Uncertainty rattles Minnesota's park supporter groups as federal funding cuts continue

ZIMMERMAN, Minn. - After a ranger was abruptly fired in mid-February at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, volunteers tried to fill in to coordinate visits for school kids on field trips.

In one case, the volunteers warned a St. Cloud elementary school it would have limited visit options because of the ranger's absence. The class decided not to come.

The uncertainty of federal staffing has rattled the 700-member Friends of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge group, which raises money and makes up some of the park's 200 volunteers. Already, volunteer-supported public events like a spring bird walk and a spring celebration are canceled.

"It is a big impact if you don't have somebody to manage your volunteers," former Friends group president Sue Hix said. "We care about all these projects that we support."

Though the ranger has been rehired, the Friends and similar groups around the Midwest are questioning how much extra support they can and should lend, knowing nonprofit partners and volunteers can't sustain federal public lands on their own.

"We are being pushed into new territory where we are wondering: where do we draw that line?" said Christina Hausman Rhode, executive director of the nonprofit Voyageurs Conservancy, which supports Voyageurs National Park. "Do we say no to things? Do we let the public feel that pain?"

Some groups' official partnerships are now under federal scrutiny, too, and members worry about the effect on now-wary donors.

Under review

The angst at Sherburne resonates with Jeff Rennicke. He directs a nonprofit that supports the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior, a popular getaway for Minnesotans.

The Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore's agreement with the National Park Service (NPS), allowing it to fund-raise for the park, is under federal review, Rennicke said.

"There are more than 400 Friends groups that have this relationship. They are all being reviewed," Rennicke said. "[The federal government] wants to make sure money we are raising is for projects that the Trump administration approves."

Over the last 18 months, the group has raised $700,000 to improve accessibility to Meyers Beach and the mainland sea caves with a new ramp. For a time, the project was under scrutiny, too, but now is clear to continue.

"Our whole existence is to make parks better. I hope that also isn't under the microscope. There is absolutely no waste, no fraud," he said.

The National Park Friends Alliance, which supports member groups like Rennicke's, is concerned about the message the federal government sends to donors when it questions their support.

"Donors to these parks don't want to replace taxpayers dollars," said alliance executive director Katie Nyberg. "They are interested in leveraging the support of the [federal government] with their own love of a site."

Collectively, Friends groups contributed $208 million to NPS units in 2023, focused on areas from youth education to historical building restoration to trail building. Yet, even if groups wanted to step in and do the work of strapped parks, the dynamic isn't sustainable, she added.

"That line might not be the same for every single group," she said, "but the overwhelming sentiment for our groups is that they never are going to replace the role, in perpetuity, of the [National Park Service] to protect and preserve these lands."

'We need stability'

Voyageurs National Park, one of Minnesota's national park sites, is marking its 50th year of existence this spring with public events, including the grand opening of a new Crane Lake visitor center.

Hausman Rhode, of Voyageurs Conservancy, called out the swirl of "almost daily changes and directives" as it worked with park staff on the anniversary.

"It is challenging and overwhelming to think about celebrating," she said. "For philanthropy to be truly leveraged and realized, we need stability, staffing and funding at our park."

Hausman Rhode said the group now has had to consider "trigger words" in its communications — even in historical exhibits at the visitor center — that might run afoul of the Trump administration. The National Parks Conservation Association claims the federal government has deleted references to LGBTQ+ history from more than a dozen NPS webpages, for instance.

Direct interaction with the public is in play, too. The Wild Rivers Conservancy was on its own at March's Canoecopia, a longtime paddling-related expo in Madison, Wis. It occupied a booth without its federal partner, the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, because the NPS is under a travel and spending freeze.

"It's a testament that we can fill some gaps," the group's executive director Matt Poppleton said.

Poppleton said he is hoping other collaborations remain intact as field-trip season and summer programs like fishing lessons and teachers workshops on the water get closer. "Everything requires that much more clarification [with the NPS]," he said.

That connection is urgent for the conservancy's board, too, he added. "We don't want to rush in and fill every gap. Nor should we. The NPS has a mission."

Back at Sherburne, Friends members including Hix gathered recently at a tangible symbol of their commitment to the refuge: a new amphitheater with Native American-inspired stone work that opened last September. The Friends group had spearheaded a $410,000 capital campaign for it.

Myrna Krueger, who led the project, said a variety of donors included county chapters of deer and turkey hunting groups, for example, whose support reflects the land's broad popularity and use.

"It'll be really disappointing for me as a Friends member and the Friends, if this amphitheater sits empty after all that effort. The donors, the community groups …," she said, her voice trailing off.

Rennicke, from the Apostles, recently met with permanent and summer park staff and said there is "a real sense of unease and uncertainty."

A new 28-foot Munson Packman landing craft has just been added to the staff's marine fleet for everything from search and rescue to historic preservation projects. But the enthusiasm was tempered. Some employees wondered if they'd still be around to use it in the coming months, he said.