Friends of Whitewater State Park

10/22/2026

It's time for our fall Adopt-a-Highway cleanup day! Volunteers are invited to help pick-up litter along Highway 74 in the park on Thursday, November 5th from 10am - Noon. To sign-up, please email [email protected].

10/01/2026

The Friends of Whitewater State Park group work to support programs and activities at the park and we do that with donations and volunteering. We are happy to be a recipient of the Beans fo Bags program at Winona's Bluff Country Co-op for quarter four of 2026. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JHQ7wxe4M/

Meet The New Beans! 🫘🧺

The next quarter of Beans For Bags starts tomorrow, which means a new lineup of community non-profit organizations to choose from!

Sandbar Storytelling Festival
Winona Area Toys for Kids
Elder Network
Friends of Whitewater State Park

Want an easy way to support an organization listed above? All you have to do is bring your own reusable shopping bags (or basket) on your next grocery trip. Get a bean at checkout for every bag and drop that bean in the jar for the organization of your choice. We'll collect beans over the next 3 months and Bluff Country Co-op will donate 5 cents per bean to each organization at the end of December. It's one small way we can support our community together. 🧡

09/16/2026

Dave Palmquist, a Whitewater State Park hero😇

09/16/2026

A Whitewater State Park hero 👍🏼

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1556307952353311/?app=fbl

08/18/2026

Join us for our next ALP (Advanced Learning Program) on Wednesday, September 9th from 10 am - Noon at the Whitewater State Park visitor center.

Collapsing insect populations worldwide threaten everything from wild birds to the food on our plate. But it's not too late to turn things around! Once habitat is restored, insects repopulate quickly. Even small patches are critical places for food, reproduction, and over wintering habitat. Join insect enthusiast, Jessica Miller, to learn how to create “insect friendly” spaces for the unsung heroes of our environment.

Photo credit: Luke Toso/USFWS

07/20/2026

Join us on Wednesday, August 12th from 10 am - Noon at the Whitewater State Park visitor center for our monthly Advance Learning Program!

This month, Joel Dunnette will share about declining bird populations. Did you know bird populations have declined 30% in the past 50 years? There are many causes. Come learn about bird collisions with windows, and how you can help.

Photo credit: National Park Service

06/28/2026

A small but mighty force of volunteers pulled more than 2,500 wild parsnips from heavy use areas at Whitewater State Park today! Thank you all for your time and dedication to our beautiful park!

06/24/2026

Join us on Wednesday, July 8th, from 10 am - Noon for our monthly A.L.P. (Advanced Learning Program) at Whitewater State Park. Hosted by the Friends of Whitewater State Park!

This month we welcome Whitewater State Park Manager, Jimmy Fox. Jimmy will be talking about an innovative project he was involved with as Manager of Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Increasing wildfires in the far north, and their impact on permafrost, is one of several climate tipping points. This project focused on protecting Pleistocene-era permafrost known as Yedoma.

Photo credit: Fred Broerman, USFWS

06/24/2026

If you are looking for a volunteer activity that will improve Whitewater State Park, this Saturday, 6-27-26, will be our 14th annual Wild Parsnip Pull. As you may know, Wild Parsnip is an invasive plant that causes a painful blistering on the skin.

Volunteers are needed to pull young wild parsnip plants from heavy use areas in the park. Training for safely handling the plants will be provided, and best of all, lunch will be provided by the Friends of Whitewater State Park!

If you are able to help with this activity, please sign up on the Whitewater website under Events Calendar - https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/event.html?id=1558 Or, contact Jeremy Darst directly at [email protected]

Photo credit: MN Department of Agriculture.

06/09/2026

This little guy was photographed down by the south picnic area. Woodchucks are rodents and are in the same family as squirrels.

Learn more about woodchucks by reading the following article from the March-April 2023 issue of the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/assets/mcv/2023/mar-apr/yn/yn_woodchuck.pdf?v=2026.05.21-19.09.05