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State Representative Leon Lillie
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-1188
For more information contact: Christina Gosack 651-296-5524
NEWS COLUMN
Summer is Best Time to Enjoy Lakes, Parks
Every year, summertime reminds me why I love to live in Minnesota. You just can't beat riding your bike around Lake Phalen or down the Gateway Trail in the evening, or getting out fishing or picnicking in one of the parks. In fact, what makes Minnesota great in the summer is being outdoors at our lakes and rivers and the beautiful city and state parks.
We have an incredible legacy in this state of people who have worked to preserve the natural heritage of Minnesota for future generations. Many of the natural areas we take for granted today, like the Boundary Waters, created a lot of controversy when they were first protected. Luckily there are still many people in Minnesota who are motivated to preserve our lakes, wetlands and forests.
Just last week an agreement to protect 50,000 acres of forest north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota through a public-private partnership was announced. One of the biggest threats to the north woods is development. When large tracts of privately owned land get sold off into smaller parcels to build cabins and condos, wildlife and bird habitat gets fragmented. Land that hunters might have used for generations is suddenly posted "no trespassing". Hikers and cross-country skiers lose their trails. And the folks up north who make a living selling timber lose access to trees that need to be harvested.
The agreement announced last week will pay for a conservation easement for $15 million on 50,000 acres once owned by the Boise Cascade paper company. That means the company that owns the land will retain the title, but cannot break up the land for development. The land will remain open to logging, camping, hunting and recreation. The state financed half of the conservation easement in this year's bonding bill, the other half will be paid for by the Blandin Foundation and private fundraising with the help of groups like the Nature Conservancy. It’s one of the first examples of the state, conservation groups, and timber interests collaborating to preserve northern forestland from development. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.
Another important advancement for conservation this legislative session was progress on cleaning up our lakes and rivers. Minnesota's waters are not as clean as they should be. Of the few lakes the state has tested so far, about 40% were found to be contaminated by pollutants. This year we passed a landmark Mercury Reduction Act that will reduce mercury emissions from Minnesota coal-burning power plants by 90% before 2015. This will go a long way to keeping mercury out of our lakes and fish, and hopefully make fish consumption advisories a thing of the past. We also passed the first stage of the Clean Water Legacy Act, which sets goals for public agencies to help identify polluted waters sooner and sets up a timetable for implementing restoration.
All of these efforts are critical if we want our kids and grandkids to keep enjoying the outdoors as we do today. I encourage everyone to get out there and enjoy our wonderful Minnesota State Parks and Trails this summer. The Fourth of July weekend is a great time to visit state parks. You can look up info on state parks at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html. Hope to see you at Hazelwood and Maplewood for fireworks and festivities.
Feel free to contact me on this or any other legislative issue. You can reach me at (651) 296-1188, by e-mail at rep.leon.lillie@house.mn, or at 353 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, MN 55155.
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