Minnehaha Dog Park Perimeter Fencing Installation of fencing and gates at Minnehaha Dog Park to formalize existing use and designate boundaries.

For more than ten years, adjacent property owners have noted off-leash dogs on their properties and asked the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (Park Board) to enforce its off-leash rules. After installing signs and boundary markers to limit off-leash activities to a specified area of the park (and having to replace those signs following vandalism), the adjacent property owners agree that a fence is the appropriate action to keep off-leash dogs from their properties.

In addition, the Park Board standard for its dog parks is containment through fencing. Users of the Minnehaha dog park may be unaware of the lack of containment when first using this facility, resulting in problems related to the control of their animals.

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For more than a decade, the Park Board used notices enclosed with off-leash permit tags, signs, public engagement, email communication and other methods to educate dog park users about the boundaries. The signs and boundary markers installed by the Park Board have been vandalized or removed and on-site engagement related to proper use of the off-leash areas have been ignored. In general, the repeated efforts of the Park Board to redirect the behavior some dog park users have not been successful.

You can obtain a dog park permit and learn more about dog park rules at minneapolisparks.org/dogparks.

The National Park Service manages land owned by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, and the Minnesota Historical Society manages its own land. MNHS will focus on preservation of this area, a sacred site that is part of the Traditional Cultural Property designation of Mni Owe Sni, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Adjacent property owners have insisted on barring off-leash dogs on their properties. They have no interest in allowing an easement or disposing of property in this area to expand the off-leash dog park. A statement offered by the National Park Service highlights its concerns about off-leash activities on the properties it owns or managed adjacent to the Minnehaha dog park:

While we welcome dogs on leashes, off-leash dogs are prohibited on all National Park Service property. Unfortunately, off-leash dogs from the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park have harassed and killed a river otter and migratory birds, bitten two National Park Service-affiliated workers, trampled and destroyed restoration plantings, and impeded breeding bird surveys.

Areas adjacent to the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park are a sacred site to Tribes and was officially designated a Traditional Cultural Property in 2023 in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service has stewardship responsibilities for these areas and protects them in partnership with neighboring landowners and Tribes. Off-leash dogs detract from the sacredness of the site and its traditional uses.

Yes, you and your dog will be able to reach the river and part of the beach on Park Board property following the installation of fencing for the dog park.

Yes, your pet can be on the nearby public land, but it must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Questions about the use of lands adjacent to the Minnehaha dog park should be directed to the owners of those lands.

Yes.

The new fencing will minimize the impact on wildlife as much as practicable. The Park Board is investigating fence types that support movement of small mammals past any fences installed on this project and heights that allow for passage of deer.

A new chicane-style gate for dog park users will be added at the entrance, and a maintenance gate for vehicles will be placed near the utility corridor by the Minnehaha Trail Bike Trail. A second chicane-style gate is proposed at the flood boundary to allow users to move into the floodplain areas within the off-leash area on Park Board property.

Fence posts with signage indicating the limits of the Minnehaha dog park will be placed near the boundary of the park and its neighbors. The signage will indicate that dogs must be leashed beyond the line established by the fence posts. If approved by Hennepin County, chain link fabric may be installed on those fence posts demarking the bounds of the Minnehaha dog park. Dog park users with leashed dogs may access lands south of the Minnehaha dog park along the river’s edge; the Park Board may install another chicane-style gate in this location if neighboring property owners agree.

Yes, the new chicane-style gate will include a buffer zone like the ones at other Park Board dog parks.

Yes. Permissions necessary for the intended improvements are being reviewed for compliance with authorities with jurisdiction over floodplain areas.

There is no concern related to fence posts within the floodway. The Park Board will seek approval through Hennepin County, the regulatory authority for this portion of the Mississippi River Floodway, to add chain link to fence posts within the floodway.

The Park Board is reviewing the area proposed for the dog park to identify significant natural areas. It is intended that these areas will be fenced to separate them from the dog park.

Gaps in the current fencing in places like Morley’s Prairie will be addressed as part of the proposed fencing project. Any future gaps from damage or vandalism will be addressed as part of MPRB maintenance efforts.

There are no plans for more unfenced off-leash dog parks on other MPRB land. In addition, the standard used by the Park Board in its dog parks is containment of the off-leash use area.

This project fell under the “inform” level of community engagement which means that staff needed to inform the public about the plan to install fencing at the boundaries of the off-leash area. Previous public engagement efforts have not led to changes in the behavior of some park users, and more communication would not change the issue of off-leash dogs going onto adjacent property or Park Board property requiring leashing of dogs.

It means providing information to everyone involved that is clear, balanced, and timely so they can understand the project or program.

Yes, the Park Board use this level of engagement when we are not changing how a park is used but just making adjustments that are operational in nature. In this case, the Park Board is installing a fence to clearly mark the portion of the park designated as an off-leash area, which aligns with the MPRB’s off-leash dog park specifications.