The Friends organize various activities in the park. An annual breeding bird survey had been conducted each June since 1999. Friends members have led nature hikes and given talks on park history. The organization has re-published a history of the park’s early days and produced sets of note cards and postcards. The annual Minneopa Photo Contest run by the Friends has drawn outstanding work by local photographers. The Friends contributed directly to the park by purchasing the stove for the camper cabin. Members have also been involved in removing invasive plants (buckthorn, sumac) and collecting native plant seeds for prairie restoration.

The Friends’ newsletter, called the Minneopa Messenger, has been published quarterly since June 1998. The newsletter carries regular columns by the park manager and the president of the organization plus organizational news and feature articles on a variety of subjects ranging from articles about park history and wildlife, to the night Jesse James slept in the park, to an interview with the Friends member who removed 350 smelly dead fish from the pond below the falls – manually, one slimy fish after another (estimated weight -- 1/3 of a ton) and hauled them to a dumpster a quarter of a mile away in October 2001.

The Friends of Minneopa have been fortunate to have many fine volunteers doing the work of the organization. The presidents of the Friends have been Brand Frentz, Bernie Lindberg, Merrill Frydendall, LaVonne Craig, Harriet Mason, and Randy Wood. Gordon Herbst has been an officer as well as unofficial park historian and indefatigable worker for the benefit of the park. Many other members have contributed to the Friends’ work.

We welcome you and invite you to join us!