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State Representative Denny McNamara

359 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3135

For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317

Posted: 2007-10-04 00:00:00
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NEWS RELEASE

McNAMARA: FOREST LEGACY LAW MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MINNESOTA

ST. PAUL – Metro area residents who enjoy outdoor activities in northern Minnesota received good news this week.

Governor Tim Pawlenty announced that nearly 80 square miles of forest will be permanently preserved thanks to a financial partnership between state government and private interests. As part of the Forest Legacy Project, $12 million has been used to purchase a forest conservation easement in Koochiching and Itasca counties that precludes property development.

State Representative Denny McNamara (R-Hastings) chief-authored the legislation that appropriated capital investment funds to the program. He said the project is one of the largest conservation initiatives in Minnesota’s history.

“This is the rare partnership agreement that landowners, environmental groups, and state government all strongly supported,” McNamara said. “The group that owns the property could have sold portions of the land to private interests, which would have eliminated public access to the land in the future. Instead, the owners will manage the forest and allow all Minnesotans to use it for recreational activities.”

Public funding for the easement purchase comes from $6.6 million in bond funds appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature in 2006. The remaining $5.4 million contribution came from the Nature Conservancy, which received gifts from private organizations such as the Blandin Foundation and The Conservation Fund.

McNamara said these agreements are needed because the pristine area in the Northwoods is becoming a hotbed for property development, creating a hodgepodge of private land ownership in the middle of public forests.

“In this age of overwhelming property development, I believe large conservation partnerships will become the new way of preserving lands in Minnesota,” McNamara said. “With agreements like this, our children and grandchildren are now guaranteed to have a place in the Northwoods to hunt, fish, bird watch or ski, which is great news for all of us who enjoy Minnesota’s natural resources.”

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