It is the end of 2024, and our Volunteer-is-Parks program for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area had another great year! Volunteers supported field trips, restored and enhanced the natural areas around the corridor, assisted with and led fun programming events, and so much more. This fiscal year (October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024) we had 1,494 volunteers contribute 17,503 service hours to the Volunteers-in-Parks Program.
Read MoreAfter ten weeks of the Mississippi River Fellows gaining experience working with the National Park Service, Mississippi Park Connection, and our partners, it is time to say goodbye to our amazing Fellows! They had a summer full of learning, growth, and river adventures, and we cannot wait to see where their paths take them after their time with us.
Read MoreForests are the lungs of our planet, providing oxygen, sequestering carbon, and supporting countless species. Yet, many of our forest ecosystems are under threat from invasive species, climate change, and human activity. The Mississippi River Crew, a partnership between Mississippi Park Connection (MPC) and Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI), is stepping up to meet these challenges head-on. Through their work in forest restoration, these young conservationists are not only healing the land but also fostering a deeper connection with nature and a brighter future for all.
Read MoreEvery summer the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area’s education team partners with the YMCA of the North to help offer outdoor educational and enrichment activities as part of two day camp programs. These programs are the Junior Ranger Day Camp as part of the Camp Streefland experience, and the Adventure in the Neighborhood Day Camp.
Read MoreSAINT PAUL, Minn. – The City of Saint Paul, along with the Great River Passage Conservancy, Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park Service, today announced they have selected architecture firm VJAA and landscape architects at TEN x TEN to lead a team to advance the new Mississippi River Learning Center. Their work on the next phase of this project includes completing design and construction documents, building on the schematic design and furthering the programming and engagement progress completed on the project to date.
Read MoreNestled between the neighborhoods of Beaver Lake Heights and Lincoln Park in east St. Paul is the vibrant school community of Nokomis Montessori-North Campus, where Katy Paquette has become a leader of innovative teaching and holistic environmental learning.
Read MoreThe Mississippi River Fellowship is a 10-week paid opportunity for diverse and underrepresented young adults ages 18-25 to explore the different branches of the National Park Service. Meet our 2024 fellows: Riya and TJ.
Read MoreOn May 10th, 2024, Mississippi Park Connection and National Park Service staff worked together to install 525 trees into the Science Museum gravel bed.
Read MoreDelaney Farwell, Mississippi Park Connection's Community Forestry Coordinator, explores how humans, rivers, and ecosystems intertwine. She emphasizes floods and droughts' impact on floodplain forests, especially cottonwood trees, stressing the need to understand disturbance patterns amidst climate change. Farwell concludes by urging a holistic mindset, akin to "thinking like a river," to protect these landscapes for generations to come.
Read MoreMeet Ranger Jade, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area’s Historian. Jade works with Tribal Nations and helps tell the underrepresented stories associated with the park. Read on to learn more about Ranger Jade and what she’s excited for at the park!
Read MoreAs spring emerges, so do the unique strategies of animals in the Mississippi River corridor, from the deep hibernation of little brown bats to the remarkable migrations of monarch butterflies and birds, all while climate change threatens their delicate balance, urging us to consider their resilience amidst the beauty of the season.
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