Who we are
The Cedar Lake Park Association (CLPA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation started in 1988 by a small, well-organized and innovative group of community and philanthropic leaders who shared a vision for a piece of land. The rededication of this land as a wild space within a densely populated urban area is a triumph of civic partnership and citizen activism.
The CLPA, an all-volunteer organization, is the voice of the nature park and trail at Cedar Lake. Acting in partnership with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, we maintain relationships with MPRB staff, neighborhoods, the city, the county, and the state, as well as with federal and corporate entities, individuals and social groups. Our purpose is to carry the vision forward, preserving a record of the past to guide and encourage similar efforts.
What we do
Our goal is to preserve and restore the lands and waters surrounding Cedar Lake Park, bringing people and nature together in harmonious community.
Thanks to many thousands of dollars and many thousands of hours donated by CLPA supporters, the prairie now blooms with native wildflowers, water flows from a new pump, and native trees and shrubs line the hiking and biking trails of Cedar Lake Park.
Each year we move forward on a variety of projects in the park that support our mission.
CLPA Projects in the Park
Since the park’s founding, we have achieved many of our original goals. Guided by our mission, volunteers continue to dedicate time, energy, and resources to a variety of park projects. Projects include:
- Cedar Memorial Grove
- Cedar Lake Regional Trail
- Kenilworth Trail
- Lakeshore Trails (STS crews) Big Woods I & II
- Bluebird Recovery
- Exotic Species Removal
- Native Plant Restoration (Waldorf School)
- Pump on the Trail
- Hedberg Memorial
- Prairie Restoration (Data Recognition, Breck School)
- Linda’s Spiral
CLPA also has supported or been involved in neighborhood projects such as:
- City/county/neighborhood Buckthorn Removal
- Cedar Lake Parkway Bridge replacement
- Trail Connections (Hutch Spur, Western Extension, CLRT to River)
- Southwest Corridor Study
- Milfoil Investigations