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Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley

Springbrook Nature Center is a city-owned park with trails through woods and wetlands. The wetlands in the park are a critical filter for water draining to the Mississippi from four adjacent suburbs.

See Springbrook Nature Center's website to plan a visit to the park.

The Springbrook Nature Center was vastly altered by a 1986 tornado that took out thousands of century-old trees. In addition, the land around the Center began to be intensely developed in the 1980s and 1990s. The amount of stormwater runoff coming down Springbrook Creek from adjacent communities was damaging the banks and overwhelming the wetlands. In 1997 the city received a Clean Water Partnership grant to undertake a multi-year, water-quality improvement project to help restore wetlands and the creek. Citizens have contributed thousands of volunteer hours to the effort.

When proposed budget cuts threatened the Center’s existence in 2004, the citizens of Fridley passed a referendum to save the park and keep its programs and staff intact. Future plans for the center include adding outdoor classrooms, installing a memorial garden and making other improvements to the park.

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