Protect MN's water, air, lands, and wildlife

June 1, 2021

Dear Environmental Stewards, 

I am writing today to ask for your help. 

You may wonder “Why?”

Because your gift is necessary to maintain critical programs to protect and restore Minnesota’s environment. Your gift is needed to keep our waters drinkable, our air breathable, and our lands full of life. 

We’ve just been through a year unlike any other. Minnesota’s incredible outdoor spaces were an especially important refuge for all of us through the pandemic. 

Parks, trails, lakes, and open spaces became some of the safest places to connect with those we love. And many of us also went to nature to find healing and restoration during one of the most stressful and difficult times in a generation. 

In many ways, the environment was there for us. 

Our work has always been to give back - to work diligently to protect Minnesota’s environment so that future generations can find this same refuge in nature when they need it most. 

But as you read this, the Minnesota Environmental Fund is facing intersecting challenges. We are facing a budget shortfall at a time when the need for work to protect Minnesota’s natural resources is greater than ever. 

Because of the pandemic, major workplace giving campaigns for our environment were canceled. While we were able to bridge some of this gap, as we approach the end of our fiscal year on June 30th, we are still facing a shortfall of $7,500. 

So we need friends like you. Will you make a gift before our June 30 fundraising deadline to protect Minnesota’s air, water, land, and wildlife so that future generations can enjoy its beauty? 

As you consider this urgent request, let me share some of the work your gift will help keep on track: 

• Defending special places like the Boundary Waters, Lake Superior, and the Mississippi River from pipelines, pollution, and toxic threats.
• Protecting, restoring, and expanding Minnesota parks, trails, and preserves as they face record-breaking traffic.
• Organizing Minnesotans to engage in solutions to climate change and advocate for climate-friendly policies and practices. 
• Supporting communities affected by development and industrial pollution in low-income urban neighborhoods; amplifying their voices and fighting for environmental justice. 
• Providing outdoor experiences to Minnesota youth who would otherwise lack access. 

And your gift will support all of the work of the Minnesota Environmental Fund and our member organizations. 

I know this work is important to you, and I am grateful I can ask for your help. 

I hope you’ll express your personal commitment to our mission by acting right now to make a gift in any size to protect and restore Minnesota’s environment. 

Thank you in advance for helping move forward vitally important work to protect and restore Minnesota's natural treasures. Your thoughtfulness, commitment, and personal generosity are deeply appreciated. 

Sincerely,  

Mallory Forseth

Associate Director

Minnesota Environmental Fund

P.S. Remember - in order to overcome our budget shortfall, we must receive your gift before the end of our fiscal year on June 30th.