Friends of Minneopa

Three Friends Groups receive funding for habitat restoration in 2024

Three Friends Groups have received funding for habitat restoration in 2024. These projects will address a variety of habitat-related issues at state and regional parks, including the restoration of bird habitat around a wildlife blind, creative erosion control measures at a high-traffic picnic area, and ...
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February 3, 2021

2019-2020 Youth Engagement Grant Projects In Review

In 2019, Parks & Trails Council launched a grant program designed as a partnership with friends groups to engage youth in parks and trails. In this first year of the program we began working with eight friends groups who identified innovative ways to engage youth ...
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Kids bike away from the park building
January 29, 2020

Partnership restores patches of habitat at seven state parks

In 2019, Parks & Trails Council partnered with seven friends groups to spearhead habitat restoration projects at state parks. This work was made possible by a generous grant from the Henry S. Crosby Foundation. 2019 by the Numbers $25,364 7 237 11 493 Funds granted ...
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friends and youth celebrate having planted a tree
January 23, 2020

Minneopa Messenger – January 2020 Newsletter

From Friends of Minneopa State Park In This Issue Winter Fest Manager's Report Cutting Buckthorn Enjoying Winter Honoring Founder Brand Frentz 2019 Photo Contest Photo: Courtesy of Friends of Minneopa State Park Click to download Go to friends' main page
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luminaries lighting the hike and snowshoe trail
October 29, 2019

A wide range of support from Friends of Minneopa

Since 1998, the Friends of Minneopa State Park has supported a wide variety of opportunities for community members and visitors to experience Minneopa State Park. Their past year of activities demonstrates the group's lasting commitment to this special park near Mankato. Annual Events Winterfest (January): ...
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Friends pose under their banner
October 25, 2019

Getting more kids outside through youth engagement grants

Three more friends groups will be getting kids to their state parks for field trips, with support from grants issued by Parks & Trails Council. One of the biggest barriers that schools and youth groups face with getting kids outdoors and going on field trips ...
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kids wading in the river with nets
July 25, 2019

Working with Friends to improve landscapes at seven state parks

Trees, trees, trees! Earlier this spring, volunteers, young and old, could be found with shovels in hand at seven state parks—Blue Mounds, Lake Bemidji, Minneopa, Sibley, Tettegouche, and Whitewater—where they were planting and protecting trees (and shrubs) in key areas of the landscape.
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volunteers planting trees
June 24, 2019

Friends of Minneopa State Park celebrate summer solstice

From Friends of Minneopa State Park Friends of Minneopa hosted an event with live music to celebrate the summer solstice. Read about this in a story on June 21 by KEYC Mankato: "Friends of Minneopa State Park celebrate summer solstice" Read full story
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March 15, 2019

P&TC Issues Grants to Seven Friends Groups to Complete Habitat Restoration Projects

Seven volunteer-led friends groups will implement habitat restoration projects at state parks this year, with support from the Minnesota DNR and funds issued by Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota (P&TC). The projects include planting trees, protecting young saplings, and diversifying tree canopy.
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Oak savanna restoration project tree planting on June 2, 2018
May 31, 2018

Nineteen projects receive funding during 2018 legislative session

Overall, the 2018 legislative session was a fairly good one for parks and trails. On May 30, Gov. Dayton signed the bonding bill, which included funding for 19 of the 25 projects we were advocating for in our legislative agenda this year. Projects receiving full …

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screenshot of webpage with 2018 investment projects
June 1, 2013

Spurred to action to action by a threat

As is often the case with the formation of Friends Groups, it took the threat of development to spur organized action. For Minneopa, that threat was the National Guard, who had proposed building a firing range along the western border of the park. When local activist, Brand Frentz got word of the proposed firing range he realized
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Old, brick mill with wildflowers