At Great River Greening, our corporate partnerships provide essential support that helps us expand our programs, reach more people and achieve our goals more effectively. We are particularly grateful for Stoel Rives, one of our key corporate partners.

This month, we are thrilled to shine the spotlight on Carmen Gavin Vanegas, an exceptional Great River Greening volunteer and dedicated educator with the All Nations Program - whose work exemplifies the powerful intersection of education, cultural heritage, and environmental stewardship.

At the confluence of Pillager Creek and the Crow Wing River in Central Minnesota sits a site rich in history and brimming with ecological potential. This site, known as Pillager Point, has been used for many activities, including fishing, hiking, ATV recreation, and at one point, even a trash dump. In 2021, the City of Pillager asked Great River Greening to restore this city-owned parcel known as Pillager Point and help recognize its cultural and historical significance.

Here at Great River Greening, we build strong, community-based partnerships, from our staff and Board of Directors to volunteer groups, donors, municipalities, vendors, schools, and the State of Minnesota. Minnesota’s land and water are shared natural systems, and we rely on the support of individuals and groups to protect them.

Today we’re shining the spotlight on several of our corporate partners whose support, through funding and/or in-kind contributions, truly makes them leaders in environmental stewardship.

Spring is the perfect time to add native plants to your own yard. Adding native plants is a great way to add back biodiversity, improve soil health, use less water, and create beautiful habitats for pollinators, birds, and us! There’s an estimated 50 million acres of cultivated turf in the U.S., which ahs reacted a lack of habitat and biodiversity in our communities. But it’s easy to simply add a few native plants such as wildflowers and grasses, native flower shrubs or trees, or even a pollinator garden to have a big impat on the health of Minnesota’s outdoors.

Today we’re shining the spotlight on our partner Frogtown Green, a small but mighty neighborhood group focused on nurturing green space in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul. Powered by enthusiastic volunteers, the organization manages community gardens, gives away trees, plants and maintains pollinator habitat, and sponsors events showcasing environmental stewardship. Thank you, Frogtown Green, for being a trusted partner of Great River Greening!

Today we’re shining the spotlight on Wiley Buck—Senior Program Manager for Central Minnesota—who recently celebrated his 20-year work anniversary with Greening.

Why is our Executive Director, Kateri Routh, showing you a photo of muddy paw prints on her kitchen floor? Read on to find out why. Plus, see what alarming trends and possible silver linings our conservation staff is noticing in relation to this unprecedently mild winter and what it means for our ongoing restoration work.

In 2023, Great River Greening’s team of ecologists and naturalists worked on a record-breaking 200 restoration sites, creating more climate-resilient habitats, restoring more prairies and grasslands, and transforming more forests and wetlands than ever before. But we didn’t do this alone. We can’t thank our volunteers, donors, and supporters enough for the enthusiastic commitment to this essential work. Please join us in celebrating these highlights:

Today we're shining the spotlight on our partnership with Richard Fowler, who has been supporting Great River Greening for a milestone 20 years. His commitment to land restoration in Minnesota springs from a reverence for clean water. For Richard Fowler, Minnesota's land and waters are priceless gifts worth taking bold action to preserve—and he's no stranger to taking bold action. Read on for an exclusive interview discussing Richard's lifelong passion for environmental protection and his abiding interest in GRG's community-focused, collaborative approach to caring for our shared land and water.