Friends of Lone Lake Park exists to support our local Minnetonka park. We believe that our community should preserve green space for passive uses such research, education and the pure enjoyment of nature. We promote a positive and inspiring vision of our park by providing information, education, research, wildlife and critical habitat preservation, walking tours and support activities. We also initiate community engagement and advocacy for the park and its natural resources.
We have a new project in the park: the Playground Pollinator Walk. This is a very exciting garden next to the playground. There were 1200 plants installed by Urban Ecosystems! Our friends group will be maintaining this garden. We plan to have tours in the summer of 2024 to show it off. Look for more information on that on our FoMP website events. We continue to work on the Aspen Grove parcel next to the basketball court, with more prairie flowers expected on the south side next spring. Also, we've taken on the area bordering the soccer field, ridding it of European linden seedlings and other undesirables. Join us! |
Address 5624 Shady Oak Road, Minnetonka |
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
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October 6th from 9 am - 11 am
Address: 5624 Shady Oak Road, Minnetonka Enter the park on Shady Oak Road and park in the lower lot by the lake. Register for these events on the city website. |
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Current Restoration Projects
We are excited about two projects in Lone Lake Park that will occur in 2022. Both projects are part of an agreement that the city of Minnetonka made with the Center for Biological Diversity regarding pollinator plantings that mitigate the loss of rusty patched bumblebee (RPBB) habitat from the bike trail construction.
Aspen Grove
Aspen Grove is a small wooded area just east of the basketball court, next to the lower parking lot. This area was crowded with buckthorn and lush with garlic mustard. In June 2022, a complete GPS tree survey will be conducted by the forestry department, and trees slated for removal will be labeled. The plan will rid the Aspen Grove area of invasive forbs and trees to bring in light so that spring ephemerals can succeed (an important food source for the RPBB in the spring). We have held a garlic mustard blitz in spring, 2021, as well as two buckthorn blitzes in fall 2021. We then seeded the whole hill in late 2021, and we will continue to both monitor and add pollinator plants that will serve the RPBB. At least one garlic mustard pull is scheduled in 2022 (June 11th), and more follow-up buckthorn blitzes in the fall.
Buckthorn Blitz 10/02/2021
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Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) with berries
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Showy Orchis
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Along the south edge of the project area, a more defined border will be created, making a buffer between the woods and the turf grass hill. Pollinator plants that require more sun will be seeded and/or planted in this buffer zone.
These newly planted and seeded areas will be sunnier, allowing spring ephemerals to bloom as well as be an educational (and beautiful) walk to the new picnic shelter that is planned for the nearby grassy area. They are also an important early spring source of food for the rusty patched bumblebee.
These newly planted and seeded areas will be sunnier, allowing spring ephemerals to bloom as well as be an educational (and beautiful) walk to the new picnic shelter that is planned for the nearby grassy area. They are also an important early spring source of food for the rusty patched bumblebee.
Playground Pollinator Garden
The Playground Pollinator Garden is a turf-reduction project, which will provide more floral resources for the RPBB and other native bees. It was installed in early October, 2023. About 1200 native plants were installed, including flowers, short and tall grasses. It was watered and tended until cold weather, and was looking very good going into winter.
Lone Lake Park and Community Preserve is a 146-acre park located in the southeastern corner of Minnetonka. The park offers views and access to a kettle lake, trails through forested morainal hills, and the natural beauty of wetlands, restored prairies, and a section of Nine Mile Creek.
Cultural History
This land would have been inhabited and/or regularly crossed by Dakota and Ojibwe people for centuries. After about 1850, life changed drastically as white settlers and government began claiming land, pushing the native people out and even massacring them in some cases. The Friends of Lone Lake Park hope to expand on and reflect this history in the updated signage and educational kiosks that the city plans to rebuild.
Some of the history of the early white settlers are depicted in the poster on the park building. Local place names such as Feltl Court, Bren Road, Smetana Road and Dominick Drive are family names that you will also see in the two small cemeteries near the park (one on the west side of Shady Oak Road and the other just east of it, behind the Sundial strip mall). The Dvorak family farmed on land that is now this park, living in a home which remained in the park until 1989. Not too far away are three of the original farm houses in this area: 5500 Dominick Drive, 4800 Dominick Way, and 12424 Pioneer Road (the latter two were the Dominick brothers).
Some of the history of the early white settlers are depicted in the poster on the park building. Local place names such as Feltl Court, Bren Road, Smetana Road and Dominick Drive are family names that you will also see in the two small cemeteries near the park (one on the west side of Shady Oak Road and the other just east of it, behind the Sundial strip mall). The Dvorak family farmed on land that is now this park, living in a home which remained in the park until 1989. Not too far away are three of the original farm houses in this area: 5500 Dominick Drive, 4800 Dominick Way, and 12424 Pioneer Road (the latter two were the Dominick brothers).
Five Reasons to Like Lone Lake Park
Over the 30 years we’ve lived in SE Minnetonka, I’ve enjoyed Lone Lake Park for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you’ll resonate with some of these.
Reason #1: It is surprisingly quiet. Even though both Freeways 62 and 494 are close by and Shady Oak Road has become increasingly busy, once you’re in the park it is quiet. You can hear birds, leaves under your feet, even your own breathing. See this article on forest bathing to learn why enjoying the quiet of a woods is so healthy.
Reason #2: You can really enjoy our beautiful Minnesota seasons in the park. In the spring, it’s full of new growth—that bright green that still lets the light through to wake up the ephemerals. In summer the green becomes deeper and your walk is shady and cool when the temps are high. In fall—maybe my favorite—the maples are brilliant and the fallen leaves swish and crunch under your feet. And in winter the park is just about empty! All the better to enjoy the quiet of snow covered hills and trails. Snowshoeing is one of our favorite winter activities, and Lone Lake Park is just minutes away from a peaceful hike.
Reason #1: It is surprisingly quiet. Even though both Freeways 62 and 494 are close by and Shady Oak Road has become increasingly busy, once you’re in the park it is quiet. You can hear birds, leaves under your feet, even your own breathing. See this article on forest bathing to learn why enjoying the quiet of a woods is so healthy.
Reason #2: You can really enjoy our beautiful Minnesota seasons in the park. In the spring, it’s full of new growth—that bright green that still lets the light through to wake up the ephemerals. In summer the green becomes deeper and your walk is shady and cool when the temps are high. In fall—maybe my favorite—the maples are brilliant and the fallen leaves swish and crunch under your feet. And in winter the park is just about empty! All the better to enjoy the quiet of snow covered hills and trails. Snowshoeing is one of our favorite winter activities, and Lone Lake Park is just minutes away from a peaceful hike.
Reason #3: Families enjoying the playground and picnic area is a pleasure to observe in the park. Kids love to watch fish swim from the dock, and the playground is loads of fun. Several local photographers take family photos in the park as well. The rain gardens near the playground are great for spotting butterflies and bees. As Larry Wade can attest, getting children into the woods is essential for their well-being and education about nature.
Reason #4: I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my enjoyment of the variety of plants, trees and flowers in the park. Because of the different habitats, you’ll see water and marsh plants as well as forest and meadow flowers. I love the rain gardens, and am anxious for the west meadow/prairie reconstruction to flourish. I also love the ephemerals in the spring—rue anemone, jack-in-the-pulpits, and wild geranium particularly. But summer brings lots of blooming shrubs and plants too, and in the fall the yellow things bloom, such as black-eyed susans and goldenrods. I also enjoy the trees, even the dead ones that the woodpeckers hammer on.
Reason #5: Which brings me to the fauna of the park. From the waterfowl and muskrats in the lake to the warblers in the woods, this park is amazingly rife with wildlife. I recommend you take out your earbuds and enjoy the sounds! Sit on one of the benches and wait. You will be rewarded with sounds and sights of many animals, especially in the early mornings or evenings. If you’re a birder, this park has a large variety of avian visitors and residents, including some that are rarely seen in suburban areas. There is a healthy mix of bird life, mammals, amphibians, and pollinators—all that contribute to the biodiversity of this lovely place.
Lone Lake Park is a treasure of our city. Lovely in any season, it is a rejuvenating place to visit again and again.
~ Linda Russell
Reason #4: I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my enjoyment of the variety of plants, trees and flowers in the park. Because of the different habitats, you’ll see water and marsh plants as well as forest and meadow flowers. I love the rain gardens, and am anxious for the west meadow/prairie reconstruction to flourish. I also love the ephemerals in the spring—rue anemone, jack-in-the-pulpits, and wild geranium particularly. But summer brings lots of blooming shrubs and plants too, and in the fall the yellow things bloom, such as black-eyed susans and goldenrods. I also enjoy the trees, even the dead ones that the woodpeckers hammer on.
Reason #5: Which brings me to the fauna of the park. From the waterfowl and muskrats in the lake to the warblers in the woods, this park is amazingly rife with wildlife. I recommend you take out your earbuds and enjoy the sounds! Sit on one of the benches and wait. You will be rewarded with sounds and sights of many animals, especially in the early mornings or evenings. If you’re a birder, this park has a large variety of avian visitors and residents, including some that are rarely seen in suburban areas. There is a healthy mix of bird life, mammals, amphibians, and pollinators—all that contribute to the biodiversity of this lovely place.
Lone Lake Park is a treasure of our city. Lovely in any season, it is a rejuvenating place to visit again and again.
~ Linda Russell