News – Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota

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 ...

Webinar: Invasive Species of Minnesota

Details Hear from Laura Van Riper, Terrestrial Invasive Species Coordinator for the Minnesota DNR, about some of the most concerning invasive plants and animals in the state, as well as what the average citizen can do to counter them. More Webinar Recordings

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.

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 ...

Parks & Trail Council’s land acquisition program gains major potential

Parks & Trail Council is proud to announce a significant advancement in the potential funding of our land acquisition program. For the first time in our history, we have applied for funding from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) to help us acquire land …

Glendalough Park Partners

Champions of a Park Legacy

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

2023 community-driven trail projects: an update

For a period of time this spring, it was an open question as to whether the Minnesota Legislature would pass a bonding bill. After some political maneuvering from both sides of the aisle, however, the 2023 bonding bill was signed into law by Governor Walz, …

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 …

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 ...

Three volunteers kneel in the foreground of the photo next to newly-planted forest species

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. ...

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 ...

Elementary students in yellow safety vests on a trail

DNR Update: Volunteering Reminders, Planning Progress, and Free Park Day

An update from Arielle Courtney, DNR It’s hard to believe it’s already June. Congratulations to all of us on surviving a very, very long winter! I hope many of you were able enjoy the snow, but now let us rejoice in the spring and summer ...

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 ...

Great River Ridge State Trail extension one step closer

Land Project Update Anyone who has traveled on the Great River Ridge State Trail in southern Minnesota has likely wondered why the trail abruptly ends at a cornfield along County Road 9. Across the road, a rusty railroad track reveals the corridor’s original use, but ...

Great River Ridge State Trail passing by field

Webinar: Geology and Scenery of Minnesota’s North Shore

About this webinar What makes natural scenery beautiful? There are many answers to that question, but geology is often part of the answer. In this presentation on Minnesota’s scenic North Shore, Dr. Fitz will share ideas and photographs of how the geology of the region …