2024 Annual Report

Dear friends of the river,

It’s a privilege to preface this summary of all we accomplished together in 2024. Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) helped advance two critical projects noted in this year’s report: one to  slow the spread of invasive carp  up the Mississippi River and another to  reduce the volume of sediment and farm fertilizer  degrading the river’s water quality and habitat.

Invasive species, unhealthy land practices, insensitive development projects, species struggling against extinction, climate change and more make working to preserve and restore our great river ever more important.

Greater inclusivity is one key to this work.  Supporting youth  — the future of any organization — is another. Over the past several years, FMR has heavily invested in both. Read on to see what I mean. Building deep foundations also requires investing in the organization’s financial strength. Through the Our River Campaign, FMR will carry forward the momentum highlighted in this report. We’ve raised more than 80% of our $5 million goal, and with your help, we can reach 100% in 2025.

All of FMR’s accomplishments and our hope to continue advancing them depend upon our advocates, volunteers and donors. You take us from a staff of a couple dozen to thousands, and that is how we make the most difference.

With gratitude, Dr. John Anfinson 2024 Chair of FMR’s Board of Directors

Our Land Conservation team restores land all across the metro region. Vitally important for wildlife, these restorations also improve water quality and climate resilience. In 2024, FMR worked on 39 restoration projects. Through cutting-edge ecological research and monitoring, we're learning how to do this work even better. Before we begin, we undertake an extensive process to understand a place, envision its future and write a detailed playbook for how to get there. In 2024 we wrote five of these intensive management plans. One of those was an  ecological plan for the Mississippi River Greenway , a 26-mile trail that follows the Mississippi from the southern edge of South Saint Paul to Hastings in Dakota County. Already, the Mississippi River provides important connectivity for wildlife migration. This greenway will expand the ribbon of parks, woodlands, prairies and wetlands that the trail connects, and enhance the miles that people can roll, walk and bike while feeling connected to nature.

Our long history of stewarding the Mississippi's watershed gave us good insights into how to improve habitat along the trail. Even small riverside parks are brimming with opportunities to create additional habitat and make these corridors more robust.

FMR stands out as a planning partner because their thoroughness and level of detail is excellent, they are easy to work with and responsive to requests, and their professionalism and quality of workmanship has always been top-notch. Their natural resource management plans develop comprehensive and strategic approaches to provide community assets, control invasive species, connect natural area nodes, and improve habitat for pollinators and other wildlife along public lands in urban, suburban and rural trail corridors. Our work together helps to reverse a trend in natural resource degradation at many of these sites.

Our team held more than 100 volunteer habitat restoration volunteer events, community science opportunities, educational workshops and classroom lessons on land in 2024. We also held more events on the water than ever before. From a canoe, you can see even more clearly the river's many ways of giving to the world. We know from experience how paddling the river can foster a deeper love and understanding of this important place, creating the basis for dedicated, lifelong stewardship and activism. That is our Stewardship & Education team's vision.

Not everyone has access to a canoe or the resources and know-how to safely paddle the river. Our programming strives to create opportunities for those who haven't had these kinds of experiences before. In 2024, canoe trips framed each week of our  Environmental Stewardship Institute summer youth program . We doubled the number of hours fellows spent together and planned outdoor experiences so our 25 fellows could connect with the river. Over the summer, youth fellows paddled the Mississippi River Gorge with U of M researchers near our locks and dams, discussing the pros and cons of removal. They canoed with Wakáŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi staff near Bdote, listening to understand more about Indigenous relationships with the river. They visited North Minneapolis with environmental justice advocates, learning about inequities and harms along the riverfront.

I enjoyed paddling because not only was I able to spend time in and reconnect with nature, but I had the chance to hear from Travis Bush about his experience with the Mississippi as an Indigenous man. It gave me a different perspective on the river and made me want to care for our waters and environment even more.

At our first on-water cleanup in many years, volunteers in a fleet of kayaks and canoes paddled the metro Mississippi, collecting trash from the river. On the river together, we were able to reach litter and pollutants that we couldn't reach from land. But our boat brigade had other impacts too.

As dozens of volunteers pulled up on the Hidden Falls riverbank to unload, park visitors took notice. Volunteer Bea Schneider shared that one young onlooker repeatedly exclaimed, "That was in the river?"

If one person on the shore becomes more aware of the need to be mindful of our gift of the Mississippi and its fragility, it was an even bigger win than removing the trash.

FMR and our Stop Carp Coalition partners were thrilled to  celebrate a big win in 2024 : The Minnesota Legislature approved $12 million for an invasive carp deterrent in the Mississippi River. We've long advocated for this proactive measure at Lock and Dam 5 just upstream of Winona, the last stop for invasive carp before they reach the Twin Cities metro.

For decades invasive carp have been working their way up the Mississippi River. These carp can outcompete other fish for food and space, introducing threats to ecosystem diversity, water quality and recreational opportunities. And recent record-setting catches of these fish in Minnesota show that our state needs to act with urgency. We rose to the challenge. In addition to leading the Stop Carp Coalition, we met with lawmakers at the state and national level in 2024 to make our case. We organized three community meetings with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Nearly 250 people attended with important questions and real concerns. And more than 1,000 River Guardians urged their legislators to take action.

Working together, we were able to secure this major investment in stopping invasive carp. This is how FMR approaches projects that can impact the river and our communities, from advocating with neighbors for a cleaner future at  toxic riverfront site Ford Area C  to engaging with Dakota tribes in collaboration with Owámniyomni Okhódayapi around  the future of metro locks and dams . We accomplish greater things together.

Over the past two years, the Minnesota Legislature has provided essential new funding for invasive carp prevention and research — a direct result of Friends of the Mississippi River’s leadership and advocacy. I am proud of what we've accomplished together, and I look forward to continued partnership as we build a Minnesota with clean water and a healthy environment for generations to come.

At the state Capitol and through multi-sector partnerships, FMR advances policies and programs that can solve complex problems for water quality, our environment and our communities.

One example just took off. In the fall of 2024, the  first commercial plane to use jet fuel made from winter oilseeds  flew from MSP Airport to LaGuardia in New York. The trip was powered in part by sustainable aviation fuel made using Minnesota-grown winter camelina — a clean-water crop that can survive our harsh winters while in the ground and, as a result, boost both water quality and soil health. This was a watershed moment for a lower-carbon aviation future and for clean-water crops. Sustainable aviation fuel made from winter oilseeds could help us achieve the most river-friendly agricultural landscape we've seen in quite some time. There’s no path to a healthy Mississippi River without a significant reduction in agricultural pollution. That's why FMR has advocated for the development of clean-water crops like winter oilseeds and markets to sustain them for years.

In 2024, we worked with aviation fuel industry leaders and policymakers to invest in lower-carbon, river-friendly winter oilseeds; in the fall, farmers planned to plant 10 times as many oilseeds as the prior year. To make sure the transition to sustainable aviation fuel happens with people and the planet at the forefront, we also teamed up with other environmental organizations to establish  environmental and equity principles for sustainable aviation fuels .

Our advocacy work on invasive carp, Ford Area C, the future of locks and dams, clean-water crops, sustainable aviation fuel and more would not be possible without community support.

In November, we celebrated a big win on an issue our advocates have supported for years:  voter rededication of state lottery money  to the Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund. More than 77% of Minnesota voters actively voted yes on the ballot initiative. Every county — rural and urban, red and blue — all across the state approved this dedicated investment. That show of public support is a testament to what can carry us forward into our shared future. Importantly, the vote was only possible thanks to environmental advocates like our River Guardians in 2023. Together, our coalition of community advocates and organizations pushed for lottery rededication to be included on the ballot in the 2024 general election, along with improvements to make the fund more equitably accessible.

Being a River Guardian enables me to engage with decision-makers on a variety of river and water issues that I care about. I appreciate how convenient it is to participate.

Our accomplishments rely on a community of supporters that actively embraces a river ethic. These supporters choose to give time, talents and resources to ensure the health of the river that connects us to each other and to this home.

You are that community. Thank you for partnering with us to steward the Mississippi River for generations to come.

You can see our full supporter report honoring our 92 Super River Guardians and 106 SuperVolunteers in 2024, as well as our 2,838 generous donors who gave between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.

If you haven't given recently, please consider making a donation for 2025:

We launched the Our River Campaign to address the most urgent threats to the Mississippi River and the life it supports. Our vision is a transformed and thriving Mississippi River with clean and healthy waters, a vibrant watershed resilient to climate change, and diverse, engaged communities caring for its future.

The impact of the Our River Campaign will be transformational and enduring in Minnesota and for all downstream communities along the 2,350-mile river.

It all starts here.

So far, thanks to generous donors, we've raised more than $4 million toward our $5 million goal. We aim to raise the last $1 million in 2025. Will you help make our vision a reality?

*The above data is from the unrestricted income for the 12-month period July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.