Portion of Lake Vermilion State Park opens to OHVs
All-terrain vehicle (ATV) advocates have been pushing to open up state parks to ATVs for years, and in 2020 their focus was on Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park in northeast Minnesota.
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Fundraise & Recruit Members, A Case Study
Details Hear from Glendalough Park Partners about a project they implemented—an expanded mailing to celebrate the 100th issue of their newsletter and to invite folks to become a member of their friends group. More Webinar Recordings
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Bonding bill passes, key parks and trails projects funded
Minnesota's Legislative Session was unprecedented, which is to say, it fit perfectly into the year 2020. For most of the year, the much anticipated bonding bill was stalled. It didn't get passed in regular session (Feb - May), nor in the June, July, August, or September special sessions. Then, finally, in October, during the fifth special session, the House and Senate passed a massive, $1.9 billion bonding bill, which was signed by Gov. Walz on Oct. 22. The bill funds a wide variety of items from roads, affordable housing, and college buildings to parks and trails projects.
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Parks and Trails Legacy Advisory Committee seeks applicants
From MnDNR The coordinating partners of the Parks and Trails Legacy Plan, which include the Metropolitan Council, the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, are seeking applicants to serve on the Parks and Trails Legacy Advisory Committee. The committee champions the 25-year …
Mill Towns: Trail development
Add one new trail mile near Dundas and renovate three miles of trail along the Cannon River between Northfield and Dundas.
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Heartland: Itasca Connection
Extend the Itasca State Park multi-use trail system about two miles from the park’s contact station though a tunnel under Hwy 71.
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Goodhue Pioneer: Trail acquisition and development to close gap
Trail acquisition and development connecting Zumbrota and Goodhue to Red Wing and the Cannon Valley Trail.
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Gateway: New segment
Build a 3-mile segment from William O’Brien State Park to the Scandia Village Center, including a tunnel under County Road 52
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Blazing Star: Bridge
Extends the Blazing Star State Trail 2.4 miles by connecting two existing trail sections with a 100-foot single span pedestrian bridge crossing Albert Lea Lake.
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Trail building update: Swedish Immigrant Trail connects into Interstate State Park
On a perfect fall day on October 10, a small group of people gathered for a ribbon-cutting for the newest half-mile segment of the Swedish Immigrant Trail. This extension is small in length, but big in impact as it connects into Interstate State Park with giant maple trees and dramatic ravines.
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Our ResearchBike pedals in key data for Saint Cloud trails
Discerning an objective rating for a trail condition can be a daunting project—something Parks & Trails Council (P&TC) learned when we first undertook the task for our 2017 State of the Trails Report.
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Membership Tracking Template
Details This virtual training shows how to use the membership data tracking template. Download the Excel template and walk through how to enter, evaluate, and export data. More Webinar Recordings
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Lake 21 now fully encompassed within Sibley State Park
Lake 21 is serene, wilderness-like place whose fate is now secured to remain that way. On October 5, Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota (P&TC) sold land to the MnDNR that brings the entire shoreline of this lake under the management of Sibley State Park.
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Meet the Friends of Blue Mounds State Park
When Blue Mounds State Park’s lost its swimming lake to a flood in June 2014, there was robust debate about whether to rebuild the dam that created the lake. The ultimate decision to not rebuild led to the formation of a citizen advisory group in 2017. Their goal: plan the park’s new future.
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Friends Group Update from the DNR
A note from Ashley Pethan (Friends Group Coordinator, P&TC) You may remember that Arielle Courtney, the DNR's central point person for friends groups, went on parenthood leave starting in March. She and her husband welcomed a baby girl to the family and have been adjusting ...
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