Community Leader: Keith Parker, Executive Director, Great River Greening
Friday, June 4, 2021 at 11:36AMArticle by Becky Fillinger
Keith ParkerSince 1995, Great River Greening has engaged with organizations, communities, businesses, and volunteers on hundreds of projects in Minnesota. They are the leader in community-based restoration. We spoke to Keith Parker about collaboration and the many ways to volunteer for the rest of 2021.
Q: You've held senior leadership positions focusing on Partnerships and Operations at many public and private organizations. How does that experience help in your work at Great River Greening?
A: Philosophically I believe that collaboration provides valuable perspectives that result in better outcomes, particularly when those involved share a common vision or goal. This approach helps me at Great River Greening because we have a mission that is rooted in collaborating with members of the community to restore land and water while providing education on the value and importance of conservation.
Q: What are the organization's priorities for the rest of 2021?
A: Great River Greening is focused on continuing our efforts to engage communities throughout Minnesota in conservation efforts that educate and instill healthy environmental ethics. We will continue to do this by working with community members in creating healthy pollinator habitats and restoring a variety of open spaces to ensure healthy habitats for people and a wide variety of animal species.
Q: Please tell us about your youth engagement programs.
A: This is where collaboration is truly important. We will continue to partner with schools and organizations focused on youth development. We recognize that future generations need to understand the value of conservation and healthy environments. We are particularly excited about our partnerships with Spark Y and future work with Wilderness Inquiry.
Our work with Spark-Y Youth Action Labs engages thousands of students in their urban agriculture lab, classroom learning, and hands-on experiences. Together, we are helping carry out the City of Minneapolis's rain garden design for the Holland Basin in NE Minneapolis near Edison High School. Students from Edison High School are involved in the planning process, community outreach, and installation of the rain garden. Throughout the project, students will learn more about the basin, the importance of native plants and their connection to pollinators and our food system, as well as help recruit and inform their peers and the local community.
Youth leaders paired with Great River Greening's Volunteer Supervisors to lead small groups of volunteers in the planting of nearly 4,000 plugs in May.
Great River Greening hosts several hands-on restoration-based volunteer events in each peak growing season. Typically, April to early June and September - October. We have an event coming up on Saturday June 12 – we’ll be doing a planting to add additional pollinator habitat near the Creekside of the Minnehaha Creek Greenway in St. Louis Park.
The coming fall event season will be a busy one, we are actively planning numerous restoration events. We will need many volunteers!
New this year, we are also offering independent volunteer opportunities by utilizing the community science-based platform, iNaturalist. iNaturalist lets folks record observations by taking photos of what they are seeing in nature and share with the online community. The app's AI helps identify what you have photographed, so no previous knowledge or research is really needed. These observations are compiled by location and our team of ecologists is able to see what is blooming or popping up at our restoration sites without leaving the office.
Due to the pandemic, our plans to work with Wilderness Inquiry have been put on hold. We look forward to co-hosting events and canoe outings in the future to pair recreation with restoration. Stay tuned for more information on that partnership.
Folks can learn more about both the public events and iNaturalist project sites by visiting www.greatrivergreening.org/get-involved or by contacting Amy Kilgore, Outreach Program Manager, at volunteer@greatrivergreening.org.
Q: I know that your staff has put together a list of Hidden Gem destinations - parks and natural areas that might be overlooked as we all head outdoors. Do you have a favorite?
A: I enjoy them all, but I’m particularly fond of the Minnesota River Valley and Lebanon Hills Regional Park. They’re close to where I live so I frequent them the most. What’s truly unique and special about our state is that there is an abundance of outdoor spaces that people can enjoy close to home. Exploring your community and surrounding communities is always a good place to start.
Q: Does Great River Greening have a need for volunteers? What would volunteers do at GRG?
A: We always need and welcome volunteers! Volunteers assist us in preparing and planting landscapes across many areas throughout the state. Anyone interested should contact Amy Kilgore at akilgore@greatrivergreening.org
Q: How may we follow your news?
A: Check us out on Facebook or our website www.greatrivergreening.org.
