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Youth rock climbing day

Friends of Blue Mounds State Park hosted a rock climbing day for kids, including a knot tying activity.
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person belaying a climber
December 30, 2019

Hosting two field trips for 3rd graders

Friends of Lake Maria State Park hosted two field trips for 159 3rd graders focused on hands-on learning at the park.

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Woman holding out turtle to youth
December 30, 2019

Starting a bike fleet for field trips

Gitchi-Gami Trail Association established a new bike fleet at a local school and organized the inaugural “Bike to Birches” field trip to nearby state parks.

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group picture on bikes back at school
December 30, 2019

Developing youth activity materials

Friends of Tettegouche State Park helped develop materials for a toddler time program, wind and solar energy activity, and historical fire starting kit.

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activity to compare weight of hummingbird
December 30, 2019

Field trip: “A Day at the Park”

Friends of Wild River State Park hosted a field trip event for local K-6 students to spend a day at the park doing various outdoor-themed activities.

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kids sitting on floor in rapt attention to the musician
December 30, 2019

Acquiring video equipment

Friends of Whitewater State Park purchase video equipment to develop safe, remote educational programming for local schools.

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park ranger speaking outside in screenshot of video
December 30, 2019

Assembling youth discovery kits

Friends of Minneopa State Park assembled three sets of 10 youth discovery kits—animal tracks, birds, and wildflowers.

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birds activity kit
December 19, 2019

Friends of the Jackson County Trails – 2019 Newsletter

From Friends of the Jackson County Trails In This Issue Brief History of Jackson Trails Bicycle Friendly Community Designation Jackson County Active Living Plan Project updates: Dewey Street Trail, Belmont County Off-Road Trail, Jackson Bike Share, Bike to Work Day, Bicycle Repair Day Photo by: ...
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A family of bikers heads down the trail
December 15, 2019

Winter 2020 Newsletter – Friends of Wild River

From Friends of Wild River State Park In This Issue Letter from the President Ampitheater Update Candlelight Event Annual Meeting on March 14 2020 Events Park Manager Update Photo: Courtesy of Friends of Wild River State Park Click to view full newsletter Go to friends' ...
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candles along path in the snow at night
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 ...
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Group gathered outside
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 ...
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Winter group picture at event
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 ...
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volunteers rake pea rock in a campsite
November 21, 2019

“Milkweed and Monarchs” and other news at Glendalough

From Glendalough Park Partners fall 2019 newsletter Hikers and bikers observed two resurgences along the Glendalough trails in the summer of 2019 – milkweed and monarch butterflies. The interdependence of these two prairie natives cannot be overstated. Click to read full newsletter The monarch butterfly ...
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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. ...
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kids sit in meditation with park ranger outside
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 ...
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