Friends of Lake Nokomis

Friends of Lake Nokomis Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Friends of Lake Nokomis, Nonprofit Organization, Minneapolis, MN.

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The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) has temporarily closed three beaches in the Minneapolis park system as ...
08/25/2026

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) has temporarily closed three beaches in the Minneapolis park system as of Tuesday, August 25.

Bde Maka Ska 32nd Street (East) Beach
!! Lake Nokomis Main Beach !!
Wirth Lake Beach

The closures are due to water quality monitoring, which shows a 30-day geomean E. coli exceedance at these locations.

There are no reports of any illness from swimmers at these locations; however, the MPRB proactively closes beaches if bacteria levels exceed state guidelines.

All other MPRB public beaches are open and have acceptable bacteria levels.

Real-Time Beach Conditions

MPRB water quality staff monitor the beaches regularly; closed locations reopen when bacteria levels are within state guidelines.

Get up-to-date information on beach closures, beach advisories and results of MPRB's water quality monitoring at bit.ly/MPRBlakes.

Swim Healthy!

Don’t swim if you or your child have diarrhea or are sick

Be careful to not get lake water in your mouth

Wash your hands before eating and after changing a diaper

Avoid swimming after a rainfall: high bacterial levels in lakes generally return to normal levels within 48 hours of a rainfall

Towel dry immediately after exiting the water to prevent Swimmer’s Itch

When it doubt, stay out. Do not swim or play in blue-green algae.

Excited to share that trail repairs on the section of the walking trail with willow tree eruptions have begun! We’ve rea...
07/22/2026

Excited to share that trail repairs on the section of the walking trail with willow tree eruptions have begun! We’ve reached out to confirm, but believe that the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s concrete shop will be replacing the damaged asphalt trail with a new segment that should have more resistance to damage from the adjacent trees, giving us all a more even surface to traverse in our loops of the lakeshore for years to come.

**This post will be updated with more information when we receive it.**

On this smoky Thursday we have a positive update for you from the hillside winter sowing project…summer flowers are now ...
07/17/2026

On this smoky Thursday we have a positive update for you from the hillside winter sowing project…summer flowers are now blooming! Tall Bellflowers, Bee Balm, Partridge Peas and Black-eyed Susans are blooming now, and we spotted Virginia Bluebells, Virginia Waterleaf and Wild Geranium earlier this growing season. 🥳 We’ve come a long way from the invasive heavy ecosystem of buckthorn and garlic mustard that dominated these spaces when we started working on them in 2010!

Today, June 10, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board lifted the hazardous algae advisory for both Lake Nokomis Main...
06/10/2026

Today, June 10, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board lifted the hazardous algae advisory for both Lake Nokomis Main Beach and Lake Nokomis 50th Street Beach based on its seasonal monitoring of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) toxins in Minneapolis lakes.

All 12 MPRB beaches are currently open. MPRB’s Lake Water Quality Map is updated to show this week’s test results: bit.ly/mplsbeaches.

Hazardous algae conditions can change quickly. Advisory or no advisory, it is always a good idea to follow these recommendations:

When in doubt, stay out: do not swim when a suspected hazardous algae bloom is present

Don’t play in algae scum or mats in the water or on the shore

If exposed to blue green algae, shower and rinse immediately

The Friends of Lake Nokomis is pleased to announce we’re sponsoring a free yoga program Saturdays at the Main Beach agai...
06/10/2026

The Friends of Lake Nokomis is pleased to announce we’re sponsoring a free yoga program Saturdays at the Main Beach again this summer. Sessions begin at 8am and last for approximately one hour. BYO mat, drinking fountain is nearby (by entrance to Women’s changing room).

Community Slow Flow is being held in the grassy location near the Wheel Fun Rental Kiosk the following dates:

6/13
6/20
6/27
NO CLASS – July 4
7/11
7/18
7/25
NO CLASS – August 1
8/8
8/15
8/22

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) has issued a hazardous algae advisory for both Lake Nokomis Main Beach ...
06/03/2026

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) has issued a hazardous algae advisory for both Lake Nokomis Main Beach and Lake Nokomis 50th Street Beach, based on its seasonal monitoring of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) toxins in Minneapolis lakes.

The amount of microcystin, a chemical that blue-green algae can produce, exceeded the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recommended standard for safe swimming at both beaches in this week's samples.

Hot weather, sunny skies and water temperatures higher than 75°F are all ideal conditions for the growth of blue-green algae. Scroll down to see recommendations for a hazardous algae advisory.

Recommendations for a Hazardous Algae ADVISORY

Ingesting water with cyanobacteria can be harmful to humans and pets.

When in doubt, stay out: Do not swim when a suspected hazardous algae bloom is present.
Don’t play in algae scum or mats in the water or on the shore.

Before cooking any fish caught in the lake, throw away guts and clean fillet with tap or bottled water.

If exposed to blue green algae, shower and rinse immediately.

Swim Healthy Guidelines

Do not swim in water that looks like “pea soup” or spilled paint floating on the surface: Learn how to recognize and respond to blue-green algae.

Keep children and pets out of blue-green algae scum (per park ordinance, dogs are prohibited from swimming in lakes)

Don’t swim if you or your child have diarrhea or are sick.

Wash your hands before eating and after changing a diaper.

Be careful to not get lake water in your mouth.

Avoid swimming for 48 hours after a rainfall when bacteria levels can be high.

Towel dry immediately after exiting the water to prevent Swimmer’s Itch.

Info from the MPCA on harmful algae blooms:

https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/blue-green-algae-and-harmful-algal-blooms

On June 1, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) investigated a reported fish kill at Lake Nokomis. It involv...
06/03/2026

On June 1, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) investigated a reported fish kill at Lake Nokomis. It involved several species that together numbered about 150, on the western lakeshore and near the boat launch.

The dead fish were reported to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which tracks fish kills - also known as "fish mortality events" - across the state.

According to the DNR, lake fish can be susceptible to disease at this time of year, as rapidly warming water depletes oxygen and stresses fishes' immune systems.

One disease that can result in fish kills is Columnaris disease, caused by the bacterium Flavobacterium columnare. The bacterium is always present in fish populations but seems to affect them in late spring or early summer, when water is warming and fish are stressed from energy spent on spawning.

Bacteria of this type don't pose a health risk to humans. However, they may cause more dead fish to wash ashore in the coming weeks.

Three Things to Remember About Fish Kills

They can happen yearly from common infections when water warms quickly, or after spawning, when fish are weakened and stressed.

They occur in lakes throughout Minnesota.

They do not affect the quality of the lake’s water for swimming or boating; the quality of other fish in the lake; or the ability to eat or consume fish from the lake.

More info from the DNR on fish kills: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fisheries/fishkills.html

Greetings friends! This summer the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is holding a bioblitz in Nokomis-Hiawatha Regi...
05/17/2026

Greetings friends! This summer the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is holding a bioblitz in Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park on Saturday June 27th. What is a Bioblitz you ask? A bioblitz is a communal effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible.

The main goal of this event is to get community members out into the park to experience nature and participate in community science, and in so doing, to collect biodiversity data on what's living in the park using iNaturalist. They are also an excuse for naturalists, scientists, and curious members of the public to meet in person in the great outdoors, and they're a lot of fun!

The event will start at 7:30 am with an early morning bird walk, and then the first full session of the day will kick off at 9:15am, lunch 12:15-1, and the afternoon session will be 1-4pm.

Sign up to participate here: https://form.jotform.com/261235371841151

The parks could use assistance with the following event day activities too, so if you'd like to contribute time in that way, please check out the opportunities below.

Here is a list of volunteer roles, time commitment and the number of volunteers needed:

Morning set up & sign-in helpers, help set up the sign in tent and table, help sign participants in, 8:00-9:15 am (3)

Lunch set up and afternoon sign-in helpers, help set up the catered lunch when it arrives, help serve lunch, help afternoon participants get signed in and oriented, 11:30 am-1pm (2-3)

If people are interested in volunteering to help out for either of these time frames, please send Bonwyn an email at [email protected] and she'll get in touch with more information.

Many thanks to the volunteers that braved the cold to help tidy up the park after its winter slumber for Earth Day this ...
04/18/2026

Many thanks to the volunteers that braved the cold to help tidy up the park after its winter slumber for Earth Day this morning! Couldn’t make it? Please take a wander in your neighborhood and collect the litter you find to prevent it from being conveyed by the Stormwater system to the lake. 💗

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Minneapolis, MN
55417

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