With a childhood steeped in meaningful nature experiences, it would have seemed a foregone conclusion that Erika Rivers would pursue a career in the outdoors. Both her father and grandfather were biology professors. She spent summers learning to row a boat at her family’s cabin, camping with her grandfather, and enjoying canoe trips organized by Bloomington Public Schools.
“Nature was definitely a passion for me,” Rivers concedes, “but it was not what I saw as my vocation.” Instead, with a degree in journalism and Russian studies, her first post-college job was as an editor in the corporate world. Nonetheless, the outdoors was calling her.
She returned to college to earn a doctorate in conservation biology and landed a communications job at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) in 2004.
Over her 17-year career with the MNDNR, Rivers moved across the state with her husband (also a MNDNR employee) and children. From Red Wing, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, and the Twin Cities.
By 2014, she took on the role of director of Minnesota State Parks and Trails—the first woman to ever do so. Having worked in the MNDNR for a decade by this point, she was accustomed to being in a male-dominated field. It gave her perspective and fed her desire to tackle a startling fact she encountered as director: only about five percent of visitors to Minnesota State Parks and Trails identified as Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC), which was far below their share of the state’s population at that time.
Rivers also credits disability advocate and wheelchair-user Margot Imdieke Cross with lighting a fire under her. She says Imdieke Cross opened her eyes to how people with disabilities have been hindered from accessing parks and trails.
From that point on, equity and accessibility became pillars of her work, on par with her focus on conservation and recreation generally.
“The fact that there was such a difference between how people were experiencing the outdoors and that access to a better life spurred a passion in me to try to make our outdoor spaces in Minnesota as welcoming as possible to all people.”
Under Rivers’ leadership, Minnesota State Parks and Trails started tackling the issue with small, tangible steps. They audited the marketing materials and began ensuring that racially diverse people were represented.
They also addressed some barriers by designing the “I Can!” programs, which provide skill-building experiences for families to feel confident while camping, canoeing, fishing, and mountain biking. Rivers also led efforts to increase public funding for accessibility upgrades within state parks and trails.
In 2021, Rivers pivoted her career to become the executive director at Wilderness Inquiry, a nonprofit that is a leader in providing outdoor adventures for all ages, backgrounds, identities, and abilities.
Today, the proportion of state park visitors identifying as BIPOC has increased, reaching 11 percent by 2022. Additionally, 85 percent of BIPOC vistors reported that park staff helped them feel safe and secure.
“That’s meaningful, and we should celebrate,” said Rivers. “It’s also a reminder that we still have important work to do, as 21 percent of Minnesota’s population identifies as BIPOC.”
In her acceptance speech for the Reuel Harmon Award, Rivers issued a call to action. “Let’s continue to work together to build a bigger and even more joyful community that rallies around the common good—a community where every person, regardless of ability or identity, feels a sense of ownership and belonging in Minnesota’s parks and trails.”
I am truly honored and deeply humbled to be receiving the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota’s Reuel Harmon Award. Looking out at this room, at so many of the people who have dedicated their lives, personal resources, and careers to protecting and enhancing our public lands, I feel an immense sense of gratitude. Thank you, Brett – my good friend and collaborator these many years – and the council’s board of directors, for this incredible honor.
Throughout my career, I have held a variety of roles, including those of conservationist, public engagement professional, planner, and executive. The real work—the truly meaningful work—is never done alone. So, in my mind this award is really a testament to the extraordinary community of parks and trails professionals with whom I’ve had the privilege to work, within the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; across partner organizations like my current employer, Wilderness Inquiry, and dozens of Friends Groups here in Minnesota; and even nationally with the 49 other state park directors, who are united in purpose to uplift America’s State Parks.
I feel blessed by the many friends and colleagues who have reached out with congratulations and are here tonight. To all of you, thank you for YOUR vision, your persistence, and your heart. Over the years, we were able to embrace and implement powerful ideas together—from navigating a complex agreement on the Parks & Trails Legacy Fund that has provided nearly $800 million for public parklands, trails and infrastructure – to building hundreds of miles of new trail and creating a state park from bare ground at Lake Vermilion – to setting about system and structure changes to our state parks and trails to ensure that all people could feel welcome and supported on them. I have been fortunate to have had a front-row seat to all of their creativity, innovative spirit, and unwavering commitment to our state’s natural heritage and ensuring that all people – regardless of background, ability, or financial resources – have meaningful and equitable access to enjoy Minnesota’s cultural and natural history.
When I started working in Minnesota’s State Parks & Trails, only about 5% of folks visiting them identified as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color – a significant inequity in who was benefiting from the important health and wellness benefits of outdoor recreation and connection to nature. I quickly realized that our mission wasn’t just about preserving land and providing recreation; it was also about ensuring that the benefits of these special places were available to everyone. It was about breaking down barriers and opening doors, whether through supporting the “I Can!” programs to teach families new skills or through prioritizing critical accessibility upgrades to our infrastructure.
We’ve made progress. In the 2022 state park visitor study, the proportion of BIPOC-identifying visitors had increased to about 11%, with 85% now reporting that park staff helped them feel safe and secure. That’s meaningful, and we should celebrate. It’s also a reminder that we still have important work to do, as 21% of Minnesota’s population identifies as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. AND, in that same 2022 survey, about 8 of the 12% of people with disabilities who visit our parks still reported significant barriers to access. The plain fact of the matter is that barriers to accessing the outdoors impact our quality of life.
Increasingly, we have the evidence to back this up. Through a growing body of nature-dosing research, we’re seeing that while even a few minutes outside can have positive impacts on stress relief, it’s extended exposures that provide enough time for the brain to shift from a state of focused attention to one of “soft fascination” with natural stimuli like rustling leaves or flowing water. This deeper cognitive rest leads to improvements in concentration, memory, and creative problem-solving. Physically, longer exposure allows for more significant reductions in stress hormones, such as cortisol, and sustained decreases in blood pressure. These cumulative effects build on each other, creating a more resilient and balanced state of well-being that can then better withstand future stressors.
This is why camping, long bike rides on trails, and slow hikes through the woods are so important. It’s in those moments of sleeping under the stars, of waking up with the sunrise, of sharing stories around a campfire that we find a deeper connection not only to the natural world, but to ourselves and to the people we are with. This is where true healing and community are forged.
And that sense of connection—that sense of belonging—is more important now than ever. In a world that often feels fractured and divided, outdoor recreation is a powerful force for unity. The natural world doesn’t see our political affiliations, our backgrounds, or our differences. We arrive and explore our parks and trails as we are: human beings, united in our search for beauty, for peace, and for a shared sense of wonder.
When Brett called to inform me that I would receive this honor, I don’t mind telling you that I broke down in tears. It’s so meaningful to me because it comes from a community to which I am deeply proud to belong. The Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota is more than an organization we support. It’s a community built on the shared belief that these special places belong to everyone and are worth continued investment – even as public funding is stretched thinner each year. From the volunteers who maintain our trails to the legislators who champion our cause at the Capitol, the Council and its staff have created a powerful network of people who understand that our parks and trails are not just places on a map—they are a vital part of the heart and soul of our state. They are where we find solace, where we challenge ourselves, and where we connect with one another.
So, I’d like to end with a call to action. It’s a call for us all to double down on our efforts to ensure that our parks and trails are not just preserved, but are made more welcoming and accessible for every Minnesotan. Let’s all continue to work together to build a bigger, stronger and even more joyful community that rallies around the common good—a community where every person, regardless of ability or identity, feels a sense of ownership and belonging on Minnesota’s parks and trails.
