Dear Neighbor,
Congratulations to the young men and women graduating from our local high schools. This is an important milestone as they move forward to accomplish their long-term goals.
As young adults, they represent our nation’s most valuable resource. We wish them well as they embark on the next exciting chapters of their lives. Also congratulations to their parents. Raising a family, providing productive members of our community remains the foundation of civilization and our nation.
As we finish the week, I will mention two additional pieces of legislation on the desk of Gov. Walz that are of special significance to our area.
Our local ATV/Snowmobile clubs maintain many miles of grant-in-aid trails. The work is done by volunteers. The DNR uses a portion of the user-funded all-terrain vehicle account to reimburse the clubs for materials and the special equipment involved in that work.
Crow Wing County’s 2,000-acre Mississippi Northwoods Recreational Area includes grant-in-aid trails. Sand Creek dissects the recreation area presenting the need for a multi-use bridge that will allow safe crossing throughout all four seasons. We were able to include a $150,000 grant to Crow Wing County from the all-terrain vehicle account to support the necessary environmental review and design work for that bridge.
Of very special importance to our region is $4 million in Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) funding for the National Loon Center Foundation project at Crosslake.
LCCMR funds are generated by the Minnesota State Lottery. They are available for regional and statewide conservation projects of special merit. The National Loon Center project requires a match of at least $6 million from other sources. The National Loon Foundation is well on its way to meeting the $6 million dollar match requirement.
The project will provide a world class facility dedicated for the education and protection of our state bird the loon. A special thanks to Leah Heggerston and the members of the National Loon Center Board of Directors for working tirelessly on this project.
The National Loon Center at Crosslake is well on its way to joining Minnesota’s International Wolf Center at Ely and the National Eagle Center at Wabasha as Minnesota’s third world class center for environmental excellence.
As we begin the summer season please be safe!
Sincerely,
Dale