sense of community, made them feel more connected to and knowledgeable about the land and river, and empowered them to continue protecting and improving the natural environment.
BY THE NUMBERS
In case you missed it: watch our fundraiser video from August. (Skip to minute 5:08 for the program)
Donor Spotlight:
“Coldwater Spring is a little treasure nestled along the Mississippi River, a special sanctuary for humans, birds, and wildlife in an otherwise urban area. My late brother Ned’s volunteer experiences there make it close to my heart.
In remembrance of Ned, I visited the site and was completely blown away by the diversity of plants and wildlife in such a compact area. The staff that cares for Coldwater Spring is knowledgeable, professional, and dedicated. I know that I have done the right thing in supporting this unique site.”
Photo credit: Kate Krahl
The Krahl-Thacker Family Fund supported new bird themed hiking trails, as well as signage at Coldwater Spring that recognizes its Dakota name, Mní Ówe Sní. Kate (second from the left) is pictured with National Park Service and Mississippi Park Connection staff on a recent visit to the site.
Thank you and farewell, John
Over the last six years in his position as the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area’s superintendent, it often felt like John Anfinson was simply born for this job. His deep interest in the river’s history and his passion for the health and wellbeing of the park’s future has been a driving force behind many projects. From the restoration of Coldwater Spring to the transformation of a decommissioned lock into the St. Anthony Falls Visitor Center, and with the salvaging of the Upper Post at Fort Snelling on the horizon, John’s leadership has guided this unique National Park Service unit to great accomplishments.
John retired in December, 2020, but the Superintendent John O. Anfinson Fund for the River Learning Center will further his vision of centering the Mississippi River as a community gathering space as well as an international tourist destination. This legacy fund will support the next phase of design to create a new National Park Service headquarters and River Learning Center on the Mississippi River in Saint Paul.
Donor Spotlight
Photo credit: National Park Service
“As a life-long educator, primarily with the Bureau of Indian Education, a new River Learning Center on the Mississippi River is a great investment in experiential education that connects the Twin Cities community with the environment. The opportunity to have a National Park Service headquarters right on the river visibly connects this cherished natural resource with the rest of the national park system.”
FINANCIALS
*Some funds that were raised in 2019 were used for 2020 program expenses.
Board Members
2019-present
Barry Clegg, Board Chair
John Cowles, III
John B. Driscoll
James Eastman
Peter Ebnet, Office of Mayor Frey
Mike Hahm, Office of Mayor Carter
Dianne Hickok, Board Treasurer
Sam Holsen
Sonia James
Cathy Jordan
Leslie Kinsman, Vice Chair
Chris Mortenson
Scott Parkin
Kristin Rasmussen, Board Secretary
Don Shelby
Mark Sullivan
Amanda Wigen
Staff Members
Mike Curran, GreenCorps Member
Lisa Ferguson, Accounting Services
Tamara Few, Volunteer Outreach Specialist
Mary Hammes, Environmental Stewardship and Volunteer Manager
Becca Hanson, Community ForestryCorps Member
David Kappelhoff, Education Coordinator
Andrew Marotz, Volunteer Coordinator
Katie Nyberg, Executive Director
Kristy Ornelas, AmeriCorps VISTA Member
Callie Sacarelos, Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Anna Waugh, Development and Communications Manager
Mississippi River Crew
Jack Reddan
Kory VerHaagh
Alex Wege
Michala Zien
Christian Cancino
Amelia Neilson
Abigail Novak
Olivia Paulsen
July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020
Thank you, Contributors
Contributions of $10,000-$24,999
Bill and Judy Walter
Contributions of $5,000-$9,999
Cochineal Charitable Trust
Jay and Page Cowles Giving Fund
Krahl-Thacker Family Fund
Eric Michael and Josh Hillger
Kristin Rasmussen
Saint Paul Cultural Star
W. Second Growth Foundation
Contributions of $1,000-$4,999
Anonymous
Boston Scientific
Laurel Bruno
Barry Clegg and Roberta Swanson
John and Kirsten Driscoll
William Driscoll and Lisa Hoffman
James and Karen Frisell Family Foundation
Sandy Fuller
Susan and Bert Gross
Dianne and Cline Hickok
Ed & Libby Hlavka
Anne Hunt
Sonja Jenko
Karen and Eric Kaler
Cynthia Kriha and James Eastman
Lathrop GPM
Merchology*
Chris Mortenson and Nathalie Salas Gonzalez
National Parks Conservation Association
Okabena Investment Services, Inc
One Tree Planted
Open Door Foundation
Padelford Riverboats*
Plantra*
Prospect Park Co-Op Legacy Fund
REI
Marcia and Gary Richter
John Shepard and Suzanne Brust
Jim Stensvold and Sarah Kline-Stensvold
Surly Gives a Damn
Target Circle Guest-Directed Giving Program
Tennant Company
David Winton Bell Foundation
Nathan Zietlow and Sarah Risser in memory of Henry Zietlow
*Gifts In Kind
Contributions of $500-$999
Tim Carl and Jean Garbarini
Dan and Ariel Dressler
Michael Dorn
Christine Hammes and Charles Ravine in honor of the trees!
Have a Smile Family Fund at Schwab Charitable
Catherine Jordan
Leslie Kinsman
Mildred McLean and Daniel Waugh
S. McLean Charitable Fund
Messerli Kramer
Katie and Jeff Nyberg
Mark and Julie Sullivan
Lee Vue
Alan and Lynn Wyman
Contributions of $250-$499
John Anfinson
Anonymous
Dorit Ansari in honor of Naseem Ansari
David Brown
Robert Bruininks and Susan Hagstrum
Jake Cassidy
Jeannette Cleland and Timothy Schumann
Chad and Maggie Dayton
Michael Dorn
Tru Dunham in memory of Miriam R. Dunham
Nancy Feldman
JoAnn Funk and Steven Marking
Wilma Gitchel
Brian Goodspeed
Mary and Peter Gove in honor of John Anfinson
Dan Hathaway
Justin Kutzer
Sabrina Lau
Al and Kathy Lenzmeier
Jonathan Moore and Thad Radel
Susan Munson-Regala in memory of Henry Zietlow
Joan and Richard Newmark
Pat Nunnally
Scott and Sarah Nyberg
Scott Parkin
Thomas Rasmussen
Callie Sacarelos
David Schmidt and Sara Klasky
Guff Van Vooren and Vicki
Anna Waugh and Cyrus Butler
Marilyn Wells and Doug Throckmorton
Larry Wood
Contributions of $100-$249
Christine Allmann and Gill Creel
Denny and Cindy Appleman
Marcia Ballinger
Grace Barlow
Debbie Bieleck
Thelma Boeder
Suzy Boyum
Margaret Bracken
Ralph Broad
Esther Brokaw in honor of Sara Brokaw
Corey Butler
Christa Byler in honor of Clair Byler
Jessica Cameron
Deborah Carlson
Courtney Chapman
Kate Clover
Joan Cochran
Barbara Coffin
Arielle Courtney
Dana and Doug Cousins
Jay Cowles and Page Knudsen
Tricia Davidson
Eric DeClouet
Susan Deetz
Lauren DeGennaro
Mary Delaittre
Nancy Duncan
Sally Dunn
Thomas Evers
Susan Flynn
Meg Forney
Catherine Furnberg
Alicia Garcia
Amanda George
Ellen Grace
Mike Hahm and Amy Brendmoen
Heidi Hanson
Beth Hvass
Carol HejlStone
Ann Helm
Mary Hilfiker
Amanda Hilligoss
Sam Holsen
Tom Holtzleiter and Karla McKenzie
Christina Hausman-Rhode
Dianne and Cline Hickok in memory of Jan Sander
Madeline Hudek
Anne Hunt
Stan and Mary Hunter
Sandra Jacobs
Mary James
Holly Jett
Brad Johnson
Abbey Johnson
Steve and Debbie Johnson
Nick Karasch
Jennifer Kedward
Mark Kinney
Vonny and Justin Kleinman
JoAnn Kyral and Joseph Meyers
Sue and Paul Labovitz
Greg Lais and Patty Thurber
Lee Larson
Barb Lehn and Milla Dufresne
Christianne Lind
Tawnya Lovejoy
Margaret Lynch
Paul Markwardt
Lawrence Martin
Jodi and Patrick Massey
Jessica Masterman
Sally McLean
Medtronic
Kristen Mertens
The Michlitsch Family
Jessica Miller
Mark Miller
Amy Mino
Kristin Morris
Diana and John Munger
Kelsey Murphy
Chuck Nelson and Jean Urman
Elizabeth Neuvar
Rebecca and Chris Newhouse
Heidi Nordine
Beth Northcutt
Kyle Oglesby
Jamie Perez
Judith and Pierre Regnier
Carissa Scanlan
Wade Schmelzer
Jack and Patti Shomion
Steve Simon
Brent Skaja
Russ Stark and Katherine Murray
Diane Steen-Hinderlie and John Olson
Laurel Stiebler
Kathy Swenson and Daniel Burbank
Paula and Lucas Swingley
Leslie Taylor in honor of Becky Shields and Samuel Shannon
Helen Thomas
Lauren Thunstrom
Leo Timmons and Kate Havelin
Lyndon Torstenson
Sarah Tvedten
Justin Tweet
Jennifer Valorose
Linda and John Van Arsdale
Sarah Vang
Pirkko Vanska
Linda Verbeck
Helen Marie Wagner
Dawn Warneke
John Waugh and Kathleen Lively
Jill Weese and Steven Vincent
Lark Weller
Denise Young
John Zakelj and Bonnie Watkins
Rebecca Zietlow
Margaret Zverinova
Contributions Up to $99
Aggregate Industries
Michael and Rebecca Amidon
Katherine Andersen in memory of Rita Rocheford
Kristin Anderson
Anonymous
Kathy Austin
Amy and Mitch Bakken
William and Michelle Barton
Malcolm and Mary Ann Bastron
Sandra Batz
Caleb Baumgartner
Nathan Berkas
Fred Bertschinger
Andy Birkey
June Boie
Barbara Brockley in honor of Tom and Sally Burke
Gail Buhl and Brad Johnson
Jeanne Caturia
Hans Cederblad
Daniel Clarkin
Ben and Kathy Cohen
Patty Cook
Stewart Corn Giving Fund
Eric Crouch
Claire Curtis
Laurel Cutright
Boy de Felice
Steve Dietz
Dan Dressler in memory of Bob Sirr
Sheril Doughman
Molly Driscoll
Peter Ebnet
Auste Eigirdas
Deborah Fellows
Tamara Few
Ameriprise Financial
Tanya Finden
Sarah Ford
Andrew Fuchs
Lilly Gasterland-Gustafsson
Jennifer Gates
Jacqueline Gaustad
Greg Genz
Lori Giebel
David Gustafson
M Hakima
Mark Halverson
Mary Hammes
Larry Hampel and Mary Kopet
Maya Hanna in memory of Henry Zietlow
Mary Harrington and Jesse Okie
Hart Family
John Heimbuch
Joshua Hemmesch
Anna Heyek
Teri Heyer
Gary and Janet Hohenstein
Karen Holle
Susan Horn
Kimberlee Janssen
Kelsey Jennings
Alora K. Jones
Meagan Keefe
Lisa Keitel
Jane Kilgriff
Alan Koslow
Lisa Krafthefer
Carrie Kruger
Tiffany Lam
Elizabeth Lamae
Pat Larson
Vernese Lathrop
Rubin Latz
Lisa Ledin
Andrew Leider
Izaskun Lejarcegui
Steve and Lynn Lewis
Deborah Lewis
Jim Louis
Jay Lyons
Mark MacLennan
Patty and Michael Maher
Joelyn Malone
Donald and Abby Marier
Andrew Marotz
Alexis McCarthy
Lauren McCaughtry
Joe McCullough
Caitlin McGowan
Michelle McManus
Lauren Melcher
Bob Milligan
Thomas Minor
Tammy Mohn
Victor and Molly Morgan
Brendan Moriarty
Caryl Mousseaux
Sarah and Jake Nassif
Tamara Nauman
Shannon Negaard-Paper
Zach and Jessica Nelson
Shelley Nelson
Marni and David Oberpriller
Sharon Olson
Ron and Jane Petrich
Gabrielle Pillmann
Anaid Plascencia
Kay Pollard
Jacalyn Prentice
Kelly Ptacek
Mary Radtke and Emma Schaper
Bridget Rau
Suzanne Rhees
Cheri Rice
Ann Richards
Larry and Edis Risser
Alan Robbins-Fenger
Beverly Robertson
Carolyn Rock
Susan Russell Freeman
Steve Rustand
Darryl and Diane Sannes
Nichole Saunders
Dwaine Schense
Michele Schermann
Rebekah Schmidt
Maureen Schnabolk in memory of Lainey Chandler’s Brother
Ellen Schnobrich
Thomas Schommer
Boo Segersin
Kathleen Shelley
Kristine Sieger
Aaron Sime
Lynn Slobodien in memory of the amazing Henry Zietlow
Mark Snyder
Trista Soave
Peter and Caron Stebinger
Andrew Stephenson
Rory Stierler
Chuck Stupca
Mikaela Swanlund
Amy Tebbe
Katie Tholkes
Nick Thouin
Christine Tooley
Joanne Trygestad
Joseph and Katharine Tweedy
Nicole Ubbelohde
Ron Uglow
Richard and Gloria Wachtler
Stacy Walts
Natalie Wass
Deb Weiss
Anna Werner
Catherine A Wick
Liz Wielinski
Jane Wobken
Kristin Wyeth
Funding also provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources. Currently 40% of net Minnesota State Lottery proceeds are dedicated to growing the Trust Fund and ensuring future benefits for Minnesota’s environment and natural resources.
