April 5, 2021

P&TC issues 9 grants to friends groups for habitat restoration projects

Nine volunteer-led friends groups will implement habitat restoration projects at Minnesota parks and trails this year with funds issued by Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota (P&TC). The projects include planting and protecting trees, removing invasive species, and collecting native plant seeds. The projects will ...
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shovels and trees that are ready to be planted
March 31, 2021

Meet the North Star Ski Touring Club

With the pandemic driving people outdoors this winter, new enthusiasm built around cross country skiing. The North Star Ski Touring Club (NSSTC) is here to foster this newfound interest in the sport and get folks involved in stewardship of Nordic ski trails. While the pandemic ...
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Group of Nordic skiers going up a small hill
March 24, 2021

Volunteers support bluebirds on Gateway State Trail

Bluebirds along the Gateway State Trail enjoy a helping hand from volunteers with the Gateway Brown’s Creek Trail Association (GBCTA). Since 2014, the friends group has maintained 16 houses each year, installing them in spring, monitoring the nests throughout summer, and cleaning and storing the ...
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Man in biking outfit stands in tall grass
March 15, 2021

Redwood County announces new camper cabins

Redwood County’s one and only park, Plum Creek Park, is proud to announce the addition of camper cabins for the 2021 camping season.

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three wooden cabins next to a field
March 10, 2021

House Legislative committee hears our case for state trail rehab

On Tuesday, our staff presented at the House Capital Investment Committee to share our State of the Trails report.
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Parks & Trails Council's Research Bike
March 9, 2021

Spring News 2021 – Friends of Scandia

From Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails In This Issue William O'Brien pollinator survey Ecological management at Wind in the Pines Park Buckthorn removal Gateway Trail Extension Click image to download Go to friends' main page
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March 8, 2021

Parks & Trails Fun Quiz – March

March 2021 Fun Quiz 1 / 4 What is the largest source of fine particle pollution in Minnesota? Personal wood burning (wood stoves, boilers and campfires) Road transporation (cars, trucks, buses) Factory emissions (point source) According to the MnPCA, wood burning for campfires, stoves and ...
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February 25, 2021

Small Grants

Details Dig into the basics of small grants, from where to look for them, how they work, and what they can help you accomplish. Hear from Friends of the Jackson County Trails on their approach to getting grants—they share a lot of lessons learned! More ...
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February 16, 2021

Tracks & Trails – Winter 2021

From Glendalough Park Partners In This Issue Native Night Skies Legacy Giving President's Remarks Governor's Fishing Opener Walk 2021 Save the Date Vintage Glendalough Photo by: Walt Huss/P&TC Photo Contest Click image to download Go to friends' main page
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Newsletter masthead reads: Tracks and trails Winter 2021 #103
February 3, 2021

2019-2020 Youth Engagement Grant Projects In Review

In 2019, Parks & Trails Council launched a grant program designed as a partnership with friends groups to engage youth in parks and trails. In this first year of the program we began working with eight friends groups who identified innovative ways to engage youth ...
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Kids bike away from the park building
February 2, 2021

Special Places Newsletter Winter 2021

From the president | Gov. proposes park permit increase | Lake Shetek State Park | Nature prescriptions | 5 ways nature makes us healthy | Adapting with friends groups | State Park project updates | Places & Friends: Chester Woods Park
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Cover of Newsletter
February 1, 2021

2021 Legislative Session underway

State park fee increases proposed in governor's budget Lawmakers convened the 2021 legislative session in early January in what will be one of the more unusual yet consequential sessions in recent memory. Legislators have a short but complex list of tasks: battling the ongoing COVID-19 ...
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January 22, 2021

History of Lake Shetek State Park

1862 Tensions escalate between the Dakota and white settlers leading to a group of Dakota attacking the Lake Shetek settlement in the early days of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. 1863 The bodies of the 15 white settlers who were killed in the attack are ...
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Wooden sign mounted between stone pillars
January 22, 2021

Saving a rare forested peninsula for Lake Shetek State Park

Parks & Trails Council secured a treasured landscape for Lake Shetek State Park during a live auction on Oct. 24, 2020. The sale is expected to be finalized by May. The 24.5-acre property, with 3,000 feet of lakeshore along Lake Shetek, was put up for ...
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Aerial view of peninsula
January 22, 2021

Friends of Wild River – Winter 2021 Newsletter

From Friends of Wild River State Park In This Issue From the President 2020: A year like no other Park manager Looking for your stories Treasurer's report Click image to download Go to friends' main page
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Friends of Wild River newsletter header with their logo