News & Project Updates

Run Stillwater will be hosting the Stillwater Half Marathon on Saturday from 5am-12:30pm on the Gateway from Pine Point Park in Stillwater to Jamaca Ave in Grant and Brown’s Creek State Trail from 88^th St to Neal Ave in Stillwater.

To learn more, click here.

The latest update is that more prep time is needed ahead of the Brown's Creek trail closure. It is more likely to be closer to the end of May. A date has not yet been shared.

The day was unseasonably warm, but the birders out on the trail for the DNR hosted birding double-header saw a fabulous mix of birds.

Here are the stats from the day....

Gateway:

10287–10331 Dellwood Rd N, Grant US-MN (45.0798,-92.8970)
May 10, 2025
6:05 AM
Traveling
0.69 miles
66 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: 10 walking led by Bob Bystrom and Linda Radimacky
Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 3.2.2 Build 3.2.21

3 Canada Goose -- Heard
2 Trumpeter Swan
2 Wood Duck
3 Mallard
2 Green Heron
1 Great Egret
1 Great Blue Heron
1 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker -- Heard
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Downy/Hairy Woodpecker
1 Least Flycatcher
1 Great Crested Flycatcher -- Heard
4 Blue Jay -- Heard
1 American Crow -- Heard
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
5 European Starling
1 Gray Catbird
1 Brown Thrasher
1 American Robin
2 Cedar Waxwing
2 House Finch
2 American Goldfinch
1 Baltimore Oriole
8 Red-winged Blackbird -- Heard
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 Ovenbird -- Seen and photographed
1 Nashville Warbler -- Or Tennessee warbler?
1 Common Yellowthroat -- Seen and heard
1 Yellow Warbler

Number of Taxa: 30

Brown's Creek Nature Preserve
May 10, 2025
7:25 AM
Traveling
0.84 miles
77 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 3.2.2 Build 3.2.21

1 Mallard
1 Green Heron
2 Great Egret -- Flying
1 Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
1 Warbling Vireo
1 Blue Jay
1 American Crow
4 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Tree Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
1 European Starling
5 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
8 Cedar Waxwing
1 House Finch
7 American Goldfinch
1 Chipping Sparrow
3 White-throated Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
1 Baltimore Oriole
8 Red-winged Blackbird
2 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 Common Grackle
1 American Redstart
2 Yellow Warbler
5 Northern Cardinal
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Indigo Bunting

Number of Taxa: 31

Visit our Gallery page to see the new touches of beauty where the Gateway Trail intersects Arlington Ave. Our partners at Urban Roots added these beautiful new signs to the urban garden they're managing at the location.

Thank you, Urban Roots!

National Trails Day is an annual event held the first Saturday of June each year. It is sponsored by the American Hiking Society and supported by The National Park Service. Last year more than 70,000 people participated in the National Trails Day across the country!

Each year the Gateway Brown’s Creek Trail Association supports the day with tabletop displays along the 26 miles of the trail, providing information about the trial system, expansion plans, snacks and beverages for the folks using the trail that day.

Get out on the trails. And please do stop by to visit us.

Starting on Monday, May 19th, the Brown's Creek trail will be closed from Hazel Street to McKusick Road in Stillwater. The closure will last approximately two weeks as the County Road 5/Stonebridge Trail bridge is replaced.  The trail will be detoured for cars and bicycles as there is NO easy detour in the area for bicycles other than local roads.  We recommend you plan other routes during this time.  We will keep you updated on any impacts to the trail as the summer continues.

A HUGE thanks to the volunteers who came out and planted six varieties of native tree seedlings on the Gateway Trail south of Hadley Ave. The area was cleared when the sound wall was erected. This is the first tree planting to repopulate the tree canopy.

Visit the site Gallery to see a few photos from the day.

The GBCTA Board recently approved a five year strategic plan to hone our work through 2030. Click here to learn more.

The Gateway-Brown's Creek Trail Association is excited about its partnership with the DNR and Urban Roots at Arlington Gardens. The community garden on the west end of the Gateway Trail has struggled in recent years, and Urban Roots is not only revitalizing the garden, it is using them as a living classroom for young and old alike.

Thank you, Urban Roots, for all you are doing to enhance the trail, community, and environment.

During last week's GBCTA board meeting, DNR shared an update on some fixes to a sinking culvert and the stone bridge that will cause  construction closings on the Brown's Creek trail. The culvert repair could close the trail for up to two weeks. The bridge repair will likely involve a detour.

Timing has not been confirmed, but May could be a possibility. We'll continue to update information on the site as we learn more.