The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and  Trails Commission (GMRPTC) is seeking applications for alternative member(s) of the Evaluation Team (ETeam).  The ETeam is comprised of five park and trail or natural resource management professionals with an extensive understanding of Greater Minnesota and the unique issues and challenges faced in communities/counties outside the metro area.
Members conduct an evaluation of applications for designation and master plans for park or trail candidates vying for designation into the GMRPTC Regional System.  Members will also provide guidance on system development and planning issues.  The evaluations are conducted in accordance with the GMRPTC Strategic Plan Criteria and Operational Guidelines.
At its discretion, the Commission may select one or more non-voting alternates to learn the role, provide additional perspective and potentially fill any vacancies that occur.  Complete information is included in the ETeam Application and ETeam Application Overview.
Applications are accepted at any time, but for the current consideration cycle must be submitted by September 19, 2018.  For more information, Contact Executive Director Renee Mattson at renee.mattson@gmrptcommission.org or System Plan Coordinator Joe Czapiewski at coordinator@gmrptcommission.org.

ETeam Application Overview

ETeam Application Form

Officials recently held a dedication for the new Northland Regional Sports Park in Beltrami County. Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trials Commissioner Rita Albrecht, along with Executive Director Renee Mattson and System Plan Coordinator Joe Czapiewski, attended the ceremony. The new 200+ acre park features top-quality facilities for trap and skeet shooting, a variety of rifle and pistol ranges, hunter education fields, ATV facilities, and indoor classroom and meeting space. The GMRPTC provided Legacy Amendment funding for a new 200 yard rifle range, indoor meeting space, and ATV trailhead.

Learn more about the dedication HERE.

The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission is requesting proposals to complete an assessment of Mountain Bike Trails and Support Facilities in Greater Minnesota Districts 1 and 2. The deadline for proposal submission is 5:00 PM Friday, July 20, 2018. See the attached RFP for additional details.

Prior to additional future investment into regional systems, the GMRPTC needs to: evaluate the realistic demand base for the developing system; better understand the current and potential size of the system in priority Greater Minnesota regions regardless of jurisdiction, and provide better guidance to our local partners on design standards for regional-level facilities.

If you have any questions, please contact GMRPTC System Plan Coordinator Joe Czapiewski at coordinator@gmrptcommission.org.

Come one, come all!

Join us in celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment!

Essentia Duluth Heritage Center will host a very special PARKS AND TRAILS LEGACY CELEBRATION! At this event we will have plenty of activities for all-ages and all-abilities, including rock climbing, biking, an ATV simulator, lots of Legacy project information, and other activities guarantee fun for parks and trails enthusiasts of all abilities.

Each event will be filled with family-friendly activities aiming to engage and inspire people from across the community to get involved with their parks and trails, and to learn about the opportunities the Legacy Amendment offers.

During these events, staff from the ten Metropolitan Regional Parks System’s implementing agencies, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission will gather your ideas and perspectives on Legacy efforts thus far, and invite you to help shape priorities moving forward.

For more information and a list of all 2018 events across the state, visit the website.
www.legacy.leg.mn/ptlac/2018-regional-events
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The new MN Great Outdoors website is a joint initiative of Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, MN DNR and Metropolitan Council.  After almost two years of planning and construction, the new site was launched on June 12, 2018!

https://mn.gov/greatoutdoors/

The website will make trip planning easy and provide a great way to filter a search based on location, accessibility, amenities and features.  Once a search is complete, the site provides the parks or trails that fit the parameters and users simply click through to the individual websites for more detail and planning assistance.

The site provides a comprehensive database of State Parks and Trails, Metropolitan Council Parks and Trails and all Greater Minnesota designated parks and trails, along with snowmobile and ATV trails. 

One of the primary benefits to the designated facilities in Greater Minnesota is the ability for city and county facilities with smaller marketing budgets to gain greater exposure to a much larger audience of park and trail enthusiasts.  To date the site includes 184 parks and 419 trails!  The new site is a win for all involved, and we’re excited to announce the launch at the start of the busy travel season.

CANNON FALLS, Minn. --  U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has designated the Cannon Valley Trail in southeastern Minnesota as a national
recreation trail.

The Cannon Valley Trail is one of 19 newly designated national recreation trails in 17 states announced Wednesday. Zinke says the designations recognize the efforts of local communities to provide outdoor recreational opportunities that can be enjoyed by everyone. The announcement adds more than 370 miles to the National Recreation Trails system of more than 1,000 pathways.

The 19.7 - mile Cannon Valley Trail opened in 1986. It runs through diverse and spectacular scenery along an old rail bed along the Cannon River, connecting the cities of Cannon Falls, Welch and Red Wing. It's open year-round for hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, skateboarding, and cross-country skiing. It attracts close to 100,000 visits per year.The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission has classified the Cannon Valley Trail as a trail of regional significance in Greater Minnesota.

Complete article: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-zinke-announces-19-new-national-recreation-trails-17-states

The Trust for Public Land has released their ParkServe analysis tool, a comprehensive standardized database of local parks in nearly 14,000 cities, towns and communities across the U.S. ParkServe uses available GIS information to conduct an analysis of the distance between population and parks, defined as a 10 minute walkable service area among other criteria.

This analysis is a great tool for a broad look at the potential need for additional park space in your community, or to compare your community with others. We recommend using this as an initial analysis to explore your system, but also developing your own criteria that meets local public values for a more in-depth GIS analysis.

Park Serve Analysis Tool LINK

Join us in celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the passage of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment!
125 LIVE in Rochester, MN, will host a very special PARKS AND TRAILS LEGACY CELEBRATION! At this event we will have plenty of activities for all-ages and all-abilities, including a watershed model, outdoor adaptive equipment, lots of Legacy project information, and more!
Rock climbing, an ATV simulator, biking, and other activities guarantee fun for parks and trails enthusiasts of all abilities.
Each event will be filled with family-friendly activities aiming to engage and inspire people from across the community to get involved with their parks and trails, and to learn about the opportunities the Legacy Amendment offers.
During these events, staff from the ten Metropolitan Regional Parks System’s implementing agencies, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission will gather your ideas and perspectives on Legacy efforts thus far, and invite you to help shape priorities moving forward.
For more information and a list of all 2018 events across the state, visit the website.
www.legacy.leg.mn/ptlac/2018-regional-events

Lac qui Parle County has a gem of a County park that has been in development for decades, thanks to the work of the park's friends group. In 2015 the County applied for designation as a regionally significant park, receiving a "High" ranking by the Commission. Having no master plan in place, the County Board and Friends of the Park group started a long process of visioning and planning for the park's future development..

This week, the new Master Plan entered final public review before being finalized and adopted by the County Board! The next step after official adoption will be to submit the Plan to the Greater Minnesota Regional Development Commission through the online portal for final scoring evaluation by the ETeam, the District Planning Committee and the Commission. The Commission will use that evaluation to determine if the park merits designation as a regionally significant park.

Follow the park's progress on their Facebook page HERE.

You can also read the full plan HERE.

For any questions, contact Kristi Fernholz of the Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission at kristi.fernholz@umvrdc.org
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Sunday's Legacy Celebration event in Marshall was the third of eight being held across the state. Find a future event near you at the Legacy Event website HERE.

From the Marshall Independent:
LEGACY EVENT CELEBRATES MINNESOTA'S PARKS AND TRAILS click here
The combination of fun and education was a major focus at Sunday's Parks and Trails Legacy Celebration, an anniversary event for Minnesota' Clean Water, Land and Legacy Fund. The Legacy Celebration in Marshall is one of several events being held in different parts of the state.

Event organizers hoped to connect people with the outdoors, while at the same time gathering public feedback on how Legacy funds should be used in the future, said Paul Purman, of the Minnesota DNR Parks and Trails Legacy Program.