Minneapolis mulls closing Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park after discovering it sits on sacred tribal land
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is one step closer to closing the Minnehaha Off-Leash Dog Park along the Mississippi River. It's an area of land the board said is considered sacred by the Dakota tribes.
A park board committee passed a resolution on Wednesday that would "decommission" the off-leash dog park. Now, the resolution will be considered before the full board later this month.
"This space means a lot more and there is a lot more history to it than we had previously known," said Board President Tom Olsen ahead of the meeting.
Olsen said the significance came to light after an archeological study was completed last year, when the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted to install fencing around the dog park area. Olsen didn't share specifics, but said there are burial sites on the land. He said members also received input from an Indigenous advisory council.
"We understand that there is this important amenity, but we have to kind of rejust what our expectations and use of that space is," Olsen said.
During the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board meeting on Wednesday, people from both sides of the issue expressed their views.
"Public park land is meant to be shared, not segregated and, crucially, the presence of dogs here does not preclude anyone else from enjoying the broader landscape," said Jeremy Fink.
"We have a religious freedom act as the Native people here and the dog park is infringing on that," said Gary Spears.
Kim Kelly also showed up to share her views, telling WCCO that, as a frequent visitor to the park with her two dogs, she's hoping for a compromise.
"You can just tell there is a lot of history in that land, and it's just really cool to be there, and I think it gets more use because of the ability to bring animals, dogs with you when you visit," she said. "There's got to be a way that we can still use the land together."
Olsen said if the resolution passes, it's likely the off-leash section of the dog park would close sometime before the end of the year.
