"We have to clean the river because the wildlife that live there can't."
Working hard to help the Mississippi.
About Us
Minnesota Rivers Revitalization, Inc. (MRRI) was founded in January 2005 by Robert "Captain Bob" Schleicher. With the purpose of improving the shores, wetlands, and the islands of the Mississippi River in Minnesota by removing man-made trash. etc.
To that end he became involved with the Audubon Society's Upper Mississippi River Campaign; the MN Department of Natural Resources Adopt-a-River Program; and Living Lands and Waters, Inc.; to clean the banks of the Mississippi River, in the summer of 2000 to assist those groups in their cleanups. On January, 28, 2005 Bob's goal of forming his own group came to fruition with the first official meeting of MRRI.
Captain Bob and everyone associated with MRRI wishes to welcome you aboard the River Clean Up Campaign. Any assistance and input will be greatly appreciated and will be recognized appropriately. Obviously the wildlife that lives in the river corridor is unable to clean up after us, so we that use and enjoy the beautiful Mississippi River have a responsibility to clean up after ourselves.
Vision
The cleanups that MRRI are planning are only a part of a much larger undertaking necessary to make our waterways clean and beautiful. With financial support from various sources, including government grants (we are applying for) and individual contributions, we plan to move further in this cause of river stewardship. Our goal is to start by cleaning the banks and backwaters from the Twin Cities to Lake Pepin, below Red Wing. Eventually we would like to be able to clean the Mississippi River from its headwaters at Lake Itasca to the Iowa Border.
One source of this garbage is storm sewers in cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul following spring thaws and during rainstorms. Also boaters, who love the river, sometimes forget their responsibility to keep it clean and healthy for the wildlife and future boaters of our beautiful state and wonderful river (the Mississippi). We live at the headwaters of this great river. All of our goals should be to not allow any garbage from Minnesota to wash downstream into the Gulf of Mexico!
Minnesota Rivers Revitalization, Inc.