Trail Builder Peter Seed
Unmasking the man behind the Gateway State Trail
Behind every successful park or trail effort you will find a Trail Builder, an individual that shepherded the dream into reality, giving time, money or both in pursuit of the goal. The following is a Q & A feature on one such Trail Builder -- Peter Seed. Thanks in large part to his vision and his persistence, Minnesotan's today can use and enjoy the Gateway Trail and trails all across the state!
Q: Can you tell us about yourself?
I was raised near Lake Minnetonka, moved east at 14, went to Yale and then to Harvard Law School. I married and returned to Minnesota to clerk for Minnesota Supreme Court Justice James Otis and landed at Briggs and Morgan Law Firm as a public finance attorney.
I have been on the board of the Parks & Trails Council serving as treasurer and honorary director. I am also an active member of the Gateway Trail Association. Now that I am retired, my wife Linda and I love to travel as well, as long as it involves the outdoors. This year was our 7th year in a row to spend part of the winter in New Zealand! There Linda and I bike and hike, among other things and to add a little value there too I have been trying to promote establishment of a coastal trail in the Dunedin area and formation of a trail association to boot. Those two efforts are still works in progress.
Q: How did you get started supporting trails?
I have always enjoyed being active in the outdoors but being an advocate began in 1980 with the abandonment of the Soo Line railroad track. A citizens group felt this was a great opportunity to make the Soo Line in the eastern metro area as the perfect counterpart to the Luce Line recreational trail in the western metro area. Local government units, including Ramsey and Washington Counties, adopted resolutions urging the state to acquire the trail. These efforts resulted in the DNR taking advantage of existing statutory authority and initiating steps to acquire the eastern 10 miles of the 20-mile line to create the Gateway Trail.
The DNR struggled when some abutting property owners tried to outbid the state in the purchase of the railroad line. The Minnesota Parks Foundation, a forerunner to the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota, stepped in, gifting to the state enough money to enable the state to win the bidding war. The property owners then brought a lawsuit arguing that the right-of-way reverted to abutting property owners once it ceased to be operated for railroad purposes. In a landmark decision, the Minnesota Supreme Court held no such reversion takes place as long as the right-of-way continues to be used for public travel purposes even as a recreational trail.
This cleared the way for the DNR to acquire the corridor. The next step was to work for construction funds. The Soo Line Trail Association later renamed the Gateway Trail Association, joined forces with the Parks & Trails Council marshaling public and legislative support for adequate funding. Finally in 1990 the Minnesota Legislature appropriated $2,000,000 to develop the 20-mile trail. Hundreds of thousands of riders use the Gateway today, and we continue to work to extend the trail to William O'Brien State Park.
Parks & Trails played a key role at several points in the process, advocating with the Legislature for creation of the trail, for funding to acquire and then to build the trail and supporting the legal battle for the right of way.
Recently, Parks & Trails again defended trails at the Minnesota Supreme Court, when they decided in favor of the Paul Bunyan Trail in northern Minnesota
Editor's note: Peter helped draft the friend of the court argument submitted on behalf of Parks & Trails. These two trail cases are considered landmark for recreational trails nationwide.
Q: What would you like to tell other people with ideas for trails?
I would tell them that with persistence and networking any dedicated trail advocate can help bring about a recreational trail suitable for development in the state, particularly if you have the Parks & Trails Council on your side. Most initiatives come from local energy and creativity, not an agency. Opportunity exists every day for trail advocates to take lead roles.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your writing?
In 1993 I co-authored a book with Nancy Wilson and David Dixen called Biking with the Wind. It took us 5 years to put together. We hoped to sell 500 copies. We ended up selling 9,000! I guess we learned that lots of people are interested in biking in Minnesota. More recently I co-authored a book with my brother-in-law, Steve Aikenhead, entitled A Coastal Affair - Walking England's South West Coast Path.
Q: What motivates you to stay so involved?
First, a love of the outdoors. It is physically exhilarating to use the trails but as important and gratifying to see others sharing in the sheer joy of the trail. Being involved is a no-brainer! Sometimes I get so passionate that I have to remember that we (Parks & Trails) have 3,000 members, but we could have 100,000 or more.
I've learned to look for opportunities to make a difference. Citizens are important, can come from any walk of life, just need the vision and the belief in the project. Remember, it can't be done alone, but takes a community- this is equally important to the individual's belief. This is the value of being a part of an organization like the Parks &Trails Council or Gateway Trail Association.
The Parks & Trails Council has many Trail Builder stories of people giving their time, talents and resources to build parks and trails. A contribution to Parks & Trails helps energize and train more trail builders, and preserve and protect special places for generations to come.