News – Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota

December 11, 2019

2019 Friends Group Workshops – In Review

Looking back at the friends group regional workshops In 2019, four regional workshops brought together friends group leaders from across Minnesota to network and discuss topics relevant to friends groups. Let's look back at those workshops to see what we've learned! 139Participants 38Friends Groups Represented ...

November 25, 2019

Sharing your park or trail with your family this holiday season

An update from Arielle Courtney, DNR Sharing your park is caring for your park (or trail!). While some of you may seek solace from the stresses of the holiday season by taking some alone time in nature, don’t forget to bring your friends, family, and ...

November 25, 2019

Friends help upgrade tent pads at Nerstrand

From Friends of Nerstrand Big Woods State Park On Thursday 11/14/19, a crew consisting of five volunteers and two park staff improved a total of eight tent pads in three hours! The pads, located at group camp and walk-in sites, were first cleared of leaves ...

kids sit in meditation with park ranger outside

November 21, 2019

Engaging Younger and More Diverse Audiences

From Ashley Pethan, Friends Group Coordinator, P&TC A common question I hear from friends groups is: How do we get more young people involved? You're not alone. This question is being asked by organizations all over the country in the outdoor recreation and conservation sector. ...

November 20, 2019

Friends of Zippel Bay shifts to year-round park support

A couple years ago, Friends of Zippel Bay State Park started to shift focus away from primarily supporting nordic ski activities to a more inclusive, broad vision of support for the park. Courtesy of Friends of Zippel Bay State Park In 2019, they successfully secured ...

November 15, 2019

Eagle Scout Creates Two Canoe-In Campsites at Chester Woods Park

From Friends of Chester Woods It's no longer necessary to travel all the way to the Boundary Waters to experience primitive camping with your canoe. On a Saturday in September 2019, Preston Satzke along with family and friends installed two canoe in campsites on the ...

November 14, 2019

Creative Income for Chester Woods Park

From Friends of Chester Woods When the Friends of Chester Woods board was considering possible projects for generating income and enhancing the park, a Friends volunteer, Georgia Northdurf, came up with the idea of having private watercraft racks available for rent. We immediately realized that ...

Group of supporters in representatives office

October 30, 2019

Best ways to help your state park or trail this season

An update from Arielle Courtney, DNR Fall colors are all but finished and while we consider this the end of our “busy” season in state park and trails, our work is far from over! And there is plenty still to do to make sure buildings, ...

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): ...

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 ...

kids and naturalist walk along a gravel path

October 21, 2019

North Branch Students explore Wild River State Park

About 50 kids from North Branch's "Youth Connections" program descended upon Wild River State Park Thursday. Friends of Wild River State Park, through a grant secured from Parks & Trails Council, partnered with the park naturalist and the Youth Connections program to build a field ...

October 14, 2019

Volunteers Needed to Clean Bird Houses

From Lake Wobegon Trails Association Would you like to enjoy the last of the fall days outside on the Lake Wobegon Trail? Stearns County Parks could use your help! Throughout the trail there are bluebird houses that need to be opened and cleaned out. Biking, ...

Fifth-graders explore the woods at Lake Maria

October 11, 2019

Getting youth outdoors by partnering with Friends Groups

School is back in session. And for some lucky students this fall, their classroom happened to be a park or trail for a day.