{"id":2003216,"date":"2023-08-16T23:59:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T03:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-dept-of-natural-resources-concerned-with-bringing-more-non-white-visitors-to-state-parks\/"},"modified":"2023-08-17T00:04:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T04:04:11","slug":"minnesota-dept-of-natural-resources-concerned-with-bringing-more-non-white-visitors-to-state-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-dept-of-natural-resources-concerned-with-bringing-more-non-white-visitors-to-state-parks\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota DNR aims to increase diversity in state parks."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fminnesota-dept-of-natural-resources-concerned-with-bringing-more-non-white-visitors-to-state-parks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2003216&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The\u200c Minnesota Department \u200bof Natural Resources \u200c(MDNR) Commits\u2064 to Increasing Diversity in State Parks<\/h2>\n<p>The \u2064Minnesota Department of Natural Resources \u2063(MDNR) \u2064is taking\u2063 steps\u200c to\u200b ensure that their state parks are\u2064 more\u200c inclusive and welcoming \u2064to non-white visitors. This renewed \u2063commitment to diversity comes\u200b after the release of the 2022 State Park Visitor Study, which highlighted the need \u200dfor greater inclusivity. According to the\u200d study, only 11 percent of visitors \u2064were non-white, indicating \u200cthat\u200b there \u200dis \u2064still \u200cwork\u2062 to be\u2062 done.<\/p>\n<p>MDNR Parks and Trails Director \u2064Ann Pierce stated, &#8220;The visitor \u2062study shows that Minnesota DNR\u200d is \u200cmaking \u200cprogress toward our \u2063goal \u2064of inclusivity, though \u2063there\u2019s still\u2062 more work to \u200bdo. We will continue our efforts\u2064 to expand access to public lands for traditionally \u2063underserved\u2063 communities and to \u2063welcome new visitors\u2063 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-notre-dame-to-require-covid-19-vaccinations-for-students\/\" title=\"University Of Notre Dame To Require COVID-19 Vaccinations For Students\">outdoor recreation<\/a>\u2062 in state \u200dparks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Increasing Non-White Visitors<\/h3>\n<p>The\u200c study revealed\u200b that the percentage of non-white visitors to state parks increased from\u2062 five percent \u200cin 2017 to\u2064 11 percent in \u200dthe past year. However, it&#8217;s important to note that\u2063 the survey&#8217;s \u200bdemographic representation may not be entirely accurate, as participation was voluntary.\u2062 MDNR\u200b collected data from \u20632,000 interviews conducted last summer.<\/p>\n<p>The study categorized participants into two groups: white and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, \u200cor People of Color). This\u2062 classification included individuals who \u200bidentified as\u2064 biracial or multiracial, as\u200d well \u2064as those who\u200c identified as American Indian, Alaska \u200cNative, Asian or Asian\u200b American, Black, African American, Hispanic, \u200bLatino, \u2063Middle Eastern,\u2063 North African, Native\u2064 Hawaiian,\u2063 or Pacific Islander.<\/p>\n<p>According to the study, \u200bstate park visitors were predominantly white, with higher \u2064incomes\u200b and education levels compared to the overall Minnesota population. The study also highlighted visitors&#8217; desire for \u200bmore Indigenous history and voices in park\u2063 programming, as well as concerns about potential microaggressions \u200band the lack \u200bof diversity during their\u200b visits.<\/p>\n<h3>Prior Recommendations and\u200b Partnerships<\/h3>\n<p>This latest study \u2063aligns with previous recommendations made by \u200bMDNR \u2062to prioritize \u200cdiversity. In 2020, the Minnesota\u200c Outdoor\u2062 Recreation Task Force was established, and in\u2063 2021, they issued final recommendations urging MDNR to focus on diversity, \u200cequity, \u200dand inclusion (DEI). The \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-dept-of-natural-resources-concerned-with-bringing-more-non-white-visitors-to-state-parks\/\" title=\"Minnesota DNR aims to increase diversity in state parks.\">task\u2062 force emphasized<\/a>\u200b the economic benefits of \u200bdiversity and highlighted the impact\u200b of\u2064 racial disparities on the state&#8217;s \u2062GDP.<\/p>\n<p>MDNR has also taken proactive steps to promote\u200d DEI on public lands and waters. They launched \u200ba social media \u200dcampaign \u200cin partnership with Share the\u2063 Mic \u200bMN, an activist campaign\u2062 that emerged after \u200dthe death of George Floyd. This campaign allowed black \u2064and brown women to share their\u2063 stories\u2064 and experiences in the outdoors.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Shout out\u2064 to \u2062Jasmine at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sharethemicmn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@sharethemicmn<\/a> \u2014 excited to partner with you \u200cfor <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MyMNOutdoorAdventure?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MyMNOutdoorAdventure<\/a>! Tell YOUR story of diversity outdoors at <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pHqSRBcO6Q\">https:\/\/t.co\/pHqSRBcO6Q<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wGxWRjm8py\">pic.twitter.com\/wGxWRjm8py<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Minnesota DNR (@mndnr) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mndnr\/status\/1393203932013514754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May\u200c 14, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Additionally, MDNR co-manages the Increasing \u200cDiversity in \u200bEnvironmental Careers \u2063program, which aims to provide\u2062 opportunities \u200cfor women, BIPOC, \u200band disabled individuals. This program is \u200da\u200d collaboration between MDNR, Conservation \u200bCorps\u200c Minnesota \u200dand \u200dIowa, Minnesota Pollution Control \u200dAgency, and Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.<\/p>\n<h3>Continuing the Journey Towards Parity<\/h3>\n<p>While MDNR is encouraged by the\u2062 increase in non-white visitors to state parks, they acknowledge that there is still work to be\u2064 done. The demographic \u200cmakeup of\u2062 state park \u2063visitors should\u200d ideally reflect\u2064 the population demographics of Minnesota. According to \u200cthe Census Bureau, the benchmark \u2063for racial parity would be at\u200b or above 23.4 percent\u200b non-white visitors.<\/p>\n<p>Gratia Joice, the principal planner for MDNR Parks \u200cand Trails, expressed \u2064optimism \u2062about the progress made but emphasized \u200dthe need for further efforts, stating, &#8220;While it is an improvement, there\u2019s \u2063still \u2064work to be done.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>MDNR&#8217;s commitment to diversity and inclusivity in state parks is an ongoing journey, and they will continue to prioritize expanding access \u2063and welcoming \u2064visitors \u200bfrom all \u200dbackgrounds to enjoy the beauty of Minnesota&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-ends-mask-requirement-for-fully-vaccinated-mayor-says-she-will-still-wear-mask-for-now\/\" title=\"Illinois Ends Mask Requirement For Fully Vaccinated, Mayor Says She Will Still Wear Mask For Now\">outdoor spaces<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The MDNR aims to attract diverse visitors to Minnesota state parks, as stated in their renewed commitment to diversity. This follows the release of the 2022 State Park Visitor Study, which emphasized the importance of inclusivity. Ann Pierce, MDNR Parks and Trails Director, expressed this goal in a press release.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":243,"featured_media":2003217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2003216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/243"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2003216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2003217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2003216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2003216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2003216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}