The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium launched its 2025 Valentine’s Day Initiative, River of Love, to support enrichment, nutritious food, and ongoing habitat improvements for the North American River Otters, Golden Eye Ducks, Giant Pacific Octopus, and Cownose Rays. Funds raised will provide a special Valentine's Day enrichment directly supporting the Living Collections Department and the world-class care they provide for animals. The initiative provides a unique opportunity for guests, the community, and those who love the River Museum to share the love and make an impact this Valentine’s Day.
The River Museum’s goal is to send 214 valentines to the animals on February 14.
“Our teams are excited to invite our community to join us in sharing the love and support of the River Museum,” said Vice President of Development and Marketing, Corrine Kroger. “This year we decided to expand the Valentine’s campaign to create more of a broad impact across our campus as many of our animals require enrichment and ongoing maintenance of their habitats. Sending an animal a Valentine is a simple way to spread the love while making a direct impact with our animals. We encourage everyone to get involved this valentine season.”
Valentine’s Day fundraisers have become an annual extravaganza for the organization, starting with Toad-ally in Love in 2023. The campaign gave people the opportunity to support this endangered species. Captive husbandry and reproduction of the Wyoming Toad at the River Museum is vital to the recovery of this species and is one example of how the River Museum advances conservation throughout the Mississippi River Watershed and beyond. Because of this campaign, the Living Collections department was able to offset costs associated with this program, including transporting toads to their native habitat in Wyoming. The campaign raised $4,200 from both onsite and online donations and drew global attention with a viral TikTok capturing the hearts of more than 1.2 million viewers.
With renovations to the William Woodward Mississippi River Discovery Center, including the Wyoming Toads’ habitat, the decision to share the love with other species this year came from the heart.
"The collaboration across all departments as a part of our annual Valentine's Day initiative not only creates an uplifting atmosphere to the River Museum experience but allows us to highlight the work our team is doing everyday to provide the highest standard of care for the animals,” said Maia Davidson, Curator of Marine Life and Ambassador Animals. “We've seen an outpouring of love for the Wyoming Toads and our conservation efforts in past Valentine's Days, and we anticipate the same this year for these four species as we share the love! As part of our animal health and wellbeing commitment as an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited facility, we are constantly looking to create engaging enrichment opportunities for the animals and we are able to do that with the support of our community and beyond through this initiative."
The River Museum has seen great success with the first phase of the campaign onsite at both Box Office locations. For $5, museum guests can purchase a valentine for the animal of their choosing and include a short message with their name or the name of a loved one. The valentines are on display at both Box Offices and will be available for purchase until February 14.
Visit rivermuseum.org/events and click on the River of Love event link for more information.