We are a nonprofit community-based organization that exists to help communities restore, manage, and learn about their natural environment through volunteer involvement. Mississippi River valley business before and after volunteer restoration efforts. The need for Great River Greening Urban river valleys are the natural areas most accessible to Twin Citians. Yet these lands are degraded by erosion, trash, and the invasion of exotic plant species such as Buckthorn and Honeysuckle, which reduce ecological diversity and blocks river views. Songbird habitat has dwindled away.
Erosion threatens riverbanks.
But Twin Cities residents have an opportunity to make their river communities better for living, for business, and for wildlife. Currently several programs, exist to improve and manage river ecosystems, but this work is piecemeal and uncoordinated. It also lacks community involvement that can ensure sustained stewardship. Great River Greening is able to support existing efforts and spearhead new initiatives by using sopisticated geographical mapping and restoration ecologists to analyze and inventory urban natural areas. With this information, management plans can be developed which are most appropriate whether it is private land, a public park or a roadside.