Voyageurs National Park Volunteer Rendezvous

The Volunteer Rendezvous is a vital native habitat preservation project held in our nation’s premier freshwater‐based National Park, Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota bordering Ontario. Due to chronically underfunded budgets, it is often difficult for Voyageurs National Park to complete all of the conservation and maintenance work that keeps the Park a great place to visit. Voyageurs National Park Association organizes the Volunteer Rendezvous to help the Park meet its needs and engage community volunteers in caring for the Park.

NATIVE RESTORATION

Past events have provided upkeep and preventive maintenance for the Park’s trails, but based on the Park’s needs, we’ve shifted focus to habitat restoration. Former developed sites along this park’s 655 miles of glacier‐carved lakeshore have left gaps of uncharacteristically deforested land. Voyageurs’ shoreline ecosystem is critical habitat for wildlife such as common loons, wolves and Canada lynx as well as a prime visitor destination for camping and hiking.

Volunteers help Voyageurs National Park Service staff restore these areas to their wild, natural state in order to increase visitor access, preserve critical wildlife habitat, and enhance the scenic beauty of Park. Youth and adult volunteers plant native trees and wildflowers, remove destructive non-native plants, and collect seeds for greenhouse propagation. 

YOU CAN JOIN US, TOO!

The next Volunteer Rendezvous will be September 10-12, 2010. To learn more, email vnpa@voyageurs.org and we’ll keep you in the loop. View photos of past events to check out the work we accomplished.

The 2010 Volunteer Rendezvous is sponsored in part by grants from Patagonia, Inc. of St. Paul, the Nash Foundation, and the Tourism Cares Save Our Sites program.