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NEWSLETTER / JANUARY 2026
The recent killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti have caused profound harm to their families, loved ones, and communities across Minneapolis. We hold deep concern for the fear, grief, and trauma these events have brought into our city and watershed.
We stand with our neighbors and with local leaders across our watershed, including the City of Minneapolis, in affirming that everyone deserves to be safe where they live, work, and gather. Violence and fear have no place in our community. These recent acts of violence have put our neighbors at risk and have caused lasting harm.
We recognize that this is not a moment for our voice to lead. We offer this statement in solidarity, while making space for those most affected and for the voices of families, community members, and leaders who must be heard.
The Mississippi River and its watershed connect all of us to each other, to place, and to shared responsibility. Care for this land and water has always been inseparable from care for the people who live here. In this moment, we stand with our neighbors in grief, in organizing, and in care for one another and for the community we share.
 Winter Salt Week reminds us of an important truth: salt doesn’t disappear when the snow melts. It moves into our storm drains, rivers, and groundwater, and once chloride is there, it stays.
Just one teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute five gallons of freshwater. Multiply that by a Minnesota winter, and you start to see the problem.
This week, communities across the U.S. and Canada came together to talk about what actually works: shoveling early, using salt only when it’s effective, switching to smarter application methods, and rethinking winter maintenance so safety doesn’t come at the expense of our water. The takeaway was clear: we don’t need more salt; we need better timing, better tools, and better habits.
And Winter Salt Week isn’t the end of the conversation; it’s the starting point.
If you’re local, we’d love to keep it going in person. Join us tomorrow, January 31, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m., for Salts & Sweets at MWMO — a hands-on, come-as-you-are event with our salting exhibit, conversations with staff, and a few Salt Smart goodies available while supplies last.
Protecting our water doesn’t mean choosing between safety and stewardship. It means remembering that the river is part of our community; and winter care is river care.
 One hundred years ago, the Mississippi River was in real trouble.
In 1926, a water quality study examined 42 miles of the Mississippi River between the Twin Cities and Red Wing. Over the course of that year, researchers caught only three living fish. Not three species. Three fish. The river was so polluted it was, for all practical purposes, biologically dead.
That moment sparked a century of collective action. Today, the Mississippi River is alive again because scientists, residents, advocates, and communities came together to clean up, revitalize, and protect it.
Now, in 2026, Sacred Water Shared Future carries that legacy forward.
This year-long, region-wide campaign celebrates a century of progress while inviting us to imagine the next 100 years of care for the Mississippi River. Through art, storytelling, education, and community-led events, Sacred Water Shared Future is a growing movement powered by people and organizations across the Twin Cities. Throughout 2026, partners are hosting river-centered events. From restoration projects and educational workshops to art-making, storytelling, paddling events, and festivals, each one is a different way of asking the same question: How will we care for this river together?
Sacred Water Shared Future isn’t just about looking back at what was lost; or even what was restored. It’s about shared responsibility, imagination, and action. Because the future of the Mississippi River isn’t just history; It’s something we’re shaping together.
Visit the Sacred Water Shared Future website to find an event, share your river story, or learn how to get involved, and help shape the next 100 years.
Salts and Sweets
 📅 Saturday, January 31, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍 MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center
Winter maintenance keeps our communities moving, but how we use salt matters more than most of us realize. Salts & Sweets is a casual, drop-in event where you can explore how winter salt affects water quality and learn simple, effective ways to use less of it while keeping people safe.
Stop by to check out our salting exhibit, chat with MWMO staff, and pick up practical tips you can actually use at home or share with your community. There will also be limited Salt Smart mugs and traction grit available while supplies last. Whether you stay for five minutes or an hour, you’ll leave knowing a little more (and maybe a little less salty).
Still Moving is a photography-based exhibition on view February 10 through the end of May at the MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center. The exhibition explores the connection between mental health, water, and seasonal cycles through imagery rooted in the natural world. Drawing parallels between the Mississippi River and the inner workings of the human mind, the exhibition invites viewers to rethink stillness, not as stopping, but as a necessary phase of movement.
Using frozen botanicals, macro photography, double exposures, and seasonal compositions, the work reflects how water (and people) continue to shift even when change isn’t immediately visible. It’s an invitation to slow down, notice what’s happening beneath the surface, and find steadiness during the winter months.
📅 Exhibit Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (Just ring the doorbell!) 📍 Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
Two free sound bath experiences will be offered in connection with the exhibition on March 14 and April 11. Registration details coming soon.
 Do you know a Minneapolis youth who would thrive in a paid summer job working outdoors, gaining hands-on experience in environmental conservation? The Mississippi River Green Team is now accepting applications for Summer 2026!
This programs provides valuable job training in habitat restoration, water pollution prevention, and green stormwater infrastructure, helping to build the next generation of environmental leaders.
Mississippi River Green Team is a two-year summer employment program for youth Ages 14–16 that introduces youth to conservation work, including invasive species removal, rain garden construction, tree planting, and more.
Summer positions are 28 hours per week (mid-June – late August), with monthly workdays during the school year.
Spots are limited, and applications are open until filled — encourage a young person in your life to apply today!
Questions? Contact Mary Yang at myang@mwmo.org or 612-746-4975
Also hiring: The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is currently seeking Mississippi River Green Team Site Supervisors for Summer 2026. Supervisors mentor and work alongside youth crews on conservation projects across Minneapolis parklands and waterways. This is a full-time seasonal position (June 15–August 21, 2026) paying $25/hour.
Apply Here by March 15, 2026.
Photo of the Month
 Photo Courtesy of the Metropolitan Council
This cozy shanty on Lake Harriet helped kick off Sacred Water Shared Future, inviting people to think about the Mississippi River, its history, and its future. Turns out big ideas fit surprisingly well inside small, quirky spaces. There’s still time to visit! Come see it for yourself before the festival closes February 8.
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