Should the Minnesota Legislature OK money for a state park on Lake Vermilion? Yes

Minnesota is a vast garden of natural resources. Our parks, trails, prairies, forests, lakes, rivers and streams define who we are as Minnesotans as much as they define our great state.

For more than 50 years, the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota has worked with elected officials to create and protect some of our most treasured outdoor places. We have witnessed defining moments in our state’s history where our leaders triumphed over difficult challenges to protect the special places we Minnesotans love. We are on the brink of one of those defining moments right now. In a matter of days, the fate of the proposed Lake Vermilion State Park will be decided.

Located in Northeastern Minnesota on the eastern shores of Lake Vermilion, five miles of postcard-perfect lakeshore and 3,000 pristine acres will either become the state’s newest and perhaps most spectacular park — or it will become a private, 150-unit luxury home development called Three Bays on Vermilion. It will be a place enjoyed by a few — or it will become a great Minnesota outdoor destination that will be able to be enjoyed by generations.

The park, combined with the adjacent Soudan Underground Mine State Park, would provide more than 10 miles of recreation shoreline, 40,000 acres of water, 365 islands and 3,700 acres of land for the public to enjoy on one of the state’s most breathtaking lakes.

But time is running out on the window of opportunity to save this state treasure. The current landowner, U.S. Steel Corp., agreed to put its development plans on hold for one year while lawmakers decide whether they are willing to make the necessary investment to protect this once-in-a-lifetime piece of land. That agreement ends Aug. 1, so the governor and legislators must come up with money for the park before the legislative session ends Monday.

Minnesotans have a long and rich history of doing the right thing for our great outdoors. Each one of our state’s 72 parks and recreation areas is a living legacy connecting past generations to current generations to future generations. With more than 8 million people using Minnesota’s state parks each year, and with the state’s population expected to grow by 1.2 million in the next 25 years, creating this park now is a smart investment in our future.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ park concept plan calls for a next-generation park that would provide a wide range of recreational opportunities for park visitors and would include facilities and programs designed to appeal to children and teenagers in an environment designed to reduce negative impacts on the natural, resource-rich land and lake.

For every person who has ever dreamed of having a place on Lake Vermilion, this is their best chance to do just that while also enjoying the renowned Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness experience without all of the extreme adventure challenges. But for that experience to happen, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the Minnesota Legislature need to step up for all Minnesotans and make it happen.

Tim Farrell of St. Paul is president of the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota.

Originally published May 15, 2008
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