Seeking to understand Minnesota's forest landscapes and ecosystems.
About Strategic Initiatives
To meet our mission of delivering integrated research solutions, NRRI is focused on three strategic initiatives that address the challenges of Minnesota’s resource-based economy. These initiatives are bold and long-term efforts to create the economy of the future by incorporating diverse expertise across NRRI, the University system and with our partners.
Initiative Overview
![Three researchers take water sample from lake.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/folwell_half/public/2022-09/water-samplejpg.jpg?itok=R9TNiVGS)
Understanding the ecosystems we live in and the benefits they offer is critical to characterizing, mitigating, remediating and avoiding harmful societal impacts. Science-based data is needed to make sound, natural resource decisions as we respond to climate change, consider aspects of environmental and social justice, define and maintain the social license to operate, and identify viable options as we develop the economy of the future.
Impact
Minnesota has a wealth of natural resources that support economic development and wildlife conservation. NRRI’s Ecosystem Resilience Initiative addresses the challenges of human-caused impacts and the ability of water resources to absorb the various disturbances and reorganize while maintaining critical functions for wildlife and environmental health.
Goal
Document ecosystem relationships and develop tools to monitor, remediate and manage water resources – from water source to the end of the pipe. This highly collaborative Initiative pulls from all of NRRI’s expertise platforms to address the complexity of Ecosystem Resilience and understand how to balance economic drivers with environmental stewardship.
Sample Projects
- Effective and inexpensive sulfate remediation technologies
- Great Lakes Sediment Surveillance for legacy and emerging contaminants
- Assessment of technologies to prevent introduction of invasive species via ballast water
- Long-term Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring of vegetation and wildlife
- Long-term retrospective research to understand water quality changes over hundreds of years and put modern goals in a baseline context
Partners
- International Joint Commission
- State / Federal / Local governmental agencies
- NGOs: Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Great Lakes Audubon, American Bird Conservancy, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Shedd Aquarium, Daniel P. Hearther Center for Conservation Research, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Michigan State University, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Ecology, Universite de Montreal, UC Santa Barbara
- Industry Partners: Minnesota Power, Yawkey Mineral Management LLC, UPM/Blandin
- Minnesota Land Trust
- Tribal Partners: 1854 Treaty Authority, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
- National and Global University Partners
- University of Minnesota system
- Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants
Ecosystem Resilience Programs
![Data visualization on a laptop.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2021-07/data-viz-computer.jpg?itok=6AwLvJOV)
Driving better decision making through effective use of data and information.
![Minnesota Natural Resource Atlas screen capture](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2021-05/mn-atlas-hero.jpg?itok=aDqCjYEZ)
Developing customized software applications that allow our partners to efficiently understand data, share information, and make better decisions.
![Three researchers aboard a boat sample for phytoplankton with a net.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2021-07/freshwater-edna-sampling.jpg?itok=WWbiYpkq)
Developing science-based tools, materials and technologies to assess and protect our freshwater resources.
Ecosystem Resilience Projects
![Fisher in a pine forest near a treebox in Minnesota.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2022-08/fisher-treebox-web.jpg?itok=KkasL_4E)
The Minnesota Fisher Den Box Project is focused on evaluating an emerging habitat management tool to address the declining MN fisher population.
![Black bear standing in thick vegetation in pine forest](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2021-08/Grand_Tetons_black_bear.jpg?itok=k6ZTujpS)
A website of the state's carnivore species -- from the tiny least weasel to the black bear.
![Map of northern minnesota with central region highlighted in yellow and north east region highlighted in purple. Sample sites indicated with red dots.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2021-03/breeding-bird-survey.png?itok=ubY5_NKF)
Documenting long-term population trends of breeding forest birds in the Chippewa and Superior National Forests.
Recent News
![Researcher pours out bucket of crayfish in the lab.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2024-07/crayfish-1989.jpg?itok=tpR409cL)
We dug back into the archives to find NRRI's original crayfish research and the start of The Crayfish Lab at NRRI Duluth.
![Rear view of boat coming out of lake at a boat ramp with aquatic vegetation on trailer.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2024-07/boat_veg_on_motor.png?itok=WRAWJnqV)
NRRI tests techniques to clean boat interiors to stop spread of invasives.
![Two people in a boat, woman in forefront grabs crayfish from a bin, man in background takes notes.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2024-07/crayfish_7-2024.jpg?itok=BGxKcN6X)
Invasive ‘rusties’ add another challenge to growing Minnesota wild rice.
![A man stands in a greenhouse surrounded by small tree starts.](/sites/nrri.umn.edu/files/styles/article_lists/public/2024-07/andrej_pilipovic_2024.jpg?itok=8YQ6lsiD)
Expanding the reach and potential of NRRI’s fast-growing hybrid poplar trees.