The Frontenac State Park Association, founded in 1956, predates Frontenac State Park itself. The group, which was initially formed to advocate for the establishment of the park, continues their go-getter tradition to this day. Over the years, they’ve led speedy and successful habitat restoration projects, organized well-attended candlelight walks, and promoted citizen engagement at Frontenac with birding events, Bioblitzes, and educational talks on topics such as native mussels and park ecology. In the last two years alone, the FSPA has successfully pulled off a restoration of native trees at a park campsite, a habitat restoration near the park’s wildlife blind, and two well attended winter candlelight events.
In recognition of these accomplishments, Parks & Trails Council proudly presents the Frontenac State Park Association with its annual Friends Group Partner Award. The award will be presented during our Annual Shindig on September 19, 2024, and includes a $500 monetary award to support the Friends Group’s work.
“I cannot be more in support of this nomination,” says Jake Gaster, DNR manager for Frontenac. “They are passionate and dedicated and have achieved much in the past couple years. They are wonderful to work with!”
The FSPA has contended with its own set of obstacles, however. Recruiting a core team of board members has been difficult at times, a situation that many volunteer-led groups will be very familiar with. As a smaller organization, they have at times found it difficult to leverage as many volunteers as they’d like for their ambitious projects.
But what the FSPA lacks in numbers they more than make up for in enthusiasm, and when Parks & Trails representatives attended their May 2024 habitat restoration event, they found a group of community advocates who operated like a well-oiled machine. The group organized themselves so efficiently that the work of planting dogwood, butterflyweed, and native grass cover took half of the anticipated time, and the participants got the satisfaction of a job well done without excessive exhaustion – or more than the usual amount of mosquito bites.
All volunteer groups know the pain of recruiting enough people to accomplish their missions. The Frontenac State Park Association serves as a sterling example of what can be accomplished when even a small group of committed and passionate community members come together around a common goal. We look forward to what they will do with that passion in the coming years!
Photo: Steve Simmer/P&TC Photo Contest
