Our 2022 Legislative Priorities

Campground shower buildings

Replacing campground shower buildings at state parks to enhance their safety, functionality and accessibility while reducing maintenance costs.

Accessibility improvements

The MnDNR identified the following projects within the funding request:

• William O’Brien State Park (complete work partially funded with 2020 bonding)
  
  • Interpretive center
  • Savanna campground: shower building, campsites, vault toilets, camper cabins
  • Riverside group camp: campsites and vault toilets
  • Trails and trail amenities
  • Picnic shelters
  • Athletic field
  • Wayfinding and signage
  • Key parking and access routes throughout the park
• Fort Snelling State Park
  
  • Ranger station: restrooms, service counter, exterior plaza, parking and self-registration station
  • Beach and day use area: parking, access routes, building access, beach and picnic area
  • Picnic Island: causeway, parking, public water access, perimeter trail, youth camp, picnic areas and shelters, restrooms buildings
  • Visitor Center: minor interior improvements
  • Confluence “Pike” Island: trail from the Visitor Center to the Mississippi River
  • Other trails: repair degraded areas that are limiting accessibility.

The MnDNR manages over 5,000 campsites at state parks, state rec areas and forest rec areas, as well as 102 group camps and 64 day-use areas. Many of these facilities are more than 50 years old and in need of major renovations to address deferred maintenance, conform to current standards and meet changing recreational needs. The MnDNR’s funding request has identified priority sites as:

• Sibley State Park
• Frontenac State Park
• Itasca State Park
• Beaver Creek Valley State Park
• Old Mill State Park

Because state parks are generally located outside municipal service areas, wells and onsite water and wastewater treatment systems are required. The average useful life for these amenities is 40 years. In addition, these aging systems are often designed to outmoded standards (including hazardous confined spaces), and have been expanded in a piecemeal fashion over decades. This results in significant safety, operational and maintenance challenges.

The MnDNR has identified some priority sites in need of funding as:

• Itasca State Park
• Myre-Big Island State Park
• Fort Snelling State Park
• Scenic State Park

The MnDNR owns and maintains 128 pedestrian and vehicle bridges within state parks, rec areas and scientific and natural areas (SNAs). DNR’s bridge engineers provide asset management services for DNR-owned bridges. These services include periodic inspections, data management, recommendations on routine maintenance, etc. In the past few years, DNR has experienced significant issues with a number of aging bridges.

In particular, the High Falls Bridge at Tettegouche State Park must be replaced as soon as possible due to age and corrosion of the suspension cables.

The MnDNR has requested funds to support the continued design and construction of recreational opportunities at Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park. Projects include:

• Construction of the Lake Lodge Visitor Center; design of the South Vermilion Ridge Campground, including campsites with electric hook-ups and shower facilities
• Rehabilitation of an existing fire tower, including access, parking and interpretation
• Design of additional hiking/biking trails within the park
• Design and construction of a renewable energy project that will offset some operating costs of the park.

The MnDNR is responsible for thousands of miles of roads that provide access within state parks, as well as thousands of associated culverts. Roads typically have an expected useful life between 15 and 25 years.

For state parks and trails.

Matched with $10M in Met Council Funds. Develop, expand and update park and trail amenities owned and operated by 10 regional park agencies within the metro area.

Funding to provide the MnDNR with funds to administer five competitive grant programs, which were established in M.S. 85.019 and designed for local governments across the state to acquire and develop parks and trails.

• Outdoor Recreation Grant Program helps local governments acquire, develop and/or redevelop close-to-home outdoor recreation facilities.
• The Regional Park Grant Program helps local governments acquire shore land, natural areas and threatened habitat, and develop and rehabilitate natural resource-based outdoor recreation facilities of regional significance.
• The Natural and Scenic Area Grant Program helps local governments and school districts acquire and protect natural and scnic areas statewide that are diminishing due to development, especially in high growth areas, shore lands, bluff tops and areas where land use changes may limit future opportunities.
• The Local Trail Connections Grant Program provides grants to local units of government to develop and acquire trail connections to residential areas, schools, workplaces, community centers, recreation areas, trails and parks.
• The Regional Trail Grant Program provides grant to local units of government for development and acquisition of regional trails outside of the metropolitan area.

This funding request is also supported by the nonprofit Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails.