• Wilderness in the City

    Dedicated to preserving and enhancing urban natural areas for ourselves and future generations.

  • Lebanon Hills Regional Park

    “We call it Boundary Waters South,” Katie Pata, operations coordinator for the Dakota County parks.

  • Volunteer

    Natural resource volunteers are vital to the health of our urban regional parklands and watersheds.

    Donate Now

  • Donate & Join Us

    Support our work to enhance and preserve natural resources in Lebanon Hills and other Regional Parks across the Twin Cities.

    Donate & Join Us
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Turf to Pollinator Garden Project

Pollinator Pathways

In 2023 – 2024 we worked with our partners Metro Blooms to plant pollinator gardens in six Regional Parks around the Metro. The gardens replaced turf grass lawns, which offers little food for pollinators.

Each garden is unique, demonstrating how native plants can thrive in various site conditions. The native plantings benefit not just pollinators but also birds and other wildlife — and they enhance soil and water quality in the parks.

Please visit a garden in a park near you: Battle Creek, Lebanon Hills, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Minnehaha Falls, Bunker Hills, and Keller Lakes Regional Parks.

Hundreds of amazing volunteers invested their time in helping us plant. They include students, corporate groups, families, friends, and individuals. Thank you!

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Thank you to everyone who helped us raise funds to install bike racks at Lebanon Hills Regional Park’s Holland Lake and Dodd Road Trailheads. Please use them on your next bike ride to hike in the park!

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In The News!

We’re proud to announce that Wilderness in the City has been featured in the roundup: “6 Cities Lighting Up the HNP Biodiversity Map“! Check out the article to learn about the amazing native planting projects happening nationwide and don’t miss the section featuring the newly planted plot at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary – part of our Turf to Pollinator Garden Project!

Volunteer at Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Volunteer Trail Patrol Team

Enjoy the outdoors while assisting park visitors with questions, directions, and providing an extra support measure in case of emergencies. Teams include Ski, Mountain Bike, Greenway & Park Trail, Dog Park, or Equestrian. Volunteer while personally enjoying the trails yourself, so easy and fun!

Learn more and register.

Habitat Stewards

Help to maintain areas that have been planted with native grasses and wildflowers in highly visible areas.  See the below link for current volunteer opportunities in this space and more details.  Current opportunities are available within LHRP at Holland Bay and the Visitor Center Backyard.

Habitat Stewards

Adopt-A-Park

By becoming an Adopt-a-Park volunteer, you will be notified first by email when new projects come up that focus on your selected park. Opportunities can include picking up trash, maintaining trails, improving park features, reducing invasive species, and various nature studies and surveys.

Sign Up to Adopt-A-Park

Student Internship

Build Leadership | Gain Work Experience | Earn Service Hours

Wilderness in the City is looking for students to serve as Youth Representatives on our Board of Directors.

Fill out the application and email it to info@wildernessinthecity.org.

We are Wilderness in the City – dedicated to preserving and enhancing urban natural areas for future generations.

Newsletter

Joining our email list is the best way to stay informed and learn about volunteer opportunities, events and any pending decisions on issues that may impact the future of Lebanon Hills.

Contact Us

Contact us to learn more about any issues we are working on, or if you’d like to get involved.