Focus Group tours
In summer 2022, our Macalester College research team co-hosted a series of focus groups teaching local participants about the river and inviting feedback about the proposed changes to the locks and dams in the Twin Cities. See below for more details about our bike, kayak, boat, and walking tours.
These tours were designed and led in partnership with American Rivers, Friends of the Mississippi River, Mississippi Park Connection, the National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, and the St. Paul Public Library.
Read our report, submitted to the Army Corps as part of their scoping process, about our findings from these focus groups.
Types of Tours we offered:
Biking Tours:
Bike tours were co-hosted by the National Park Service - on these tours participants got to bike along the Mississippi River starting at Upper Saint Anthony Falls and ending at Lock and Dam #1 (Ford Dam).
Park Ranger Will Matthews led guests through the river gorge for an up close and personal experience with the river - participants got to learn about the many ways the river has been shaped by humans, as well as what the gorge could look like if the locks and dams were removed.
Photo Taken by: Nili Barnoon
Kayaking Tours:
Kayak tours were co-hosted by Mississippi Park Connection and Paddle Bridge - on these tours kayaks entered the water at Bohemian Flats and travelled downstream through the river gorge and ended at Hidden Falls Regional Park.
The Paddle Bridge team led participants on an informative journey along the river where guests got to see the remnants of the Meeker Island Lock and Dam, travel through Lock and Dam #1, and experience first-hand how humans have shaped the Mississippi River.
Photo Taken by: Colleen O'Conner Toberman
Boat Tour:
Our boat tour was held on the Magnolia Blossom driven by Capt. Dan Dickson and his crew - on this tour participants met at the Watergate Marina and travelled via boat upstream to the river gorge through Lock and Dam #1 (Ford Dam).
Participants experienced a guided tour from a series of speakers such as historian John Anfinson, Friends of the Mississippi Community Organizer Colleen O'Connor Toberman, and Jill Bathke from the Army Corps of Engineers.
Photo Taken by: David Wheaton
Walking Tours:
The walking tours were co-hosted by Friends of the Mississippi River and the Saint Paul Public Library - participants on these tours walked from the Wabun Picnic Area to the Lock and Dam #1 Visitors Center.
Participants got to tour the lock and dam structure, talk with Army Corps staff, and learn about how the structure changed the landscape of the river gorge.
Photo Taken by: Amber Wiedenhoeft
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