Many of the people who walk the wooded trails and beaches of the Minnehaha dog park are rallying in hopes of halting a scheduled vote tomorrow at a Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board meeting to close the popular off-leash area.

Why it matters: The vote could determine the future of Minneapolis' most popular dog park while testing how much public input should shape decisions about culturally significant land.

State of play: Opposition is growing. During a recent walk through the park, Minneapolis resident Carter Casmaer stopped dog owners to gather signatures for a petition that now has more than 4,000 supporters.

What they're saying: Casmaer, a regular at the park, called the closure resolution "deeply unpopular" among many residents who support the park system through their taxes.

• "They're just trying to run roughshod over the opinions of a huge group and largely characterize their interest as illegitimate, or at worst, racist or colonialist," he said.

Flashback: The Minnehaha off-leash area has been Minneapolis' most popular dog park for more than 30 years, attracting throngs of people who like the trails, water and ample space.

• But Native leaders and park commissioners say recent archaeological research has revealed the area's cultural significance to the Dakota people is greater than previously understood.
• A resolution by Commissioner Jason Garcia calls for the dog park to be shut down by the end of the year and directs parks staff to find a new site for a dog park.
• Garcia has said dogs would still be allowed on leashes.

Maggie Lorenz, executive director of the Dakota environmental nonprofit Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi, told WCCO that there was a Dakota concentration camp in the area in the winter of 1862-1863. Hundreds died of disease at Pike Island.

• "A lot of relatives (and) ancestors died over that winter, and because of that, there were a lot of unmarked graves and burials around that area, and so it's a really tragic part of our history," she said.

Park Board commissioners have cited a 2025 archeological assessment that they say makes it clear human remains are in the park.

• Dog park users point out that the heavily redacted report contains no statement on whether there are burials in the dog park itself.
• The Park Board has cited the Minnesota Private Cemeteries Act, which is meant to keep the location of gravesites private. Dog park supporter and attorney Eric Barstad obtained some of the report through a data practices request.
• He told Axios that the Park Board should be able to release something to substantiate its claims that there are human remains on the 6-acre site that "wouldn't be of use to actual grave robbers."

Casandra Olson, a member of the Upper Sioux Community, wrote a letter to Park Board President Tom Olsen, saying that because the board hasn't verified the presence of human remains, the lack of accuracy makes it "more difficult to have an honest conversation about the actual facts."

• Olsen said in a social media post he doesn't want to give anyone false hope; "we have the information needed to make a decision."

On a recent humid day in the wooded trails, users said they're deeply connected to the park and some said they consider it sacred as well.

• Several, including Casmaer, said they haul out bags of trash, especially after spring floods wash debris into the park. During a one-hour walk, there was no visible pet waste on the ground, which he says speaks to the respect that canine owners have for the land.
• He and other dog park users told me they're worried that shutting the dog park down will lead to illegal camping and parties, since there will be fewer people there to watch over it.

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🗳️ A new Minnesota poll shows Amy Klobuchar leading her potential Republican gubernatorial opponents, with the closest rival being Lisa Demuth, who trails 40-48. (KARE 11/Star Tribune/University of Minnesota)

🛒 National Asian supermarket chain H Mart may be expanding to the Twin Cities; an entity tied to the retailer purchased the former Midway Marketplace in St. Paul for $6 million. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

🙏 An Alexandria woman, missing for three days, was found by two ATV riders alive, but stuck in a mud puddle up to her mouth in rural Cass County. (Star Tribune)

The Minneapolis City Council this week will begin debating proposals to unwind the city's nearly 40-year prohibition on bathhouses: venues where consenting adults can legally have sex.

The big picture: The 1988 ban was enacted amid the AIDS crisis, but also shut down places many LGBTQ+ people considered safe havens.

• Since HIV is no longer a death sentence, council members must grapple with whether the ban still serves a purpose — or is simply a holdover from a more homophobic era.

What they're saying: Proponents say the ban has driven sex gatherings underground, as Council President Elliott Payne said in April.

• They believe regulated bathhouses would encourage safer sex, with access to hygiene stations, condoms and public health professionals.

The other side: At the same April meeting, Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer said the ordinances were "disconnected" from the core business of the city.

• Other critics raised concerns about unintended consequences like sex trafficking and crime.

Between the lines: A 2024 Minneapolis City Auditor report found other cities that allowed bathhouses haven't had major problems with them.

What's happening: The council is considering three separate ordinances, the first of which will be heard in committee today.

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The chalk art that brightened the pavement at Maple Grove's Arbor Lakes this weekend is getting washed away this morning.

• But don't worry: We captured some of the best Chalkfest creations for posterity.

Zoom in: The detail work was outstanding on most of the 50+ drawings.

• Some of the coolest were "anamorphic," meaning they needed to be viewed from a specific vantage point.