Our People

“For the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis, birds—beautiful and amazing as they are on their own—become a window into the health of our whole environment. We are deeply aware that Minneapolis sits within a major migration corridor for birds and many other living things, so we want our city to be a healthy place for people and for the birds that live here and pass through here. Accordingly, Minneapolis’ 2040 Plan needs to take full account, based on solid evidence, of the likely environmental impact of any future development in our city, and to do all it can to keep our environment healthy and welcoming to living beings.”

— Keith Olstad, Past President

Minneapolis Citizens for the Protection of Migratory Birds

“Environmental review provides critical understanding of the inseparable relationship between ‘natural infrastructure’ and ‘human infrastructure.’ One cannot be altered without impacting the other.”

—Wendy Haan

Great River Coalition

“The Great River Coalition appreciates the complexity involved in developing the Minneapolis 2040 strategic plan for such a large and long-established metropolitan area. We and our coalition partners stand ready to work with Minneapolis officials in order to implement a plan that will attain multiple goals laid out for Minneapolis 2040, while at the same time preserving and enriching an environment that will foster a rich, varied and sustainable ecosystem along the river corridor and throughout the rest of our city. The Great River Coalition supports an environmental review by the City of Minneapolis of the 2040 Plan using the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, (MERA) as the supporting document for our request.”

— Diane Hofstede, President, Great River Coalition