Parks and Trails Fund requests

To aid in the process of connecting more people to the outdoors, acquiring more park land, accelerating the maintenance and rehabilitation of park facilities and offering grants to local governments, the Department of Natural Resources is requesting $44.7 million from the Parks and Trails Fund for the 2012-2013 biennium from the House Legacy Funding Division.

Following 21 regional workshops across the state and targeted outreach to people under age 20, a steering committee compiled strategies for accomplishing the goals.

With more immigrants moving to the state, one strategy is to create ways of overcoming cultural barriers caused by a more diverse population, according to Courtland Nelson, director of the DNR State Parks Division.

Another underserved population includes young people who are tethered to electronics and will eventually become the next generation of park stewards. The DNR is looking at ways of using social media such as Twitter and Facebook to entice youth to visit a park.

Deferred maintenance in state parks is an ongoing problem, and Nelson said there aren’t enough Legacy dollars coupled with other sources of funding to accomplish all the necessary work. One of the highest priorities is making park buildings and facilities accessible to those with disabilities, he said.

About $12.3 million of the $44.7 million request is for grants to local governments. The next biennium includes two full years of sales tax receipts and no startup costs for the Parks and Trails Fund, so the DNR has requested a 28 percent increase in the amount of grants they can pass on to counties and cities.

The Metro Regional Park Agency, comprised of 10 Twin Cities metropolitan area park agencies, also presented its funding request to the division members, including $3.2 million for land acquisition.

According to statute, 10 percent of the Parks and Trails Fund must be used to acquire land for parks of regional or statewide significance. The agency plans to use the money to build 700 new miles of trails, two new parks and to pay installments on land previously acquired. Emphasis will be placed on expanding opportunities close to where the highest population centers are. With increasing gas prices, agency representatives expect there will be higher demand for the parks closer to home, said Steve Sullivan, Dakota County Parks director. There were 38 million visits to the regional parks within the Metro Regional Parks system last year.