The Friends of Minneopa formed in 1998 out of concern about the park’s future. Since then they have played a valuable role in helping put on special events and being involved with natural resource work to care for the park.
Specifically, they’ve led nature hikes, given talks on park history, re-published the park’s history, produced postcards, contributed funds for a camper cabin stove, removed invasive species, collected native plant seeds for prairie restoration, and hosted community meetings.
Many of the group’s board members have been involved for a decade or more. Board member Addie Theis Paradis joined recently. She previously worked as a staff member at Forestville State Park, but then transitioned to a career outside the DNR and found being part of the Friends was a great way to stay involved with the state parks.
The Friends previously focused on promotion and hosting events to get more people to visit the park. But since the bison introduction, Theis says that focus has shifted more toward managing and engaging the plethora of visitors.
The Friends are involved in the Bison Ambassador program that trains volunteers on bison basics and how to share their knowledge with visitors. Every weekend in the summer at least one of these volunteer ambassadors will be sitting up on the Seppman Mill bluff with a backpack of interpretive materials greeting visitors.
In fall 2024, the Friends completed a habitat restoration project funded by a Parks & Trails Council grant. The project involved planting native shrubs in the picnic area near the waterfalls. The plants will provide a natural fence to block access to an abandoned trail that used to traverse unstable ground near the falls. As a bonus, the shrubs, which include native edible nuts and berries can be used in interpretation of the natural environment.
The staff at Minneopa has had a major turnover with a new park manager, assistant manager, and naturalist. The Friends add some stability to the park as the new staff learn the ropes and present new opportunities to collaborate in the future.