Reflections on the Mississippi River 2024

 

The Mississippi River Fellowship is a 10-week, paid summer internship for diverse and underrepresented young adults ages 18-25 to explore the different branches of the National Park Service including Visitor Services, Interpretation, Education, Natural & Cultural Resource Management, and the Volunteer Program.

Fellows work directly with National Park Service Rangers, Mississippi Park Connection staff, and other park partners to facilitate educational programs, habitat restoration events, and wildlife monitoring on the Mississippi River. This year TJ and Riya supported park programs and wrote reflections about their experiences at the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

This program is sponsored by Wells Fargo and generous Mississippi Park Connection members who are dedicated to creating pathways to careers in national parks.

Riya

The fellowship with Mississippi Park Connection was an incredible experience that allowed me to explore my interests and explore the unique National Park around me. Throughout my time, we explored many branches of the National Park Service: Interpretation, Education, Cultural Resources, Natural Resources, and Planning. I have always loved the Mississippi River, but this fellowship gave me access to a plethora of opportunities in the river ecosystems and community. I am so grateful to have had this role! 

My time at Mississippi Park Connection gave me multitudinous new outdoor opportunities. We explored water quality science with Mississippi Watershed Management, partnered with Wilderness Inquiry to get trained on canoes and kayaks, participated in habitat restorations to remove invasive species, and hosted youth groups in local parks. Prior to this experience I didn’t have access to all of these resources, and I was able to expand my network with community members, while also learning tons about the environment around me. Although I have lived in the Twin Cities my whole life, I got the chance to explore about a dozen new parks and discover wildlife on a daily basis. Working alongside park rangers contributed to my knowledge around plant identification,  

As a student just graduating high school in Saint Paul, this fellowship allowed me to explore many aspects of the environmental field, preparing me for a successful career mindset in college. I went into this program with a loose idea of what I wanted to pursue, but having a different career perspective everyday led me to funnel down more specific interests and pathways. This fall I plan to major in both environmental and ethnic studies. Working with MPC allowed me to discover the intersection between people and the environment, as well as the deep indigenous history of Minnesota's land. These are concepts I hope to continue to explore throughout my academic career!  

One of the most fulfilling aspects of the fellowship was leading a fellow led BIPOC paddle down the Mississippi River. TJ and I worked together to fully plan this event and collaborate with community members. Opportunities like this allowed me to delve deeper into understanding my own biracial identity and be a part of BIPOC spaces that I hadn’t previously experienced. This was the first time I got the chance to work with other South Asian leaders in an environment that I was passionate about. It was empowering to be involved in a STEM based field that was primarily led by women and people of color. The staff here were wonderful to work with and helped me grow as a leader. 

Overall I had a fantastic experience working with Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park Service. I feel like this fellowship has set me up for success. I am excited to continue exploring my interests in environmental justice from here! 

TJ

My time as a Mississippi River Fellow has come to a surprisingly quick end, and I am beyond grateful for the incredible experience that it has been. Although it saddens me that I won’t be able to work with such amazing people in such a great position anymore, I’m glad that I have had the privilege to be a fellow this summer. I have learned so much from my time with Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park Service about the Mississippi River and the surrounding area, its history, the people who interact with it, and myself. 

I applied to this fellowship knowing vaguely that I wanted to do some sort of environmental education, but I had no idea what opportunities to do this existed outside of a K-12 science teacher. I was exposed to what environmental education could look like with the Education and Interpretation departments of the National Park Service as well as education programs run by Mississippi Park Connection and some of our partners. This alone has given me clarity and a more specific idea of what I want to pursue in the future.

I’ve cherished the opportunity to meet, talk with, and learn from so many experts and leaders that this fellowship presented. Hearing the stories and lessons from NPS rangers, parks and recreation employees, environmental educators from Wilderness Inquiry, Dakota speakers, and event organizers has enhanced my understanding of what a career in environmental work can be. I also connected to the Mississippi and the community that surrounds it, from which I discovered bird watching and rock skipping as passions of mine and even explored my own identity along the river.

I have made connections that will be invaluable for the future, and done things I never thought I could. Organizing, advertising, and running a BIPOC paddling event wasn’t something I considered at the start of the fellowship, but with all the support I received that impossibility became reality. I now have the confidence and desire to organize similar events in the future.

I am so thankful for the wonderful experience that this fellowship has been. I will always remember my time with Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park Service for all the things I learned, the skills I practiced, and the incredible people I was surrounded by. Using everything I gained from this fellowship, I look forward to finishing my studies and pursuing the a career in environmental work.

Events and Activity Highlights From the Fellowship:

  • Organized, planned, and led a BIPOC paddle event

  • Completed trainings in First Aid/CPR  and non-motorized water safety

  • Attended a federal resume workshop with the Forest Service

  • Partnered with Wilderness Inquiry, the University of Minnesota and the YMCA to help educate over 500 students about the Mississippi River

  • Piloted our new Community Science program and networked with environmental youth groups (Friends of the Mississippi River Fellows, Minnesota River Valley Wildlife Refuge, Urban Roots, NAZ ,Green team from MWMO)

  • Went out on the river 10 times in canoes, kayaks & paddle boats

  • Passed the Wilderness Inquiry North Canoe stern test

  • Helped with a recreational planning project within the park

  • Helped lead and attended 4 habitat restoration events with the park, Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, and Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board

  • Conducted 5 Biotech Surveys (Monarchs, plant ID, phenology data collection with the ASCC plots, Bird Surveys and Water Quality Surveys)

  • Helped plant the Gravel Bed Nursery at Mni Owe Sni/ Coldwater

  • Partnered with Minneapolis Parks & Rec to complete a Habitat Restoration event using ArcGIS Field Maps

  • Educated a group of students at Saint Anthony Falls and organized an engaging geology talk

  • Represented the Mississippi Park Connection at a variety of tabling events

  • Wrote 5 blogs and social media posts about their Fellowship experience for Mississippi Park Connection

  • Attended Public Interpretation Events such as Fins & Feathers, & the History cruise

  • Learned about Environmental Justice on a bus tour

  • Attended multiple BIPOC events at the park

  • AND SO MUCH MORE!

Thank you to the following Mississippi River Fellowship partners:

  • Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa

  • Friends of the Mississippi River

  • Green team from Mississippi Watershed Management Organization

  • Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board

  • Minnesota River Valley Wildlife Refuge

  • National Park Service

  • NAZ (Northside achievement Zone)

  • Science Museum of Minnesota

  • Urban Roots

  • Wilderness Inquiry

  • Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi

  • YMCA camps

 
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