This year's Fall Volunteer Rendezvous will take place September 27-28. Volunteers will plant trees along the parks' new recreation trail near the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.
No experience is necessary and all ages are welcome. National Park Service staff will provide you with the tools and training required to make a positive impact on the park.
You won't just be working either! We have several fun activities planned, including a boat tour, canoeing, and a "Ghosts of Voyageurs" candlelight hike. More information, including a rough itinerary, is available on the website and online registration form. We hope you can you join us for this fun weekend in the park.
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National Park Teen Ambassador program update
 VNPA has recruited 18 teenagers from the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mankato, and International Falls areas to take part in the 2013 National Park Teen Ambassador program this summer. The group will set out on the Mississippi River next week and then head to Voyageurs National Park in July.
National Parks are outstanding outdoor classrooms and allow students of all ages to make lasting connections to the natural environment. Yet many youth lack the resources to have this experience. In 2012, VNPA partnered with the National Park Service and Wilderness Inquiry to launch the first-ever National Park Teen Ambassador program. The project brings together high school students from rural and urban Minnesota communities on multi-day outdoor learning expeditions in two national parks: Voyageurs National Park and the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area.
The Ambassadors camp, paddle, hike and explore topics including air and water quality, wildlife research, cultural and natural history, Park Service careers, and environment conservation and stewardship. Park rangers work with the group to collect feedback on how they can better educate and engage teens in the parks. The goal is to give the teens an enduring and transformational outdoor experience and empower them with a sense of pride, awareness, ownership and responsibility for national parks and our natural world.
Read the poem Kabetogama written by 2012 Ambassador Frankie Alvarez.
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Voyageurs awarded 2013 Active Trails grant
Voyageurs National Park was awarded a 2013 Active Trails grant by the National Park Foundation for their new Hike to Health program.
The Hike to Health program is a four phase project to encourage visitors to get active and get outside whether via snowshoe, bike, or foot! Voyageurs National Park will create a new partnership with the local medical center to encourage patients to hike in the park for improved health; partner with VNPA on a service learning project for the restoration of a new recreation trail; conduct a Grand Opening and 5K run/walk on the trail; and engage local gateway communities to get into the park and experience as many trails as possible.
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Park announces new summer hours
Visitors to Voyageurs National Park will find changes occurring with visitor center hours of operation and ranger-led tours. Click here for more information. This reduction in days and hours of operation is due to the government sequestration. Visitors can expect continued but reduced boat tours and should call ahead for scheduled naturalist-led programs.
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Moose tracking
Wildlife biologists at Voyageurs National Park recently completed an aerial survey of the park's moose population. The 2013 population was estimated to be 46 moose (± 7%), similar to estimates from 2009-2011 (no survey was conducted in 2012). The calf:cow ratio and the percent of calves in the population were relatively high in 2013; also similar to estimates from 2010-2011. Biologists conclude the low-density population that exists in Voyageurs National Park at the present time is still relatively stable, especially when considered against the backdrop of the rapidly declining population in Northeastern Minnesota's moose range. However, park's biologists caution that other large-scale factors, such as climate change and disease outbreaks continue to threaten the long-term viability of the small, isolated population in the park, and continued monitoring is warranted.
The 2013 Voyageurs National Park Moose Population Survey Report can be downloaded here.
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Invasive species film released
Voyageurs National Park, in partnership with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, has produced a short film about the threat that invasive species pose to Voyageurs National Park. The film centers on the Spiny Water Flea, a little crustacean that's causing a big problem for native wildlife. Filmmakers hope that the film can instruct park visitors on how to prevent the introduction and spread of non-native species in Voyageurs National Park. Download the video here.
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To protect and promote the natural, recreational,and historic resources of Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park Association
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