Avery Hildebrand

On June 14th, over 70 people braved the 105-degree heat index to help clean up the Mississippi River at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis. Conservation Minnesota, in partnership with United By Blue, Target, and Friends of the Mississippi River, spent two hours combing the river banks, neighborhoods, trails, and grassy fields for small plastics.

In 2019, Conservation Minnesota played a crucial role, alongside our national partners, in helping to permanently reauthorize the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). On May 6th Secretary Haaland visited St. Paul’s Midway Peace Park to announce that $61 million of ORLP grants will be distributed this year to 26 metro areas across the country with three Minnesota parks slated to receive $9 million each. 

How the Biden-Harris Administration plans to expand, restore, and preserve 30% of public lands and waters by 2030.
 

In a question of public land and private property, Minnesota’s Land Exchange Board recently defended a Lac qui Parle property owner’s right to sell their land to the DNR. 

Minnesotans love our Great Outdoors, and we are willing to do what it takes to improve our favorite parks and open spaces. Dakota County is no exception. It is home to some of our most iconic examples of natural beauty here in our state—places like Lebanon Hills Regional Park, the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, Sand Coulee, and Whitetail Woods. As demand grows in Dakota County for more access to nature and parks, now is the time to start thinking about the future.