Episode Details

At the edge of Fargo, North Dakota, a metal archway hangs over a walking path. It depicts silhouetted figures passing sandbags and piling them next to a firefighter. This monument is titled "The Spirit of the Sandbagger” is a tribute to the community’s response to major floods in the past.

Off to its side is a bridge that goes from Fargo to Moorhead over the Red River. The two communities are linked by the river — and its risk of flooding.

Recently, the Minnesota legislature approved $10 million for flood mitigation infrastructure. And the area will soon have a massive diversion project built to send floodwaters away from the two cities. But flooding aside, a local group is working to connect people with the river in other ways.

Christine Holland is CEO of the Fargo-Moorhead-based group River Keepers. Recently, she helped Minnesota Now learn more about the Red River from the water. Minnesota Now host Nina Moini and producer Alanna Elder climbed into kayaks and paddled out from under the bridge.