This week, officials from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission met with local representatives to tour potential project sites along the regionally-designated Red Lake River Water Trail. Several cities, counties, and a watershed district have spent over ten years developing the original concept and master plan. The tour was an opportunity to see priority river access, camping and recreation sites for future improvement. District 2 Commissioner Bryan Pike, Executive Director Renee Mattson, and System Plan Coordinator Joe Czapiewski participated in the tour.

​On November 22, 2016, Wright and Stearns counties entered into a contract with Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center (PWELC) to provide Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Education Programs throughout their park systems. Once the contract was signed by all parties, PWELC began to develop “Schools in the Park” as the first pilot program for the contract. The pilot program was funded through the GMRPTC with a Legacy grant that will enable the program to operate for two years.
 
Upon conclusion of the program, full documentation and instructions for creating similar programs will be available for entities wanting to host this type of activity in their parks.
 
The Concept of Schools in the Parks
Schools in the Park is meant to provide the “seed” for future stewards of our park systems by exposing students to various regional parks through recreational activities and environmental education. This program will potentially provide the foundation for lifelong park users and enthusiast by exposing them to activities such as cross country skiing, snowshoeing, wildlife identification, wilderness survival, hiking and paddling.

​This document was created for the Greater MN Regional Parks and Trails Commission and summarizes a variety of recreational trends, themes and challenges.