Author: Lisa Filter
Most parks in the U.S. suffering from noise
Listen!… What do you hear? According to a May 5 report in the magazine Science, chances are high that even if you’re in a park, what you’re hearing is human-created sounds—and they’re muffling out the natural ones. Researchers measured noise levels at 500 sites across …
2017 Summer Newsletter
Contents
Trail Counters Go Up
Legislative Recap
Noise in Parks
St. Croix State Park Planning Update
Mill Towns State Trail Opening
Board Profile: Dorothy Anderson
Meet Frontenac State Park Improvement Association
We’re hiring!
As we work to develop our Friends Group program, we are adding a new member to our team. The Friends Group Coordinator is a position that has the potential to bring Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota to a whole new level with expanded capacity to partner with Friends Groups across the state in supporting parks and trails.
Read More
Otter Creek – The Life Line of the Park
Otter Creek begins in the southwest swamp area of Birch Lake. There may be other minor sources but it is hard to tell. It begins and passes through the land that in 1879 belonged to Juilia Bertram, wife of George Bertram. It should be noted that George Bertram died in 1879, leaving this land and several plots of land on West River Street to his wife.
Read More
Bonding Bill
The final piece of the 2017 budget agreement was a $988 million bonding bill (HF 5), which passed in the wee hours on the last day of session. The bonding bill funds building and infrastructure projects, including park and trail projects. Specifically, the bill includes: ...
Read More
Legacy Funds Appropriation Bill
Legacy Funds The Legacy Bill (HF 707) appropriates revenues from the Legacy Amendment. The bill appropriates $88 million from the Parks and Trails Fund over the next two years, of which 40% is available for state parks and trails, 40% is available for regional parks ...
Read More
Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund
The Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund bill (SF 550) appropriates revenues from the Minnesota Lottery dedicated to protect, conserve...
Read More
Omnibus Budget Bill
The Omnibus Environment Budget (SF 844) sets the two year budget for state park and trail operations. The good news is the budget should provide sufficient funding to avoid staffing and service cutbacks in state parks and trails, thanks to a key last-minute concession won by Gov. Dayton that ...
Read More
Legislative Session ends with mixed bag for parks and trails
The 2017 legislative session is finally over. Minnesota lawmakers wrapped up a four-day special session early Friday morning, and Gov. Dayton signed most of the bills into law on Tuesday following the Memorial Day holiday. While there are still a few outstanding issues at the …
17th Annual Bike Ride Planned
Annual Gitchi-Gami Trail Association North Shore Bike Ride will take place on Saturday, August 19, 2017, on the spectacular Gitchi-Gami State Trail and connecting roads.
Read More
Mill Towns State Trail Segment Grand Opening Celebration at Lake Byllesby
Saturday, June 3 from 2-5 pm at Lake Byllesby Regional Park in Goodhue County (Google Map) We’ve been looking forward to this day for five years, since we began partnering to acquire a key parcel for the trail, and now it’s here! Come celebrate the opening of the …
Stalemate in budget and bonding for state parks and trails
We've reached the end of a contentious week at the Minnesota State Capitol. Budget negotiations between Gov. Dayton and legislative leaders have reached a stalemate, and will be suspended over the weekend as lawmakers celebrate Mother's Day and the state fishing opener. Negotiations are expected to resume early next week.
Read More
Noise pollution invading protected areas, new report shows
The great outdoors is becoming a lot less peaceful. Noise pollution from humans has doubled sound levels in more than half of all protected areas in the United States—from local nature reserves to national parks—and it has made some places 10 times louder, according to a new study. And the cacophony isn’t just bad for animals using natural sounds to hunt and forage—it could also be detrimental to human health.
Read More
Legislative Action Alert – Tell Lawmakers to Support Parks and Trails Funding
Lawmakers returned to the Minnesota Capitol this week after their Easter and Passover break and now have a full agenda of work to complete before the constitutional adjournment deadline of May 22. Most policy and finance bills have been passed and are in conference committees to compare the House and Senate version of each bill. Gov. Dayton is also involved in the process as all sides are working to reach an agreement on the final budget.
Read More
Willard Munger State Trail to be reconstructed near Duluth
MnDNR News Release -- A 5-mile section of the Willard Munger State Trail, between Grand Avenue and Becks Road in West Duluth, will be closed for an extensive construction project from mid-April through August, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Read More