Mississippi River Partnership

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Communities across the country are realizing the great benefits of the natural resources surrounding them. In Central Minnesota, this is especially true as it relates to the Mississippi River.

The Central Minnesota Community Foundation is one of 19 community foundations that have joined the River Partnership of Community Foundations, a multi-year effort to improve the environmental health and economic vitality of rivers and communities in the 10-state Mississippi River region.

The River Partnership meets twice each year, and in June 2007, 35 community foundation leaders came to Central Minnesota for three days to tour the communities of St. Cloud, Little Falls and Brainerd and to participate in educational programs.
 

"By regularly meeting together, we are able to share expertise and ideas about what's working in communities located along the Mississippi and its tributaries," said Susan Lorenz, program officer for CMCF. "It's a great opportunity to be involved in this initiative early in the process. We'll certainly be able to accomplish things faster and better than we could on our own."

CMCF received a $5,000 grant from the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities to support a series of events to educate the community about the Mississippi River and the opportunities it presents. The series kicked off in the summer of 2008 with an event to learn how the city of Dubuque, Iowa, leveraged its place on the river to revive its once failing economy and create more than 4,500 jobs in the last five years.  Lorenz cited Dubuque as a great example of a river town that has redefined itself. "Ten years ago, it was an old, dying community. Now they have a waterfront hotel, a riverboat casino, a downtown conducive to walkers and walking trails along the river."

The next meeting explored the unique natural wonders right here along our stretch of the Mississippi, while the third meeting highlighted an inventory of nearly 3/4 billion dollars in recent or planned investment already happening near the river locally. The series wrapped up on October 25, 2008 with a community visioning session on making St. Cloud a more vibrant river city.
 

Recently, the cities of St. Cloud, Sartell and Sauk Rapids annouced that they will work together on a comprehensive river corridor plan starting in May of 2010.  This is the first time these cities have focused planning specifically on the Mississippi River, and it represents a very significant opportunity to bring all the groups working on our river together around a single vision.  CMCF has directed $10,000 from a second grant from the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities to support this planning project.

"Now," Lorenz says, "the Mississippi River is drawing attention from several interested groups of leaders and citizens. We are looking at a long term project to utilize the River using an asset-based approach."