Three Mississippi(s)
While on an evening long board excursion last weekend, I managed to snap a great pic under the 35W bridge, despite my utter lack of photographic competence. I think so. If you have ever driven across the 35W bridge, you might have noticed the two thirty-foot sculptures in the median. These sculptures are interesting (to me at least) for a variety of reasons: Reason One – They are made out of something called Photocatalytic Concrete, which removes pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxide from the air. Reason...
read moreLock and Dam Boycott
Paddle Taxi is joining the National Park Service, the Minnesota DNR, Wilderness Inquiry, Friends of the Mississippi River, and Stand Up MN in the voluntary disuse (i.e. not using) of Lock and Dam No.1 as well as the St. Anthony Falls Locks and Dams in Minneapolis. The reason? An invasive species called Asian Carp. You might already be familiar with this particular fish (or maybe not). Regardless, the National Park Service has compiled a great overview about the Asian Carp and its impacts. To summarize, the Asian Carp: destroys native...
read moreMN Water Trails Grant!
The DNR is excited to announce the 50th year of water trails in MN and are offering grants to organizations working to promote and protect these beautiful trails! Paddle Taxi is more than excited to apply. We think this grant was almost designed with our mission in mind! Well, actually, it’s the other way around. These water trails have been in existence since 1967 and have only improved along the years as the water quality improves. Now, it is easier than ever to get out and paddle on the Mississippi National River and Recreation...
read morePaddle Taxi – a social mission
Tonight is a reason to celebrate. We entered the MN Cup, which the 9th annual business plan competition in MN! With 6 different divisions, hundreds of applicants, the MN Cup’s thorough application process forced Paddle Taxi’s Crew to step up their game, streamline their business plan and pitch their mission to some big names. Innovative medical device, animal health, biotech and health technology ideas. Innovative ideas, technologies and products that strive to create solutions to society’s environmental issues. Innovative...
read moreLeave No Trace
We just became members of Leave No Trace, another important step to ensuring our actions are following our values. Leave No Trace is going to mail us some educational material to share with all of our paddlers…. We can’t wait! While we never want to leave a ‘trace’, sometimes we still want to leave our...
read moreMidwest Mountaineering Expo
Austin will be presenting at the Expo this year! Stop by for his talk, titled: Dream Job 101 – Adventure Guiding on the Mississippi: The Good, the Bad and the Wavy Austin Aho has spent more summer days paddling the Mississippi River than anyone in Minnesota. In 2011, Austin started a paddleboard tour guide company with the mission of sharing his passion for the Mississippi with others in the Twin Cities, and over the past two summers, Stand Up MN (standupmn.org) has enabled people, mostly beginners, to learn and explore the Mighty...
read moreRiver Update: the good, bad and ugly
Ask Lark Weller, a community planner with the National Park Service’s Mississippi National River and Recreation area, the most common question she gets about the Mississippi River and her answer is quick. “Is it safe to swim in the river?” Trevor Russell, watershed program director with Friends of the Mississippi River chimes in with another one, “Is it safe to eat fish from the river?” After struggling for years with how to answer these and other questions posed by the public, the National Park Service and Friends of the Mississippi...
read moreStarting something new can be scary…
Thank goodness for the fine people at Kickstarter, who have made this video to help people take that first, all-too-scary step. Now who’s scared? Let’s get this project started… We mean kick-started! We are going to be launching a fundraising campaign which coincides with the Midwest Mountaineering Spring Expo: April...
read moreResource Development
Money follows passion, not the other way around. Or so it’s been said.
So we make a plan. Identify needs. Create a plan to acquire resources….
read moreNational Park Service
Since 1916, the American people have entrusted the National Park Service with the care of their national parks. With the help of volunteers and park partners, we are proud to safeguard these nearly 400 places and to share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. But our work doesn’t stop there. We are proud that tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens ask for our help in revitalizing their communities, preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, and creating...
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