On Wednesday Governor Walz announced new guidance for the reopening and use of campgrounds in Minnesota, starting June 1. Find them on the DNR's website HERE.
The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission worked with many agencies around the state including DNR, National Forest Service, Metro Parks, Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails, and more to help create these campground guidelines. They are intended to help you determine the minimum standards that you should be implementing while you work to open your campgrounds but allow for room to do more if you have the proper staffing and ability to maintain best practices. We hope everyone is doing well and making safe use of Minnesota's great outdoor spaces this summer! Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission Announces New Commissioner Appointments5/8/2020
Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan made five appointments to the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission effective May 6, 2020 through January 1, 2024.
Reappointments: District 1 - Timothy Engrav from Britt District 3 – Peg Furshong from Sacred Heart New Appointments: District 2 – Matthew Hill from Breezy Point District 5 – Ted Suss from Lucan At-Large – Jennifer Foley from St. Cloud The GMRPTC is comprised of 13 Governor appointed members who represent the 80-counties outside the seven-county metropolitan area. There are two representatives for each of six districts and one at-large member. The Commission, through a comprehensive, multi-step process, designates regionally significant parks and trails, enabling those facilities to apply for funding through the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Currently there are 62 designated parks and trails in Greater Minnesota. For more information about the Commission visit www.gmrptcommission.org.
The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce is partnering with decorated marketing agency Aimclear® to offer a free webinar to inform and empower tourism businesses statewide for the unique challenges of the 2020 season.
With the summer tourism season rapidly approaching, we know businesses have countless questions and concerns about what may or may not be possible. The good news is the State of Minnesota just clarified an easing of restrictions and is allowing many resort, RV park, and campground businesses to open and operate with limitations. Tourism businesses, their marketers, and agencies need to understand the state’s guidelines along with other challenges associated with promoting tourism to a wary public. While thousands of folks want to get away, they have an entirely new set of concerns to factor into their decisions. We encourage you to invest an hour of your time to help us all enter the tourism season with a better awareness and direction. To learn more and register for this FREE webinar, please click HERE.
The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC) announces the availability of its funding application for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. All designated park and trail facilities in the GMRPTC System may begin online applications on April 1, 2020. The application portal will close on July 31, 2020.
“Cities and counties across Greater Minnesota have sought funding for a variety of park and trail projects the past several application cycles,” said Renee Mattson, Executive Director of the GMRPTC. “Park and trail infrastructure projects funded by the Commission are making a difference in all areas of the state and we expect similar success this year. We are also excited to be offering a new, designated target of $250,000 for programming and accessibility projects that fall under the Connecting People to the Outdoors category.” Funding has been available for projects in that category in the past, as a part of the larger fund that typically distributes $8 – 10 million annually in Greater Minnesota. This is the first year a specific set-aside has been created to encourage applicants to pursue well-designed projects that bring new users to the park or trail and promote life-long use. Last year the Commission received 22 applications and selected nine of them for funding, totaling $9,984,067. Funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, the 13-member GMRPTC facilitates a subset of the Parks and Trails fund dedicated to city and county parks and trails of regional significance. Applicants should review the Funding Criteria and Guidelines as well as Application Instructions carefully to make sure they understand this year’s requirements. The online-only application portal is located on the Commission’s website HERE. Guidelines, instructions, tutorials and sample documents can be found in the Application Toolbox HERE. Any questions can be directed to System Plan Coordinator Joe Czapiewski at coordinator@gmrptcommission.org.
now Rochester's Quarry Hill Park and Nature Center is building on its Legacy supported investments.
Over the last few years Quarry Hill Park completed an extensive renovation of its Nature Center and built a new Prairie House classroom building in part with GMRPTC-awarded Legacy funds. At the time, they were able to put most of the infrastructure in place to make the Prairie House a carbon neutral facility. Leveraging additional funding sources, Quarry Hill has put additional equipment in place to make that goal a reality. LEARN MORE HERE. LeSeuer County's Lake Washington Regional Park, a part of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails system, was recently placed on the GMRPTC's recommendation list for Fiscal Year 2021 Legacy Funds.
A number of improvements are planned for the increasingly popular park. Local TV station KEYC in Mankato covered the story. See HERE for more details.
The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission has published its annual Policy and Planning report to the Legislature.
This annual report highlights the growth and impact of Greater Minnesota's regional system of parks and trails. Supported by the Clean Water and Legacy Amendment, sixty-two facilities across 80 counties provide a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and visitors. Learn more about how the Commission is working with cities and counties in all six Greater Minnesota districts to fulfill the 25-year Legacy Plan.
The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission has announced grant recommendations for the FY2021 funding cycle.
Of the 62 regionally designated parks and trails in the Greater Minnesota system, the Commission received 22 applications totaling nearly $28 million dollars; nine projects were selected to receive $9,984,067 in funding. See the full press release and recommendation list below.
The Greater Minnesota Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC) has compiled an inventory of designated mountain bike trails in Districts 1 and 2, comprising twenty-four northern Minnesota counties. The inventory is a snapshot of current and planned facilities that are officially designated for mountain bike use.
As the sport of mountain biking increases in popularity, the demand for purpose-built, sustainable trails continues to grow. The GMRPTC undertook this system inventory to better understand the current and ongoing level of investment in the areas of highest growth in Greater Minnesota. Land managers, funding agencies and trail advocates can use this information to understand the distribution of trails of varying function and difficulty levels. While not designed as a tool for riders to locate their next riding experience, the inventory may be helpful to marketers who are incorporating that information into their messaging and recreation packages. The GMRPTC was established in 2013 conduct system planning and provide recommendations to the legislature for grants funded by the Legacy Parks and Trails fund to counties and cities outside the seven-county metropolitan area for parks and trails of regional significance. A total of 62 parks and trails are currently included in the Greater Minnesota regional system statewide. More information about the Commission can be found at gmrptcommission.org. Below are links to the report and associated maps. REPORT: Mountain Bike Trail Inventory in Districts 1 and 2 MAP: District 1 Overview MAP: Aitken Mille Lacs Pine County Area Systems MAP: Cook County Area Systems MAP: Lake County Area Systems MAP: Upper St. Louis County Area Systems MAP: Lower St. Louis County Area Systems MAP: District 2 Overview MAP: Beltrami Crow Wing County Area Systems MAP: Itasca County Area Systems MAP: Roseau Polk County Area Systems
There is no doubt that volunteer organizations are helping to make many Greater Minnesota parks and trails a reality. Whether helping raise funds for construction or organizing clean up work crews, many of our facilities wouldn't be what they are without dedicated local volunteer support.
Minnesota Public Radio has shared this fantastic look at how volunteers are making a difference at several parks and trails statewide, including many regionally significant partners of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission. A shout out as well to our Executive Director, Renee Mattson, who was interviewed for this article. MPR: In Duluth, skiers (and bikers, hikers, climbers and others) step up to build trails |
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