Friends of the Parks and Trails was delighted to collaborate with the Saint Paul Parks Conservancy‘s Parks Giving Day on Thursday, May 16, along with representatives of Como Friends. The organizer and visionary of the event, Parks Conservancy Executive Director Michael-jon Pease, welcomed St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter along with representatives of Como Friends and the Great River Passage Conservancy.
Lauren Dees-Erickson, the new executive director of Friends of the Parks and Trails, spoke about the organization’s history, its more recent projects and accomplishments, and its legacy as the creator of the No Net Loss provision in the city and county on behalf of our parks and green space.
The event at historic Rice Park in downtown St. Paul drew over 100 people to celebrate our city’s nationally award-winning parks system, which includes 184 parks and open spaces as well as 120 miles of trails. Saint Paul Parks Conservancy Executive Director Michael-jon Pease created the day as a way for people to make a one-time donation to their favorite parks-related organization and its mission.
- Even though the event is past, it’s not too late to give to Friends of the Parks and Trails! Click here to donate online, or help us avoid credit-card fees and instead mail a check to: P.O. Box 4206, St. Paul, MN 55104. Thank you!
“Private philanthropy and volunteers are what power the 185-year-old parks system,” Pease said. Added Mayor Melvin Carter: “St. Paul is a city where trees and water and green space are the norm.” And he is grateful, he said, to be “a lifelong rec center participant.”
Andy Rodriguez, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department director, thanked the members of his staff who were in attendance.
Photos by Amy Gage
