Friends of William O'Brien State Park

William O'Brien volunteers making it happen

The Friends of William O'Brien State Park may be a new group, organized in 2000, but they have logged an impressive 2,186 hours of volunteered time. That is as many hours as a full time employee! The group at William O'Brien can and has tackled such things as: Wood Duck, Bat, Owl and Bluebird house monitoring and management. The group has also assisted with general parks and trails maintenance, controlled burns for prairie, firearms safety and snowmobile safety.

In addition to volunteering, other major activities include: acting as a liaison for the park and the community, enhancing the park, promoting seminars, interpretive programs, and other activities. They have regular meetings to help park employees schedule events, discuss future activities and focus the group on future park projects. The Friends group helped to procure a manager for the park. They have had an Owl awareness night hike, and a successful park cleanup day.

"Our relationship with legislators is growing, and they are invited to our meetings, as are all who wish to attend," said Neal Smith, Vice President. "Looking ahead, we hope to grow our group, assist in land management, and help to enhance community relationships."

For the Friends of William O'Brien, there are a vast number of things that make the park a unique experience. They are in a restoration preservation project that includes wetlands, floodplain, and hardwood forest habitats. The diversity of the park allows visitors to see and feel many aspects of our environment.

If you would like to join or form a friends group, please contact the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota at 1-800-944-0707.