Contents
About This Plan
Minnesota Point 50 (MP50) is a community-led nonprofit organization established to shine a light on the ecological, cultural, and economic importance of Minnesota Point and to lead its partners in ensuring the long-term resilience of this national treasure.
Prepared by MP50, this 2026 Resilience Action Plan was informed by many individuals and organizations leading work to support the long-term resilience of Minnesota Point.
Specifically, it updates the Minnesota Point Action Planning Framework, developed in 2024 by the Association of State Floodplain Managers.
It also reflects input shared at Partner Meetings hosted by MP50 in May 2025 and January 2026. Attendees represented 20 organizations with a range of perspectives and areas of expertise but a shared interest in deepening the long-term resilience of Minnesota Point.
The audience for this document includes the MP50 Board of Directors, representatives from partner organizations leading work on Minnesota Point, and members of the Park Point community and broader public who care about the long-term resilience of this special place.
Strategic Framework
Strategic action planning is the process of intentional design. It answers the question “how” moving left to right from Vision to Actions. It answers the question “why” moving right to left from Actions to Vision.
The Vision is what the organization aspires to accomplish through its Mission, which describes how it will achieve that Vision. The Mission will be achieved through specific Goals, which produce long-term results over five or more years. Strategies describe midterm results, which occur over two or three years. Actions describe short-term results, which the organization hopes to advance or accomplish this year.
MP50, the Park Point Community Club, and other partner organizations have identified 13 Goals, grouped into 5 categories, to deepen the ecological, cultural, and economic resilience of Minnesota Point.
This Action Plan details these Goals as well as the Strategies and Actions MP50 and its partners will prioritize. Each of the following five sections describes one category of Goals, Strategies, and Actions for 2026.
A. Planning & Development
| Goals | Strategies | 2026 Actions |
|---|---|---|
| A1. Improve the visibility and alignment of plans and projects to enhance the resilience of Minnesota Point. | A1.1. Deepen collaboration in resilience planning and implementation efforts. |
Strategic Planning. Meet with partners to implement, track actions and update 2026 Resilience Action Plan.
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| A1.2. Increase local capacity for collaborative leadership and expertise. |
Habitat Plan. Partner in the development of conservation targets for Minn. and Wisc. Point in St. Louis River Habitat Planning.
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| A2. Ensure community character grows in uniqueness, inclusiveness, and cohesion. | A2.1. Manage redevelopment and preserve mixed-use development. |
Housing. Study and support housing availability and affordability.
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| A3. Increase the resilience of public spaces and infrastructure. | A3.1. Protect, remove, or relocate, or restore public spaces and infrastructure. |
Traffic Safety. Study and support safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
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| A4. Preserve, protect, and restore land and water open spaces. | A4.1. Develop a plan to remedy erosion caused by the breakwaters. |
Section 111. Incorporate USACE findings into community-approved action plans.
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B. People & Education
| Goals | Strategies | 2026 Actions |
|---|---|---|
| B1. Deepen public understanding of Minnesota Point’s ecosystems, infrastructure, vulnerabilities, and resilience systems. | B1.1. Deepen residents’, visitors’, and partners’ understanding of how to engage with Minnesota Point responsibly and enhance resilience. |
Residents’ Guide. Develop and distribute a Residents’ Guide to Minnesota Point.
Visitors’ Guide. Develop and distribute a Visitors’ Guide to Minnesota Point.
Education Series. Develop an education series about Minnesota Point for a broad audience.
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| B2. Improve stewardship of Minnesota Point’s ecosystems and infrastructure. | B2.1. Support collaboration to improve stewardship and enhance resilience. |
Community of Practice. Regularly convene the MP50 Community of Practice to share and build knowledge.
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| B3. Cultivate an inclusive and engaged culture that fosters resilience. |
C. Natural & Cultural Resources
| Goals | Strategies | 2026 Actions |
|---|---|---|
| C1. Enhance natural features and systems on and around Minnesota Point, embracing dynamic systems and supporting resilience. | C1.1. Protect and enhance public spaces and ecosystems. | |
| C1.2. Monitor and measure systems to establish data points and goals. |
Data Tracking. Identify and track key measures for each 2026 action.
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| C1.3. Reduce shoreline erosion. |
Dunes. Continue to build dunes on the Point’s north end to protect property from erosion.
Dunes. Collaborate with partners to develop a community science program for dunes.
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| C2. Honor, share, and foster Indigenous and all historical and current practices and sites of cultural significance. | C2.1. Increase awareness and incorporation of Indigenous history and practices on Minnesota Point. |
Fire. Reintroduce the use of fire in the Pine Forest Scientific and Natural Area.
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| C3. Preserve shorelines and parks and enhance public access to them. | C3.1. Ensure community input in the design of public spaces and infrastructure. |
Recreation Area. Sensitively rehabilitate the Park Point Recreation Area.
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D. Ecosystem Health
| Goals | Strategies | 2026 Actions |
|---|---|---|
| D1. Preserve Minnesota Point’s role as a barrier, protecting Lake Superior from pollutants and the St. Louis Bay and Duluth-Superior Harbor from storms. | D1.1. Increase knowledge and understanding of the shoreline and its role protecting the lake and the bay. |
Section 111. Complete a sediment-transport model as part of the Section 111 Study.
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| D2. Protect and improve the water quality of Lake Superior and St. Louis Bay. | D2.1. Deepen understanding of the impacts of various activities on the water quality of the lake and bay. | |
| D3. Preserve the beach and sand dune ecosystems. | D3.1. Maintain healthy biodiversity in the dune ecosystem. |
Dunes. Remove invasive species from the dunes.
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| D3.2. Manage use of the beach to minimize damage from recreational users. |
Signage. Explain best practices for visitors at beach-access points.
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E. Organizational Effectiveness
| Goals | Strategies | 2026 Actions |
|---|---|---|
| E1. Ensure that MP50 is an effective and resilient organization. | E1.1. Ensure that the MP50 Board and committees have broad and diverse community representation and expertise. |
MP50 Board. Expand the MP50 Board to include representatives identified by MP50 Executive Committee.
MP50 Staff. Hire a part-time Board Operations Coordinator.
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| E1.2. Ensure that the MP50 Board and committees have sufficient support staff. |
Executive Director. Secure seed funding for MP50 Executive Director.
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| E1.3. Put in place tools and processes to effectively manage information about Minnesota Point. |
Data Management Plan. Develop and use a quality plan for MP50 members and partners to store and manage MP50 information.
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