We’re very excited to tell everyone about a new organization that’s formed in Minot. Friends of the Souris River is a grassroots group with the mission of making the Souris River in Minot a point of community pride. We’re planning a river cleanup this coming Saturday headquartered out of Roosevelt Park, and we’ll be advocating for the river from here forward.
Get the details on our cleanup day here. Check out our news release below.
— Official News Release, Friends of the Souris River —
A group of citizens has organized to advocate for the Souris River as a community asset for the Magic City.
“The floods of 1969 and 2011 took a lot from Minot, not the least of which was a connection to our historic river culture,” said Shannon Straight, spokesperson for the Friends of the Souris. “Flood protection has to be Minot’s highest priority, but we want to make sure we don’t wall ourselves off from a natural resource that improves quality of life and has the potential to be an economic engine for the city” added Straight.
The Friends of the Souris will be gathering this weekend with the first annual Souris River Clean-up Day. “Saturday’s river clean-up will focus around the Roosevelt and Eastwood Park now-dead loops with hopes to tackle other areas during the citywide clean-up weekend in May 13-14. We’ve organized a lot of support from various organizations, and our hope is to get onto the banks and into the river with canoes and small boats to get as much of the trash as we can. These now-dead loops are Minot’s last remaining sections of natural river channel, and with a little love and better management, they can become assets for those living near the river” said Straight.
Other goals of Friends of the Souris include:
- Raising awareness about river health and water quality through Minot and the entire basin.
- Education on how to be better stewards of the river including minimizing our contributions to our annual algae blooms.
- Advocating for a plan to restore current and recreational access all sections of the Souris River through Minot.
Saturday’s event will headquarter out of Roosevelt Park near the band shell and run from approximately 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m. A social gathering will take place in the evening at Souris River Brewing. Those wishing to volunteer are encouraged simply show up or get in touch with the group through their website at www.friendsofthesouris.com or their facebook page at www.Facebook.com/friendsofthesouris.
The goal of the organization should be to drain Lake Darling back to the river channel. That is the only solution to a healthy river