ABOUT

Working in partnership with the City of Saint Paul’s Great River Passage Initiative, the Great River Passage Conservancy leads advocacy and private fundraising efforts for our three key capital projects  along Saint Paul’s 17 miles of Mississippi River.

These projects will re-orient people to our great river by building environmental stewardship, community health, and economic development as we create opportunities to experience the river in new and equitable ways.

MISSION

To revitalize our community’s relationship to the Mississippi by transforming and connecting Saint Paul’s parks and public spaces along the river.

VISION

We envision a Saint Paul that is The River Capital, where we bring the river back to the center of our public life and live not just by—but with—the river. Our work will:

  • Unite stakeholders around the river
  • Inspire private and public investment in Saint Paul’s riverfront
  • Build greater awareness of and access to the river for the Saint Paul community, especially the Dakota and other historically excluded groups
  • Create places that are beautiful, safe, welcoming, and accessible to all through our key projects: the Mississippi River Learning Center, River Balcony, and East Side River District
  • Create shared experiences that bring people together to enjoy and care for the river
  • Spark inclusive economic development and contribute to the commercial and economic vitality of the river
  • Spark economic development and contribute to the commercial and economic vitality of the river

OUR COMMITMENT
TO EQUITY

As a core value since our founding, equity guides the Great River Passage Conservancy’s work in making Saint Paul’s 17 miles of Mississippi River welcoming to all.

We acknowledge that the river flows through the traditional homelands of the Dakota, and that centuries of systemic exclusion have made natural spaces, including the river, less accessible to Indigenous people and other BIPOC communities. The Conservancy believes everyone should be able to participate fully in the recreational, educational, social, and economic opportunities the river offers.

As an organization whose vision is to bring the Mississippi back to the center of public life in Saint Paul, we have the opportunity to build a new, more inclusive relationship to the river. To ensure that all our projects are welcoming to a range of communities, we collaborate with a diverse group of partners whose work helps people of color, of all ages, and of different physical capabilities experience the land, water, art, and culture of the Mississippi.

We are fully committed to pursuing policies and programs that address systemic injustices and ensure that the river is beautiful, safe, and accessible. Read more about our commitments, strategies, and goals here.

We are the river, and the river is for all of us.