Early Spring Ephemeral Walk and BioBlitz
Come out and volunteer at a spring ephemerals BioBlitz event at Minnehaha Regional Park. We’re partnering withe the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board to engage in Citizen Science to observe and document species in the park using the iNaturalist app. The results can be viewed as a project by anyone using the app, and it can also be used as a baseline of species biodiversity. This is a family friendly event, and pre-registration is required through the Minneapolis Parks. For more information and to register, open the Event link.
Nature Walk with a Naturalist featuring Dave Crawford, Thursday, May 7, 7:00pm-8:30
Registration required. Space limited. For more information and to register, open the event.
Earth Day Litter Cleanup, Saturday, April 18, 9:30am-12pm
Annual Earth Day Litter Cleanup event at Minnehaha Park, sponsored by Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board.
Burdock (not Buckthorn) Removal @ Minnehaha Park, Saturday, April 11, 1:00pm-3:00pm
It should be perfect buckthorn slaying on Saturday. We’re planning on also doing alternate tasks such as relocating a pile of buckthorn debris to a location where Forestry Dept can bring their trucks. Still, we recommend sturdy boots. We’ll be in the park on Saturday 1-3:00.
See you there!! For more instructions, open the event.
Alert — No Buckthorn Removal Saturday, April 4
No Buckthorn Removal on Saturday, April 4th. Enjoy the outdoors, your family, and the new Boardwalk at Minnehaha Regional Park in the lower glen.
Buckthorn Removal @ Minnehaha Park, Saturday, March 28, 1:00-3:00pm
It should be perfect buckthorn slaying on Saturday. We’re planning on also doing alternate tasks such as relocating a pile of buckthorn debris to a location where Forestry Dept can bring their trucks. Still, we recommend sturdy boots. We’ll be in the park on Saturday 1-3:00.
See you there!! For more instructions, open the event.
Buckthorn Removal @ Minnehaha Park, Saturday, March 21, 1:00-3:00pm
The weather forecast predicts 70 degree temps! Beautiful for working, but a little soggy from the melt. We’re planning on doing alternate tasks such as relocating a pile of buckthorn debris to a location where Forestry Dept can bring their trucks. Still, we recommend sturdy boots. We’ll be in the park on Saturday 1-3:00.
See you there!! For more instructions, open the event.
Buckthorn Removal @ Minnehaha Park, Saturday, March 14, 1-3:00pm
It should be a good afternoon for buckthorn removal — the snow that is forecast is scheduled for overnight. But watch here for an update, if any.
Buckthorn Removal @ Minnehaha Park, Saturday, March 7, 1:00-3:00pm
Finally, the perfect Buckthorn Slaying day we’ve been waiting for!
MPRB Volunteers
CANCELLED due to weather —Buckthorn removal @ Minnehaha Park Saturday, Feb 28, 1:00- 3:00pm
Our volunteer buckthorn slayers are clearly aglow with reveling in the day, the progress against buckthorn and the company!
The crazy wooden contraption is an awesome custom buckthorn debris hauling cart, an invention of Mark E!!
MPRB Volunteers
CANCELED due to illness of leads- Buckthorn removal @ Minnehaha Park Saturday, Feb 14, 1:00-3:00pm
Our volunteer buckthorn slayers are clearly aglow with reveling in the day, the progress against buckthorn and the company!
The crazy wooden contraption is an awesome custom buckthorn debris hauling cart, an invention of Mark E!!
MPRB Volunteers
Native Plant Seeding and Buckthorn removal Saturday, Feb 7, 1:00-3:00pm
Our volunteer buckthorn slayers are clearly aglow with reveling in the day, the progress against buckthorn and the company!
The crazy wooden contraption is an awesome custom buckthorn debris hauling cart, an invention of Mark E!!
MPRB Volunteers
Traditional Teachings About Birds
We’re proud to partner with Urban Bird Collective for our upcoming virtual zoom event. Hope Flanagan (Seneca) from the Turtle clan is a local indigenous elder, who teaches about plants and animals and indigenous cultural beliefs and traditions. She’ll be sharing stories and traditional teachings about birds.
Guest Speakers: Minnehaha Regional Park Updates from MPRB
Guest Speakers: Minnehaha Regional Park Updates from MPRB
Tuesday, December 16, 6:00pm at Matthews Recreation Center in Minneapolis.
Join us for a public meeting with updates from Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board officials related to Minnehaha Regional Park.
Carol HejlStone, Project Manager of the Minnehaha Park Infrastructure Improvement plan, will be sharing updates and progress on planning and project.
Adam Arvidson, MPRB Director of Strategic Planning and FMP’’s newly appointed Agreement Representative and Plan Champion for our Memorandum of Understanding with the Park Board, will speak on his role and relationship with our Friends group.
FREE, Open to the public. Light snacks will be served. Parking available in the Seward Montessori School parking lot and on the residential streets.
Buckthorn slaying CANCELED to due to weather, Saturday, November 29, 1:00-3:00pm
Our volunteer buckthorn slayers are clearly aglow with reveling in the day, the progress against buckthorn and the company!
The crazy wooden contraption is an awesome custom buckthorn debris hauling cart, an invention of Mark E!!
MPRB Volunteers
Buckthorn Slayers, Saturday, November 22, 1:00-3:00pm
It’s going to be a beautiful day in the park! Hopefully you’ve had your fill of Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies, cheese curds, and State Fair food, and you’re ready to burn a few calories in the great outdoors!
Oaks, Fire and Climate Change
Heather Holm, award winning author and nationally sought after speaker, is a biologist and pollinator conservationist, and an expert on bees and ecological landscape restoration. Learn more about Heather here.
Natural landscapes in the US and Canada have been drastically altered by human activities such as infrastructure development, logging, overgrazing, introduction of invasive species, and fire suppression. However, prior to Euro-American settlement, highly functional and biodiverse oak and/or pine grassland systems dominated throughout much of the continent.
Heather will shed a light on historical grasslands and oak savannahs, (including Minnehaha Park’s historical ecosystem), Native American historical management of grasslands through controlled burns, and the benefits of fire as a management tool on the oak and grass ecosystems.
Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Friends of Minnehaha Park. On street parking is available. Accessible entrance at the rear of the building. Light refreshments will be available. For more information contact us at FriendsofMinnehahaPark@gmail.com
Bird of Longfellow Gardens: A Photographic Walk into the Wetlands
Join us as we host Ted Hall, Minneapolis photographer, for a presentation and stunning photo tour of the birds and sights along Longfellow Gardens and the surrounding wetlands. You’ll hear about what Ted has learned in building a special relationship with nature.
Buckthorn Removal Event, Wed, Oct 1, 5-7:00pm
It will be dry and cooler. Fall is approaching, and we’ll be in the park as long as possible into the season. We’re excited to be using new tools purchased with a grant from Minneapolis Parks Foundation. All are welcome. We’ll train you. Wear long pants and bring water. We supply tools and gloves, if you need them. Help us keep buckthorn at bay to give native plants half a chance. The bees, insects, birds, native plants and shrubs will thank you! The people who come to see the beauty in the park will thank you. Meet at the lower level parking lot of Wabun Picnic Area to walk down the trail to the park. https://goo.gl/maps/C9u6SRAG5DUaQBTP7
National Public Lands Day Buckthorn Slayers, Sat., September 27, 9:00am-12:00pm
It’s going to be a beautiful day in the park! Hopefully you’ve had your fill of Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies, cheese curds, and State Fair food, and you’re ready to burn a few calories in the great outdoors!
Buckthorn Removal Event, Wednesday, Sep. 24, 5:00-7:00pm
It will be dry and cooler. Fall is approaching, and we’ll be in the park as long as possible into the season. We’re excited to be using new tools purchased with a grant from Minneapolis Parks Foundation. All are welcome. We’ll train you. Wear long pants and bring water. We supply tools and gloves, if you need them. Help us keep buckthorn at bay to give native plants half a chance. The bees, insects, birds, native plants and shrubs will thank you! The people who come to see the beauty in the park will thank you. Meet at the lower level parking lot of Wabun Picnic Area to walk down the trail to the park. https://goo.gl/maps/C9u6SRAG5DUaQBTP7
Nature Walk with a Naturalist: “What’s Happening at Minnehaha Park?”
Anything is fair game in this nature walk with Friends of Minnehaha Park volunteer naturalist, Dave Crawford. Plants, animals or rocks that catch your eye (or ear) all have back stories. What are they? What do they do? Why do they look like that? How do they get here? Dave will do his best to provide answers and stories.
Registration is required on Eventbrite. Link is below. The planned walk is approximately ¾ miles in length. We meet at the free lower level parking lot of Wabun Picnic Area. Follow the sign pointing to the Veteran’s Home on Godfrey Rd. downhill from 46th Ave. Then take the right fork to the lower level of Wabun Picnic Area. Parking lot is on the left by the Park Board Operations building.
FREE. — SPACE LIMITED — REGISTRATION REQUIRED
EventBrite Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nature-walk-with-a-naturalist-spring-wildflowers-at-minnehaha-park-tickets-1349795347219?aff=oddtdtcreator
Buckthorn Slayers, Saturday, September 13, 1:00-3:00pm
It’s going to be a beautiful day in the park! Hopefully you’ve had your fill of Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies, cheese curds, and State Fair food, and you’re ready to burn a few calories in the great outdoors!
Buckthorn Removal Event, Wednesday, September 3, 6-8:00pm
It will be dry and cooler. Fall is approaching, and we’ll be in the park as long as possible into the season. We’re excited to be using new tools purchased with a grant from Minneapolis Parks Foundation. All are welcome. We’ll train you. Wear long pants and bring water. We supply tools and gloves, if you need them. Help us keep buckthorn at bay to give native plants half a chance. The bees, insects, birds, native plants and shrubs will thank you! The people who come to see the beauty in the park will thank you. Meet at the lower level parking lot of Wabun Picnic Area to walk down the trail to the park. https://goo.gl/maps/C9u6SRAG5DUaQBTP7
Buckthorn Slayers, Saturday, August 30, 1:00-3:00pm is ON
It’s going to be a beautiful day in the park! Hopefully you’ve had your fill of Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies, cheese curds, and State Fair food, and you’re ready to burn a few calories in the great outdoors!
Buckthorn Slayers, Wed, August 27, 6-8:00pm
It’s a beautiful night to join Friends of Minnehaha Park tonight (W, August 20 from 6-8:00pm) to help protect the native plants and biodiversity in the park by removing buckthorn with the Buckthorn Slayers.
Insect Mini-BioBlitz at Minnehaha Park
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation is planning an Insect Min-BioBlitz at Minnehaha Park. Join us for an afternoon of exploring Minnehaha Park to see what insects we can find!
Photo Credit: minneapolis parks.org
Mini BioBlitz: Insects
Use nets and bug jars to collect, observe, identify and then release insects.
Minnehaha Regional Park
Sunday, August 24, 1 pm to 3 pm
Registration required: https://form.jotform.com/252084898408166
Lake Nokomis Park
Sunday, September 7, 1 pm to 3 pm
Regisration required: https://form.jotform.com/252084652740153
What's a BioBlitz
Explore and discover the biodiversity of Minneapolis parks
Collaborate with local experts and naturalists from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB)
Identify as many insects as possible
Use aerial and sweep nets, as well as bug containers/jars
Create a snapshot of the variety of life at a specific place and point in time
Contribute valuable data for scientists and researchers
Upload our observations to the community science app iNaturalist.
All ages are welcome - youth under 14 must be accompanied by an adult
Buckthorn Slayers, Saturday, August 23, 1:00-3:00pm is ON
If you’re not planning on attending the State Fair on Saturday, it will be a pleasant 69 degrees at 1:00pm on Saturday, and it always feels a little cooler in the woods by the creek. Join us! Buckthorn Removal at Minnehaha Park is on for today, 1:00-3:00pm. Regular Buckthorn Removal Events typically meet every Wednesday from 6:00PM-8:00PM and Saturday from 1:00-3:00PM at the free lower parking lot of Wabun Picnic Area (weather permitting) to head down the trailhead to the park. GPS is confusing. Just follow the signs downhill towards the Veterans Home from 46th St E and Godfrey Parkway near the Ford Parkway Bridge. Then when you get to a fork and a stone marker that says “Wabun Picnic Area” take the right fork towards the lower level picnic area parking lot. We head down to Minnehaha Park on the trail across from the brown Park Board Operations building.
Wear sturdy shoes and layers, and bring a water bottle. We supply tools, training and work gloves. Link to a google map directions to the meet up location. https://goo.gl/maps/C9u6SRAG5DUaQBTP7
Buckthorn Slayers, Wed, August 20, 6-8:00pm
It’s a beautiful night to join Friends of Minnehaha Park tonight (W, August 20 from 6-8:00pm) to help protect the native plants and biodiversity in the park by removing buckthorn with the Buckthorn Slayers.
Nature Walk with a Naturalist: Plants Are Smarter Than You Think
Plants are more active than many people think. They defend themselves, seek energy, leverage cooperation from animals (including humans), and spread their offspring. Join Dave Crawford, naturalist, to learn about the wisdom and ways of plants at Minnehaha Regional Park in summer.
The walk begins from the lower parking level of Wabun Picnic Area. From 46th Ave S and 46th St E, follow signs to the Veterans Home and take the right fork to the lower parking level on the left. We walk down the trailhead to Minnehaha Park across from the brown Operations Building. If you reach the Vets Home, you have gone too far.
Space is limited. Pre-registration is required on Eventbrite. More information on Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1557254322599?aff=oddtdtcreator
Buckthorn Slayers, Saturday, August 16, 1:00-3:00pm is ON
Rain has subsided, and it’s clearing and nice out. Buckthorn Removal at Minnehaha Park is on for today, 1:00-3:00pm. Regular Buckthorn Removal Events typically meet every Wednesday from 6:00PM-8:00PM and Saturday from 1:00-3:00PM at the free lower parking lot of Wabun Picnic Area (weather permitting) to head down the trailhead to the park. GPS is confusing. Just follow the signs downhill towards the Veterans Home from 46th St E and Godfrey Parkway near the Ford Parkway Bridge. Then when you get to a fork and a stone marker that says “Wabun Picnic Area” take the right fork towards the lower level picnic area parking lot. We head down to Minnehaha Park on the trail across from the brown Park Board Operations building.
Wear sturdy shoes and layers, and bring a water bottle. We supply tools, training and work gloves. Link to a google map directions to the meet up location. https://goo.gl/maps/C9u6SRAG5DUaQBTP7
Buckthorn Slayers, Wed, August 13, 6-8:00pm
Join Friends of Minnehaha Park to help protect the native plants and biodiversity in the park by removing buckthorn with the Buckthorn Slayers.