NEWS briefs

Jay Cooke State Park to close during special hunt Dec. 1-5

During a special muzzleloader hunt to prevent overpopulation of deer and protect resources, Jay Cooke State Park will be closed Dec. 1-5 to all visitors outside of the campground, office and River Inn areas. The swinging bridge will remain accessible to visitors but they should not access any areas south of the bridge. All trails will be closed.

Hunts also will take place at other Minnesota state parks and recreation areas this fall, and access to the parks will vary. Some will remain open to all visitors, some will have limited public access and some will be open only to hunters with special permits. The deadlines have passed for youth and adults to apply for the permits to participate in the hunts, which include regular firearms, muzzleloader and archery options.

“Too many of one animal or plant species in an area can start to throw off the balance of other species in that area,” said Tavis Westbrook, Natural Resource Program coordinator for Minnesota State Parks and Trails. “When there are too many deer in a park, they feed too much on certain trees and native plants, so occasionally we allow deer hunts as a way to protect natural resources.”

The DNR thanks visitors for their patience and understanding during the hunts.

For a list of parks that are open, partially open or closed during the 2018 hunting season, visit http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/hunting.html or contact the DNR Information Center at [email protected] or 888-646-6367 (8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday). Details on which areas of each park will be affected by the special deer hunts can also be found in the “Visitor Alert” boxes on the individual park Web pages at http://www.mndnr.gov.

MNsure open enrollment off to a quick start

MNsure announced Wednesday that over 97,000 Minnesotans have signed up for private health plan coverage through MNsure during the first two weeks of open enrollment.

MNsure’s open enrollment runs until Jan. 13, 2019. For coverage that begins January 1, 2019, Minnesotans must enroll by Dec. 15, 2018.

“We are excited with our smooth start to open enrollment and that over 97,000 Minnesotans have signed up for private health plans,” said CEO Nate Clark. “With rates decreasing from 7 to 27 percent across the state, we encourage Minnesotans to visit MNsure.org to see if they can save.”