Minnesota and the Northwoods BRINGING THE OUTDOORS CLOSER TO HOME IN 2026 AND BEYOND
Sophie Harris Vorhoff. PHOTO BY CORY RYAN / CT RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Connecting Everyone to the Outdoors in Minnesota and the Northwoods of Wisconsin and Michigan Access to nature isn’t a luxury; it’s essential. You make it possible for Trust for Public Land to protect and create community-centered outdoor spaces that improve health and wellness, increase climate resilience, and bolster social connections. You help TPL advance this important work through on-the-ground project delivery in Minnesota and the Northwoods and comprehensive systems change across the country. This year, together, we made meaningful progress toward our shared vision of connecting everyone to the outdoors. Across Minnesota and the Northwoods, we protected important natural landscapes, expanded access to trails and public lands, and advanced community-driven projects that connect people to nature close to home. We helped safeguard special places like Lake Superior Falls, expanded public lands through strategic conservation projects, and continued to strengthen the partnerships that make this work possible. We also advanced our community schoolyards initiative and are poised to launch a new cohort of schools where children and families can enjoy the benefits of the outdoors right where they learn, live, and play. What unites these efforts is a shared belief that everyone deserves access to nature, regardless of where they live. Whether protecting a forest, improving access to a trail, or transforming a schoolyard into a vibrant community gathering space, each project reflects a commitment to creating lasting benefits for people and the places they care about most.
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At the same time, we know there is more work ahead. Demand for parks, trails, protected lands, and communitycentered outdoor spaces continues to grow. Communities across the region are looking for ways to improve access to nature, prepare for climate challenges, and create welcoming places where everyone can belong. With your partnership, we are well positioned to meet these opportunities and continue building momentum in the years ahead. Thank you for making this progress possible. Your generosity, advocacy, and commitment to our mission are helping create a future where every person can experience the benefits of the outdoors. We are grateful to have you as part of this work and look forward to what we can accomplish together. Thank you for joining us as we connect everyone to the outdoors. With gratitude, Sophie Harris Vorhoff Minnesota State Director
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Protecting the Places That Define Us
This year was a remarkable one for land protection. Working alongside public agencies, local communities, and conservation partners, TPL completed 15 projects that expanded public access, strengthened wildlife habitat, protected waterways, and conserved some of Minnesota and the Northwoods’ most treasured landscapes.
A New Connection Along Lake Superior One of this year’s most significant accomplishments was the protection of the Lake Superior Falls property along the Wisconsin—Michigan border. This 213-acre landscape features breathtaking views of Lake Superior, Superior Falls, and the Montreal River while serving as a vital connection between existing blocks of public land. Conveyed to the National Park Service for permanent protection, the property expands public access to one of the region’s most spectacular natural destinations while safeguarding shoreline habitat, water quality, and scenic landscapes for future generations. The project also establishes a critically important off-road connection for the North Country National Scenic Trail, improving safety and enhancing the experience of hikers exploring America’s longest congressionally designated trail. Our success with Lake Superior Falls demonstrates the power of long-term collaboration. Working alongside federal, state, local, and nonprofit partners, TPL helps communities seize conservation opportunities before they are lost—ensuring that beloved places remain accessible, resilient, and protected.
PHOTO BY TPL STAFF
For generations, the natural wonders of Minnesota and the Northwoods have drawn people outdoors to hike on forest trails, fish in cold-water streams, paddle along quiet waters, and reconnect with nature. But these landscapes face growing pressures from development, habitat fragmentation, and the increasing demands placed on public lands. This is why Trust for Public Land works with communities and partners to protect the forests, waterways, and treasured natural places that define the region.
Bob McGillivray A LIFETIME OF CONSERVATION IMPACT This year marked the retirement of Bob McGillivray, TPL’s Minnesota Land Protection Director, after 23 years dedicated to expanding public access to the outdoors. Throughout his career at TPL, Bob helped build one of the region’s most successful land protection and conservation programs, leading efforts that safeguarded forests, rivers, wildlife habitat, parks, and trails across Minnesota and the Northwoods. His impact can be measured in the number of acres protected and transactions completed, but his deeper legacy lives in the places people now enjoy every day—from public lands and wildlife management areas to river corridors and community parks. The partnerships he built, the conservation successes he championed, and the program he helped create will continue benefiting communities for years to come.
MAJOR MILESTONE ACCOMPLISHED! This year, TPL’s land protection work reached just over 250,000 acres conserved across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. We’re excited to expand beyond the quarter-millionacre mark and continue creating lasting benefits for people, wildlife, and future generations.
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Strengthening Schoolyards, Strengthening Communities Across Minnesota, too many children and families lack access to nearby parks and nature-rich spaces. Yet nearly every neighborhood already contains an untapped resource with the potential to address that challenge: its schoolyard. Through our community schoolyards initiative, TPL helps transform underutilized school grounds into vibrant outdoor spaces that support learning, play, community gathering, and climate resilience.
Brooklyn Center Elementary Shows What’s Possible Brooklyn Center Elementary is a powerful example of what schoolyard transformation can look like. Serving more than 800 students in one of Minnesota’s most diverse communities, the schoolyard was designed through a participatory process that invited students, teachers, families, and neighbors to help shape its future. The result is a space that reflects the community’s priorities and aspirations. What was once an underutilized schoolyard now includes a nature exploration area, microforest, rain garden, restored native prairie, outdoor learning opportunities, public art, and accessible play spaces. When school is not in session, the site functions as a community resource serving more than 3,000 nearby residents. 6 |
This year marked another milestone for the schoolyard transformation. With support from federal, state, local, and philanthropic partners, funding was secured to launch the final phase of the project, bringing to fruition the vision first developed by students and community members in 2022. The schoolyard at Brooklyn Center Elementary has earned statewide recognition, including a 2026 Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects Minnesota Chapter in the Small Budget/Big Impact category. The award specifically recognized the schoolyard’s nature exploration area, which incorporates natural play elements and repurposed ash trees. It is an acknowledgment of how thoughtful, community-driven design can create lasting benefits for everyone .
TOP AND BOTTOM: Brooklyn Center Elementary Community Schoolyard. PHOTOS BY CORY RYAN / CT RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY
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Building a Statewide Movement Brooklyn Center Elementary Schoolyard is part of a much larger effort to transform outdoor access across the region. Since launching Minnesota’s first community schoolyard cohort in 2023, TPL has worked alongside schools, communities, and public partners to create outdoor spaces that improve health, strengthen climate resilience, and foster a sense of belonging. As our work with community schoolyards continues to evolve, interest in the model has accelerated statewide. That momentum was on full display at TPL’s inaugural Minnesota Community Schoolyards Summit in November 2025. More than 100 educators, community leaders, environmental advocates, state agency representatives, and elected officials gathered to explore how community schoolyards can support student well-being, improve neighborhood climate resilience, and expand access to nature. Co-hosted with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Children’s Cabinet (a cross-agency state partnership focused on improving outcomes for children and families), the event highlighted growing support for community schoolyards as a statewide strategy.
throughout Minnesota. The summit also strengthened partnerships, built support among policymakers, and helped lay the groundwork for future growth. TPL has just launched a second cohort of community schoolyards in Minnesota. In the 2026–2027 school year, we are partnering with Gage Elementary (PK–5) in Rochester, Excell Academy (PK–8) in Brooklyn Park, and Mahnomen Public Schools (PK–12) on the White Earth reservation in northwestern Minnesota to advance much-needed schoolyard transformations. Like the first cohort, schools were selected through a data-driven process that considered factors such as park access, health outcomes, climate vulnerability, and community need. By building on the success of projects like Brooklyn Center, Minnesota has an opportunity to create more welcoming, nature-rich outdoor spaces where students and communities can learn, gather, play, and thrive.
Participants heard directly from school leaders, explored innovative approaches to outdoor learning and climate adaptation, and discussed opportunities to expand community schoolyards into more communities
TOP: Community Schoolyard Summit. PHOTO BY ROOSEVELT MANSFIELD
BOTTOM: Franklin Elementary. PHOTO BY CORY RYAN / CT PHOTOGRAPHY
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MINNESOTA ADVISORY BOARD
THANK YOU for helping create parks, protect special places, and connect more people to the outdoors throughout Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and beyond.
Susan Haigh (Chair), retired, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Cheryl Appeldorn (Vice-Chair), Policy Analyst Page Knudsen Cowles (TPL National Board Emerita), Knudsen Vineyards Andrew Brown, retired, Dorsey & Whitney Toni Carter, Metropolitan Council District 14, and Sankofa Leadership Network Devin Driscoll, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. Paul Durkee, retired, Antea Group Paul Fate, PFate & Associates Glenn Johnson, retired, Mairs & Power Kristin Kelly, Voyageur Health Advisory Richard Leyva, Leyva & Wilde, Inc. Kate Sande, Ecolab John Shepard, Cascade Communications, and Hamline University
A Special Thank You to our Longtime Funding Partners
Anthony Taylor, Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission, Melanin in Motion, and RiverNorth Development Partners Marnie Wells, The Toro Company Foundation
WE MOVED! Our new address is: 201 Irving Avenue North, Suite 300 Minneapolis, MN 55405 651.760.0179
Join us Your gift ensures everyone has access to the outdoors. Every park we create, schoolyard we transform, trail we extend, and landscape we protect is thanks to supporters like you. tpl.org/donate
Sophie Harris Vorhoff Minnesota State Director 651.999.5304 | sophie.vorhoff@tpl.org Lisa Runkel Regional Director of Philanthropy 303.837.9366 | lisa.runkel@tpl.org
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