Friends Groups

March 7, 2024

Friends of Munger South

Parks & Trails Council is proud to partner with this independent friends group.Parks & Trails Council cannot accept donations on behalf of this friends group. Friends of the Munger South Mission A grassroots organization of cycling enthusiasts that advocates for improvements of the Willard Munger ...
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Webinar: Friends Groups & Volunteer Appreciation Events

Details Hear from Friends Group leaders Jon Slock (Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association) and Tony Manzara (Friends of Sunfish Lake Park) about holding successful volunteer appreciation events. More Webinar Recordings
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January 16, 2024

Friends of Minnehaha Park

Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota is proud to act as the fiscal sponsor for Friends of Minnehaha Park.As their fiscal sponsor, we partner to advance their cause and provide the tools and building blocks to run a nonprofit, including receiving, holding and administering funds ...
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Meet the Friends of Minnehaha

The Friends of Minnehaha Park came into being in early 2023.  Susan Glenn, a resident of Kenny neighborhood and a lifelong nature and history lover and park user, spent many hours outdoors exploring the park and sharing the love of the park with family and ...
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October 25, 2023

Webinar: Habitat Restoration Panel

Details Friends Group leaders Steve Dietz (Frontenac) and Beth Hayden (Gateway), with long-distance assistance from Gitchi-Gami Trail Association's Michelle Pierson, provide advice to prospective Friends Group applicants for P&TC's 2024 grant round. More Webinar Recordings
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Friends help secure major funding for trail extension

Overall, this was a good year for parks and trails, but especially so for the Mill Towns Trail, which saw an incredible $8.19 million investment from the 2023 bonding bill. The Friends of Mill Towns State Trail were instrumental in making it happen. Over the …

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Group of 11 people standing on an outdoor plaza

Mulch and mud pies: a nature play area opens at Tettegouche

After three years of hard work, the Friends of Tettegouche held the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their Nature Play Area on Saturday, August 26th. The play area, which is designed to be ADA-accessible and includes a variety of play features, is located at the park’s High ...
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Members of the Friends of Tettegouche hold a ribbon intertwined with leaves while the assistant park manager prepares to cut it.

DNR Update: MOUs for Friends Groups

Arielle Courtney, DNR Parks & Trails Partnership Development Consultant, shares an opportunity to offer feedback on an updated template Memorandum of Understanding agreement that will be eventually used with all Friends Groups, as well as a reminder about September events.
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Cleaning up at the Gateway State Trail

On August 5th, a group of volunteers gathered at Rotary Park in North Saint Paul to clear out an overgrown stretch of the Gateway State Trail. This event was the opening act in a project led by the Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association and funded ...
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Glendalough Park Partners

Champions of a Park Legacy

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Collage of four photos showing scenes from Glendalough State Park with a wood plaque overlaid in the center

Restoring tree cover at Frontenac State Park

Emerald Ash Borer has devastated the tree canopy across Minnesota, and Frontenac State Park is no exception. Over the last few years, park staff have been forced to remove more than 250 ash trees from the area, with 30 more projected to be removed in …

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A group of Girl Scouts and Friends Group volunteers stand around a recently dug hole at the park. There is a sapling on the left that is ready to be planted.

The Friends of Lashbrook make space for the bees

Did you know Minnesota has a state bee? The Rusty Patched Bumblebee (B. affinis) is a charismatic little insect with a band of coppery fur on its abdomen. But it's facing some steep challenges due to habitat loss, and is currently listed as endangered in the United ...
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Looking Back At 2022: A Friends Group Impact Report

Our Friends Group Partners make many significant contributions on behalf of Minnesota's parks and trails every year. While some of it gets highlighted in emails and newsletters, much of it flies under the radar, despite its incredible value to the park and/or trail in question. ...
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Native yellow sunflowers in a field

Field trip brings students to plant native seeds on the Gitchi Gami Trail

Earlier this spring, 37 students from Cook County Public Schools stepped out of their school, hopped on their bicycles, and peddled the Gitchi Gami State Trail, where they helped restore native landscaping. The field trip was a hands-on event that brought together bicycle safety, natural ...
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Elementary students in yellow safety vests on a trail
May 15, 2023

New Tracks at Belmont County Park

From Friends of the Jackson County Trails Single-tracks, also known as off-road trails, are one to four-foot wide unpaved trails that wind through outdoor spaces. Belmont County Park located eight miles from the City of Jackson and twelve miles from the City of Lakefield, has ...
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