Ashley Pethan – Page 9 – Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota

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. ...

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 ...

November 15, 2019

Eagle Scout Creates Two Canoe-In Campsites at Chester Woods Park

From Friends of Chester Woods It's no longer necessary to travel all the way to the Boundary Waters to experience primitive camping with your canoe. On a Saturday in September 2019, Preston Satzke along with family and friends installed two canoe in campsites on the ...

November 14, 2019

Creative Income for Chester Woods Park

From Friends of Chester Woods When the Friends of Chester Woods board was considering possible projects for generating income and enhancing the park, a Friends volunteer, Georgia Northdurf, came up with the idea of having private watercraft racks available for rent. We immediately realized that ...

October 30, 2019

Best ways to help your state park or trail this season

An update from Arielle Courtney, DNR Fall colors are all but finished and while we consider this the end of our “busy” season in state park and trails, our work is far from over! And there is plenty still to do to make sure buildings, ...

Group of supporters in representatives office

October 29, 2019

A wide range of support from Friends of Minneopa

Since 1998, the Friends of Minneopa State Park has supported a wide variety of opportunities for community members and visitors to experience Minneopa State Park. Their past year of activities demonstrates the group's lasting commitment to this special park near Mankato. Annual Events Winterfest (January): ...

October 25, 2019

Getting more kids outside through youth engagement grants

Three more friends groups will be getting kids to their state parks for field trips, with support from grants issued by Parks & Trails Council. One of the biggest barriers that schools and youth groups face with getting kids outdoors and going on field trips ...

October 21, 2019

North Branch Students explore Wild River State Park

About 50 kids from North Branch's "Youth Connections" program descended upon Wild River State Park Thursday. Friends of Wild River State Park, through a grant secured from Parks & Trails Council, partnered with the park naturalist and the Youth Connections program to build a field ...

kids and naturalist walk along a gravel path

October 14, 2019

Volunteers Needed to Clean Bird Houses

From Lake Wobegon Trails Association Would you like to enjoy the last of the fall days outside on the Lake Wobegon Trail? Stearns County Parks could use your help! Throughout the trail there are bluebird houses that need to be opened and cleaned out. Biking, ...

October 9, 2019

Silver Bay Students Bike to Split Rock

From Gitchi-Gami Trail Association Gitchi-Gami Trail Association received a grant from Parks & Trails Council to partner with a local school for a bike field trip on a state trail and to a state park. Read the article in the Lake County News Chronicle October ...

October 8, 2019

Lake Vermilion Trail Executive Director Search

From Lake Vermilion Trail Work Group The Lake Vermilion Trail Joint Powers Board is recruiting for a part-time Executive Director. Resumes must be received by October 31, 2019. See Position Description below. Interested applicants can email their resume to lvtinfo@yahoo.com or mail their resume to: ...

Group shot of 12 members outside holding award

October 8, 2019

Runners endured muddy trails at the Leaf Mountain Foot Race

From Friends of Glacial Lakes State Park Friends of Glacial Lakes State Park hosted their 2nd Annual Leaf Mountain Foot Race on September 21, 2019. Thunderstorms passed through during the first loop of the race, but that didn't stop these hearty souls! Runners soldiered on ...

October 3, 2019

Rewards and challenges of being a parks and trails manager

An update from Arielle Courtney, DNR Whenever I tell people I work for DNR Parks and Trails, I usually receive one of several reactions. The first reaction is usually delight at the idea of playing with frogs and butterflies all day, what a lucky person ...

Author: Ashley Pethan