News – Page 7 – Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota

February 3, 2022

Friends have embarked on ambitious $1,000,000 fundraising campaign

A new nature center is getting built at Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo, and the Friends of Oxbow is rallying support to enhance the nature center experience once it's constructed. Since the '80s, Friends of Oxbow has been supporting the park's educational, environmental, and recreational ...

blooming flowers and walking paths in front of building

January 26, 2022

Special Events

Details One way that friends groups engage community members is through special events. These events provide people with a connection to the park or trail, they may help raise funds for the group, and they promote the stewardship work the friends group provides. Hear from ...

January 19, 2022

Friends’ long-term interventions to manage invasive buckthorn

From Friends of Chester Woods Much of Chester Woods is infiltrated with buckthorn and other woody invasive specis, especially in the undeveloped areas of our park. We have forested areas where buckthorn is almost the exclusive species on the forest floor. The Friends of Chester ...

Person stands at intersection of chemically treated buckthorn and untreated buckthorn

January 4, 2022

Volunteering with the DNR – Survey

An update from Arielle Courtney, DNR Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a safe, healthy celebration of the winter holidays and got the opportunity to spend a bit extra time at our state parks and trails. As I write this, I’m planning ...

December 17, 2021

Welcome along on a forest bath

Forest bathing: what an intriguing term. Have you heard about this idea? If you’re like me, you’ve seen the idea popping up here and there, but have never come across a satisfying explanation of what it is, exactly. So, when I saw an opportunity to participate in a 2-hour, guided forest-bathing session at a nearby park, I jumped at the chance to finally figure out this mystery.

December 14, 2021

700 people listen to music at Lake Bemidji summer concert series

From Friends of Lake Bemidji State Park At Lake Bemidji State Park this summer, park visitors had the opportunity to listen to live music 13 times in July, August, and September. Local musicians, like the Bemidji Bogtrotters and Not Your Average Family Band, took to ...

Attendees watch live music in visitor center

December 14, 2021

City of Jackson named a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community

From Friends of the Jackson County Trails In 2018, a story was written by the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota regarding Jackson's Bike Friendly Community success... "Think of prairie breezes rolling across tall grasses. Think of frostbitten winters and locust swarms and bumper crops. Think of ...

November 30, 2021

Meet Friends of Sunfish Lake Park

A small, but mighty, group of volunteers banded together five years ago to stand as a symbol of stewardship for Lake Elmo's Sunfish Lake Park. One of their primary activities has been creating and operating the nature center in the park. In addition, they host ...

November 29, 2021

DNR Update – Gratitude, new leadership, and 2022 goals

An update from Arielle Courtney, DNR I hope everyone is staying well and enjoying the holiday season so far as we approach the end of the year. I can confidently say on behalf of the DNR and all of the staff you work with at ...

volunteers discussing how to best approach the protective fencing

November 9, 2021

Habitat Restoration

November 2021: Q&A Tune in to this Q&A session to learn about the 2022 grant program and the types of projects it will fund. January 2021: Webinar Learn from a DNR expert about how friends groups can support restoration projects in parks and trails and ...

November 1, 2021

Capital Investment Committee hears pitch for Casey Jones Trail Funding

From Friends of the Casey Jones State Trail Association Friends of the Jackson County Trails has been working hard to develop an off-road trail for mountain biking, hiking, and snowshoeing. Read the article in Pipestone County Star October 29 edition: "Capital Investment Committee hears pitch ...