Two Friends Groups receive funding for field trip grants in 2024

Parks & Trails Council decided to pilot an updated version of its youth engagement grant in 2024. Two Friends Groups were selected for this initial year of funding, with projects intended to foster a greater appreciation for Minnesota's rich natural heritage in the next generation. ...
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Fifth graders on a biking field trip

Share your opinion on funding the outdoors

While the MNDNR survey broadly covers the whole department, Parks & Trails Council has responded with an eye on State Parks and Trails. Below are our thoughts on the questions asked in the survey. The MNDNR is asking for the public’s input on how to ...
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DNR Update: Next Steps in the MOU Process

Arielle Courtney, DNR Parks & Trails Partnership Development Consultant, shares an update on the DNR's Memorandum of Understanding with Friends Groups.
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Senator Foung Hawj

Championing parks and trails at the state capitol

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The Friends of Minnehaha Park seek 4 New Board Members

From Friends of Minnehaha Park   Position: Board Member The Friends of Minnehaha Park is looking for nature and outdoor lovers, civic-minded individuals, people from all backgrounds with passion and vision and people willing to share their talents and time fulfilling key roles within the ...
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Frontenac State Park Association

Passionate and dedicated volunteers for the park

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Try, try again: the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association takes on erosion

In 2021, the DNR constructed a trail segment between Grand Marais and the Cut Face Creek State Wayside. While this was good news for the Gitchi-Gami State Trail, it came with an unexpected, weather-related hiccup: the native seed mix applied to both sides of the ...
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July 3, 2024

Friends Groups invited to participate in photo contest

Parks & Trails Council is hosting its 2024 Photo Contest and there are two ways Friends Group Partners can get involved. Promote the Photo Contest All P&TC's Friends Group Partners are encouraged to share our photo contest with their membership. It's a great way to ...
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Improving the view at Frontenac State Park

The Frontenac State Park Association couldn’t have picked a better day. Sandwiched between days of forecasted rain, Wednesday, May 29th dawned clear and sunny, with a cool breeze that alleviated the early-summer heat. Frontenac State Park was in its element, bursting with green foliage, colorful ...
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Volunteers pose in front of Frontenac Pond.

2024 LEGISLATIVE RECAP

Some wins, some losses for parks and trails May 28, 2024 The Minnesota Legislature’s 2024 legislative session came to a chaotic and contentious close on May 20. The session evolved around a myriad of issues, and like always, it was an eventful one for parks …

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Minnesota State Capitol

State Park track chairs open miles of opportunity for people with mobility impairments

Top Photo: MNDNR Parks and Trails Division   Imagine hiking at a Minnesota state park, your trail mix packed for a long trek—raisins aside, because who wants those? Going along, you watch a butterfly pass by when, out of the corner of your eye, you ...
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Person in an ATV wheelchair on a dirt path in a state park

The Friends of Scandia Parks & Trails start work at Liten Park

About a dozen residents of Scandia braved cold winds, wet ground, and prickly ash on April 20th in the name of restoring Liten Park. The park, recently acquired by the City of Scandia, is currently an irregularly shaped trapezoid of long grasses and woody bracken. ...
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Nine people stand in front of a pile of cut branches, smiling.

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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Meet the Friends of Munger South

Dave Auchter saw a problem that he couldn’t afford to ignore. A longtime user of the historic Willard Munger State Trail, he had had front-row seats to the slow degradation of the trail’s asphalt surface. A popular thoroughfare for hikers and bikers, the trail had ...
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DNR Update: What’s going on with the MOU?

An update from Arielle Courtney, DNR Greetings, friends! Thank you as always for your dedication and service to our state parks and trails. While this winter has been abnormal, I know many of you worked hard with our staff to put on a variety of ...
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