If you are a member of a Friends Group supporting a park or trail in Minnesota, you’ve come to the right place. Here, you can access resources and services as well as see what other Friends Groups are doing, in order to learn from each other.
Friends Groups
Friends
Groups
Coming
Together
When a Friends Group joins as a member of Parks & Trails Council, they become a Friends Group Partner, which means they can access a variety of resources and are featured on our website and in newsletters. If your Friends Group is not already a member, we hope you’ll consider joining to become a part of the growing community.
What type of Friends Groups do we partner with?
Many parks and trails in Minnesota have a Friends Group; and they are as unique as the places they support. There are a few ways in which the Friends Groups that we partner with could generally be described.
Our Friends Group Partners are…
Stewards
Our Friends Group Partners are mission-based organizations, focused on the environmental stewardship of the park or trail they support. Some, but not all, have official nonprofit status.
Active
Our Friends Group Partners fulfill their mission through a variety of activities, such as fundraising, advocacy, outreach, maintenance, and programming.
Volunteers
Our Friends Group Partners are volunteer-led groups. Their accomplishments are the result of dedicated people putting in hours of work in their free time. They are often unsung heroes, motivated simply by their love of the park or trail they support.
Independent
Our Friends Group Partners are independent, grassroots organizations. While they partner with the agency, they also play a role as the citizen voice who can be forthright in their opinions, beholden to their mission rather than the agency.
Partners
Our Friends Group Partners are strong partners with the staff who manage the park and trail they support. While independent, they work closely to align their mission with that of the park or trail and find ways to collaborate with the park or trail staff.
State or Regional
Our Friends Group Partners work to support parks and trails within the state and regional system. Often they are focused on one specific park or trail, but some support a defined region or network of parks and trails.
