RELEASE: Sandstede bill to keep Hill Annex Mine State Park open considered by House environment panel

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A bill to keep Hill Annex Mine State Park open – while work continues to transition the park from state to local management – was considered by the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee Thursday.

The legislation, carried by Rep. Julie Sandstede (DFL – Hibbing), would require the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to keep the park, located on the site of a former mine outside of Calumet, open and operational until 2021. The DNR has identified long-term sustainability issues and has indicated a desire to close the park.

“The folks in our region have worked extremely hard to come up with a solution that preserves this park, which has great educational, historical, cultural and scientific value,” Rep. Sandstede said. “Some people visit the park to learn about our rich mining traditions, while others visit to explore the fossils and other geological features. This is all worth protecting.”

Last year, the Legislature created a working group to come up with an alternative operating model for the park. The working group, consisting of the DNR, Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, Western Mesabi Mine Planning Board, the city of Calumet and Itasca County held four public meetings last year.

The group completed a report in January recommending a more comprehensive concept plan and feasibility study. Rep. Sandstede’s bill also includes $150,000 of one-time funding for Itasca County to develop a local partnership such as a joint-powers agreement to accomplish this while defining project goals, identifying funding mechanisms, and implementation of necessary ongoing operational support. Management would then transition from the DNR to the new local partnership. The working group also recommended a major marketing campaign to promote the park and raise awareness of its unique, one of a kind qualities.

“This bill is the ‘peace in the valley’ solution all parties involved support,” Rep. Sandstede told the committee.

The park sits on School Trust Lands and eventually could become an active mining site again. It’s estimated that the tailings alone on the site are worth $43 million. The Hill Annex Mine was closed in 1978 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. In 1988, it was designated as a state park. Buildings and mining equipment remain on the site. Additionally, fossils – which formed 86 million years ago when the area was still covered by sea – can be found on the site, including sharks’ teeth.

No action was taken on the bill, HF 4243, which may be included in the Environment and Natural Resources omnibus budget bill later this session.

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