Earth Day 2016: Mississippi River Gorge Clean-up

Photos and article by MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN

Photo left: Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) recently screened their film “Rebirth: The Mississippi’s National Park” at the Guthrie and Riverview theaters and on Twin Cities Public Television. The film tells the story of Tom Kelley and his quest to designate a 72-mile stretch of the river from Dayton to Hastings as a national park. The story begins in the 1970’s when Kelley first fell in love with the river from the deck of his houseboat. He understood that somehow the decades of neglect had to be reversed. The Mississippi National River and Recreational Area was established in 1988. 

Photo right: “People are very enthusiastic about this clean-up event,” said Alex Roth, said Alex Roth, FMR ecologist. “Our posted start time is always 9:30 and again this year, we had people start lining up an hour ahead of that. It’s a great way to protect the river, to beautify the neighborhood and build community spirit. We had more than 400 participants this year, who collected upwards of 200 bags of trash.” 

Photo left: FMR partnered with Minneapolis Parks and Recreation again this year to sponsor an annual River Gorge Clean-up. The two designated sites were at the Prairie Oak Savannah (36th St. and W. River Pkwy.) and the Maple-Basswood Forest (44th St. and W. River Pkwy.). 

Friends of the Mississippi’s executive director Whitney Clark said, “The designation of the park was a tipping point for the health and vitality of the Mississippi as it runs through the Twin Cities. From that moment on, public decisions about the river have leaned toward improving public access and ecological health. Our water quality has improved, bald eagles are now prospering, fish are more abundant, parks and trail systems are expanding, riverside development is part of the economic engine that’s driving community revitalization. A river running through a major metropolitan area can either be a dumping ground for waste or the key to its vitality. In the case of the Mississippi, it’s been both.”

Go to www.tpt.org/rebirth-the-mississippis-national-park to view “Rebirth: The Mississippi’s National Park” online. Contact Friends of the Mississippi communications manager Sue Rich at srich@fmr.org to request a copy of the DVD for community screenings.