Dear friends group leaders,
With bittersweet energy I am sharing that I will be leaving Parks & Trails Council. I have truly enjoyed cultivating lasting relationships with friends group leaders, DNR representatives, and colleagues alike, all in an effort to support Minnesota’s great parks and trails! I am grateful for the opportunities this role has afforded me—participating in local and statewide initiatives, learning from folks engaged in stewarding these natural places, and experiencing the wonderful outdoors within Minnesota’s park and trail system.
My last day will be Monday, April 25, and I will be going down to 4 days a week starting March 21. I will be hard at work keeping the friends group program running smoothly until my departure and updating internal procedures to ensure a smooth transition to the next program manager. To aid in this transition, you can start utilizing friends@parksandtrails.org for all communications. Lisa Filter, External Relations Director, will be overseeing this transition and will serve as your main contact after I leave.
As far as what’s next for me, I accepted a GIS Analyst Internship and am planning to attend grad school in fall (pending acceptance). If you would like to stay in touch with me, you can reach me at ash.n.petel@gmail.com.
I hope to see you out on the trails and in parks in the future! I know I’ll be staying in tune with what’s going on with your groups and hope that our paths may cross again. Happy trails!
With sincere gratitude,
Ashley