Big Year of Rivers
In 2026, we'll be celebrating rivers all year long.
Rivers connect people, wildlife and whole landscapes. Every Three Rivers park sits in a watershed that drains to a stream or river, so Big Year of Rivers events will take place across the Park District even at locations not directly on a river.
Throughout the year, visitors can join our trained naturalists, art educators, outdoor recreation specialists and historical interpreters to learn about and experience the three rivers that inspired our park district name. The Mississippi, Minnesota and Crow rivers along with their watersheds are the focus for a year of speakers, programs and events.
There is something for everyone during the Big Year of Rivers!
Speaker Series
We will be kicking off the year with a series of talks focused around rivers and other water-related topics.
Check out the schedule below and mark your calendar! Each talk will take place at Mississippi Gateway on Sundays from 2–3 PM. Registration required at least 24 hours in advance.
Upcoming Talks
- April 19—Big Rivers, Big Bears, Big Time Conservation Success Story
Speaker: Andrew Tri
From an era of persecution to conservation and management, Minnesota’s black bears are truly a conservation success story. We’ll discuss bear ecology, management, conservation, how to coexist with these amazing critters and why rivers can be corridors for range expansion.
Past Talks
- April 12—Peep Light: Stories of a Mississippi River Boat Captain
Speaker: Lee Hendrix, Pilot & River Boat Captain
Learn about the exciting and dangerous work that accompanied a five-decade career of working on America's river with Lee Hendrix, pilot and former river captain in the US Army Corps of Engineers. Lee piloted commercial towboats and the last three overnight passenger steamboats on the Mississippi: the Delta, Mississippi, and American Queens.
Through engaging storytelling, Hendrix sheds light on his rare experience along one of the most powerful and important waterways in the world.
Registration required at least 24 hours in advance. Register online.
- March 22—Mississippi Flyway
Speaker: Sharon Stiteler (aka The Birdchick)
Sharon Stiteler is a local author and bird expert known online and on air as The Birdchick. She worked on the Mississippi River as a park ranger for 13 years doing bird surveys, documenting the metro heron rookeries and eagle nests and flying over it for fall migratory bird surveys. Even when she lived in Alaska, she found ways to connect with the river through birds.
- March 8—80 Days to the Arctic
Speaker: Abby Cichocki of Hudson Bay Girls
Learn about the Hudson Bay Girls’ groundbreaking 1,300-mile canoe journey from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay, where they retraced a historic Voyageur Fur Trading Route and championed environmental stewardship, outdoor education and gender equality in outdoor spaces.
- March 1—The Mississippi: Through Time and to the Sea
Speaker: John Shepard, Associate Professor & Assistant Director, Center for Global Environmental Education Hamline University
In its 90-day run from source to sea, America’s magnificent Mississippi River transforms itself from a cheerful, clearwater stream to a roiling, muddy anaconda that runs 200 feet deep and floats ships from around the world. She spans a continent and its history, gathering sediment as well as stories.
This presentation will offer highlights from the river's journey through a series of short videos and vignettes drawn from decades of interpretive storytelling by John Shepard and Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education.
- February 22—The Immortal Plastic Bottle
Speaker: Dr. Mary Kosuth, Researcher, University of Minnesota
Learn about the history of plastic, its current impacts and recommendations for the future with Dr. Mary Kosuth, University of Minnesota Researcher.
Mary helped develop a Minnesota-based citizen science project that involves testing local surface water for microplastics.
- February 1—Freshwater Mussels in the Mississippi River: A 100-year Roller Coaster Ride
Speaker: Jordan Holcomb, Malacologist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Learn about the important role of freshwater mussels, threats to their livelihood and efforts to rebuild their populations with Jordan Holcomb, Malacologist at the Minnesota Department of Nature Resources.
Jordan studies mollusks and works with partners to facilitate conservation efforts that improve mussel populations and habitat.
- January 18—Fishers in Southern Minnesota: History, Ecology, and Use of Riparian Habitat
Speaker: Michael Joyce
Fishers are a native carnivore in the weasel family that were removed from southern Minnesota in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Fishers have recolonized many areas in southern Minnesota over the last two decades, including the Twin Cities Metropolitan area where they are occupying a very different landscape from historical times.
This presentation will focus on the history and ecology of fishers currently occupying this region, with an emphasis on the important role of forested rivers in their recovery and movements throughout the Twin Cities.
Upcoming Events
April 19, 2–3 PM | Mississippi Gateway
Join us for a presentation by Andrew Tri, a research wildlife biologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
From an era of persecution to conservation and management, Minnesota’s black bears are truly a conservation success story. We’ll discuss bear ecology, management, conservation, how to coexist with these amazing critters and why rivers can be corridors for range expansion.
April 21, 6–7:30 PM | Mississippi Gateway
Calling all knitters and crocheters! Commemorate the Big Year of Rivers by trying a new twist on a temperature blanket.
In this class, you will visit the river and learn why its flow fluctuates so much and the impact that has on people and the world around us. You will be provided with a breakdown of river flow ranges per color, the data for the year to date and step-by-step instructions on how to get the daily readings for the remainder of the year.
Learn more about rivers and watersheds by listening to past episodes of The Wandering Naturalist podcast:
- Fisher Facts
- Turtle Treks
- Hidden Depth
- It's Not a Carp
- The Comeback Bird
- Mussels Matter
- The Rivers that Shape Us: The Crow River
- Casting a Line
- The Rivers That Shape Us: The Mississippi River
- A Day on the Water
You'll also want to keep an eye out for new river-related episodes in 2026!
Animals of the River Habitats Species Guide
Our Pocket Naturalist® Guide includes illustrations of animals that are commonly found in the river habitats of Three Rivers Park District. This guide is organized by type and folds out to show color images of more than 90 species, from the great blue heron and osprey to the common carp and smallmouth bass.
Purchase a Three Rivers Animals of the River Habitats pocket guide for $8.95 (tax not included) at the following locations:
As we celebrate the Big Year of Rivers, a celebration of the Mississippi River is also happening across the Twin Cities region.
Learn about Sacred Water Shared Future to find more events and projects where you can learn about and connect with the Mississippi River.
Related Blog Posts
Explore the importance of rivers, watersheds and water conservation in this blog. Then, join us throughout the Big Year of Rivers for a variety of water-related programs and events at parks across the Park District.
