A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Photographer Mark Cline captured this January scene at Jay Cooke State Park and the iconic swinging bridge. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking for the public's help on how it can improve trail opportunities around the state, including those at Jay Cooke and other parks and trail systems in the county.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking for online public comment through Feb. 15 on its outdoor recreation task force recommendations for enhancing the state's outdoor recreation opportunities. The initiative is quite broad and includes many state-owned and operated areas in Carlton County. These include Jay Cooke and Moose Lake state parks, Fond du Lac State Forest, and the Soo Line north and south trails, among others.
The DNR's State Forest Trail and Management Revisions Project Description, available on the DNR website, sets out a review "to identify new trail routes and connections, areas for special management, and to close trails that have proven unsustainable."
Since current and recent trail use is not monitored, it's important that groups and individual users of snowmobiles, off-road vehicles, cross-country skiing, hiking and hunting trails weigh in on the DNR revision process. Of particular concern to Carlton County residents and visitors are existing trails on DNR-managed lands, including those in the Fond du Lac State Forest.
The Task Force activities, which will take place over the next eight to nine months, involve public scoping meetings to review preliminary DNR suggestions and submit additional ideas and recommendations. Following these meetings, the DNR will draft a proposal for going forward. Involvement by trail users is important, as changes proposed will affect forest trail use and access for years to come.
The DNR review will generate plans to improve a sustainable system of forest roads and trails that provide for diverse motorized and nonmotorized public recreation and access. They anticipate closing unsustainable routes to vehicular travel while designating trails and trail systems that provide a quality recreational experience as well as connections to other recreation facilities, support services and other popular destinations. They will also designate forest roads and trails that offer opportunities for hunting, trapping, angling, firewood collecting, and berry and mushroom picking, among others.
The DNR last tackled a statewide trail management overhaul in a five-year process beginning in 2003. At that time, their effort did not include designating hunter and walking trails or new trails designed to provide improved state forest access and trail connections. These will be included in the DNR's current effort. Of concern to some in Carlton County are conflicts between logging and trail uses that have been damaging in recent years. They are not mentioned in the DNR review but can be addressed in public scoping meetings.
More information on the DNR's trail review process, information about the status of individual forests as well as the classification and designation effort is available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov, or by contacting [email protected], (651) 259-5279.
You may review and comment on recommendations intended to bring measured growth, increased and equitable access, and a higher quality of outdoor recreation opportunities to Minnesotans and visitors.
There will be a task force meeting 1-4 p.m. Feb. 19. The Webex link and password are available on the DNR website.
