Tend the native prairie bluff at Indian Mounds Park [FULL]

This event has reached maximum capacity. Read below for instructions to sign up for the waitlist, and we will contact you if anyone cancels their spot for this event. Or, see our full event calendar to choose a different volunteer opportunity.

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Our work takes place on Dakota homelands. Learn more.

Indian Mounds Regional Park (Makapaha in the Dakota language) is a burial site, home to six of the remaining burial mounds made by the Indigenous people of this region. Fifty or more mounds once sat atop the bluff, overlooking Wakáŋ Tipi, "dwelling place of the sacred" in the Dakota language, and future site of the Wakáŋ Tipi Center at Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. The mounds make this whole region a sacred place to many Indigenous communities throughout the midwest.

While FMR works to restore this blufftop prairie, we need to acknowledge the long history and sacred nature of this site. We encourage you to learn more from our partners at Lower Phalen Creek Project.

FMR volunteers — including students from nearby Harding High Earth Club, community members (including Friends of Mounds Park) and individuals and families from throughout the metro area — have been restoring the native bluff prairie at the historic Indian Mounds Park's overlook since 2011.

Volunteers are now needed to lend a hand working with FMR staff to tend to native prairie plants previously installed by other Indian Mounds Park stewards. By removing invasive species and assisting with other tending tasks, volunteers will help native plants thrive and make it through the summer. Thanks to their deep roots, these prairie plants help anchor the steep bluff soil and filter pollutants, such as oil and lawn chemicals, carried to the bluff by stormwater. They also provide important bee, butterfly and bird habitat.

All are welcome, but capacity is limited and registration is required. As always, all tools and training will be provided and volunteers are encouraged to work at their own pace and comfort level.

Accessibility

Volunteers should be prepared to work on steep and uneven terrain. Our activities will range from lower-intensity hand-pulling or digging up weeds, to using tools like saws and loppers to remove woody invasives.

Ready to register?

While this event is full, you can still sign up for the waitlist. Please contact FMR Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Sophie Downey at volunteer@fmr.org, 651.222.2193 x27, or by selecting Sophie by name under "Category" via the FMR contact form. Please include the name of the event, your name, address and phone number and the number in your party. We will contact you if a spot opens up.

Can't make it?

To receive notices of future volunteer events, contact FMR Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Sophie Downey at volunteer@fmr.org. Or, visit our Events Calendar for our most up-to-date listing of upcoming events. To receive a twice-a-month e-newsletter including all FMR activities and news, sign up for Mississippi Messages.

What about COVID-19?

We're watching the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health guidelines closely. If plans change based on their recommendations, FMR Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Sophie Downey will email registrants with event updates. (Be sure to add volunteer@fmr.org to your contacts so updates don't land in spam.) And we'll update this page if anything changes.

We will offer gloves and hand sanitizer at the event.