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PARKS & TRAILS COUNCIL OF MINNESOTA NEWSLETTER
M
aria Ostman is a bit of a legend
within Tettegouche State Park
history. She was the immigrant care-
taker at Tettegouche camp (now part of
Tettegouche State Park) during its days
as the solitary-summer retreat for Duluth
business baron Clement Quinn. From the
mid-50s to early-70s Ostman spent her
days living of the land and tending to
the needs of Quinn, such as gathering ice
from the lake for his daily martini.
A recent land donation to the Parks &
Trails Council ties together this legendary
fgures story with two other Tettegouche
legends: Mark and Joan Strobel.
After her decades-long stint as the
Tettegouche Camp caretaker, Ost-
man continued to live just outside the
park boundaries on a parcel she bought
from her former employer Quinn. Her
property, which was split by Hwy 31,
remained wooded and preserved the up
north scenery for park visitors who travel
down Hwy. 31 to the current Tettegouche
Camp (where four rustic cabins can be
rented by park visitors).
In 2004, Ostman decided to sell the 4
acres that lay on the park-owned side of
Hwy. 31.
Strobel land donation continued on page 9
This 4-acre parcel in Tettegouche State Park was protected from becoming a
gravel mine. Inset: Maria Ostman at Tettegouche Camp.
Inside this issue
Bison at Minneopa pg 3
Welcome DNR Director pg 5
Durenbergers Speech pg 6
MN Rovers 60
th
Event pg 7
Mill Towns State Trail pg 8
Bike MN Jerseys pg 10
Magney Circle Events pg 10
Oberstar Memorial pg 11
Land Project Update
One couples actions save small parcel from
potential major disruption at Tettegouche
As the 2014 legislative session came to
an end in May, parks and trails support-
ers began celebrating. On May 20, Gov.
Mark Dayton signed into law the largest
capital investment package for parks and
trails since 2008, plus a bill that increased
several agency operating budgets, includ-
ing the DNR Division of Parks and
Trails. Get the details on pp. 4-5,
including:
Te bonding bill has funding for:
13 state trail projects
Asset preservation
Lake Vermilion State Park
Te surplus budget saves 16 jobs
Introducing a new state parks
and trails license plate
Summer 2014 (june)
Gitchi-Gami State Trail
Legislative Recap
2014 session brings
signifcant investments
to parks and trails
Leg. recap continued on page 4
Summer ( June) 2014 page 2
By Mike Tegeder, president
Ober is the German
for upper, often used in
compound words (where
it has a general meaning
of high, as in oberland
or highlands). It has the
sense of raising up or en-
hancing and how true that
is here in Minnesota.
When Ober is heard here, two giants
come to mind: Ernest Oberholtzer and
Jim Oberstar. Ernest Oberholtzer was
a friend to the Ojibwe people, the great
defender of the Boundary Waters and one
of the founders of the Wilderness Society.
His legacy remains with the BWCAW
and Voyageurs National Park.
Where do you start in describing the
legacy left by Representative Jim Ober-
star who died this past May 3? During
his 36 years representing Minnesota 8th
Congressional District he was involved in
most major federal transportation legisla-
tion whether by land, sea or
air. He lived up to his title of
Mr. Transportation.
And for us members of
P&TC he was a good friend
with a passion for parks and
trails. He walked the talk.
He literally biked the trail.
Ober, who got thousands of infrastruc-
ture projects approved in Congress, made
sure to insert bike safety measures and
bike trails in transportation funding bills.
Indeed, these were the legislative accom-
plishments he was most proud of in his
long and distinguished career of public
service.
Jim Oberstar has left us a tremendous
legacy and a challenge to renew our com-
mitment to make a diference. Although
Jim did not live to see the outcome of
the Minnesota legislative session, I think
he was cheering us on, especially with
the trails projects we advocated for in
the bonding bill. Te eforts of our staf,
members, friends groups, and consul-
tants helped to make this happen. By his
example and efort, Jim Oberstar raised
us up to that higher level.
Tank you all for your eforts this year in
lifting up our parks and trails. It is said
that legislation is made by those who
show up. Tis year you really showed up
and it made the diference.
A year ago I was up at the Cross River for
a dedication ceremony and Rep. Oberstar
characteristically showed up. After he
gave his thoughts for the occasion a bald
eagle swooped over our small group as if a
blessing. Tat eagle is still overhead.
From the President
Ober : being raised up by inspirational examples
From the archives
1983: Landmark case saves Gateway State Trail
On Jan. 23, 1980 the Interstate Com-
merce Commission authorized the
abandonment of a little-used section of
the Soo Line Railway on the condition
that any future use be publicly accessible.
A local community group now known as
the Gateway Trail Association quickly
formed and began working with the
DNR to convert the railway into a biking,
hiking, skiing and horse trail.
It didnt take long before several abutting
property owners organized in opposition
to the trail and engaged the state in a
bidding war for the abandoned railway.
Recognizing that the state was legally
bound to pay only the appraised value for
land, the property owners raised its bid
beyond what the state could ofer.
Parks & Trails Council stepped in to
donate the $8,000 necessary to match the
oppositions bid. Meanwhile members of
P&TCs board began meeting with Soo
Line executives, who eventually agreed
to sell to the state, convinced that the
publics interest in the land for a trail was
paramount.
Nonetheless, the battle continued with
the opposition fling a lawsuit claiming
ownership rights to the land. Te lawsuit
made its way to the Minnesota Supreme
Court (Washington Wildlife Preserva-
tion v. State).
Sam Morgan representing P&TC,
provided legal assistance to the DNR
attorneys. On Jan. 14, 1983 the Supreme
Court ruled that the right-of-way is still
being used as a right-of-way for trans-
portation even though abandoned as a
railroad. Recreational trail use of the land
is compatible and consistent with its prior
use as a rail line, and imposes no greater
burden on the servient estates.
Te ruling paved the way for many more
rail-to-trail projects in the state. Te
18-mile Gateway State Trail is currently
being extended with a 6-mile spur into
Stillwater that is expected to open in
either fall 2014 or 2015.
P&TC staf and members at the Gateway State Trail
It is said that legislation is
made by those who show up.
Tis year you really showed
up and it made the diference.
Summer ( June) 2014 page 3
W
hile Minneopa State Park is most
well known for its waterfalls,
there may soon be a new reason to visit
the park. DNR ofcials are currently
reviewing comments received during the
public review process for amending the
parks management plan. If approved,
Minneopa would be the second state
park with these giants of the prairie;
Blue Mounds State Park has had bison
since 1961.
Bisons history in North America is
tied directly with the fate of the prai-
ries. Prior to European settlement, they
seemed limitless, with some estimates in
the tens of millions. By 1900 they were
nearly extinct.
Te existence of remnant prairie at Min-
neopa was one of the reasons this park
was chosen for bison reestablishment.
Another reason was the parks proximity
to potential visitors. With interpretation
of natural resources a prime aim of our
state park system, bison ofer a unique
opportunity to both learn about the past
and the way ecosystems rely on interac-
tions between co-adapted species.
Establishing the herd of 30 to 40 bison
will require several signifcant changes.
Te park plans to install a six-foot fence
around the 330-acre prairie. Te fence
will have two gates with cattle guards
(metal bars on the ground that bison
cannot walk on) that allow vehicles to
drive through while keeping bison in.
Visitors will be allowed to drive through
this enclosure on a road that leads up
to an overlook at Seppman Mill, just
outside the enclosure. But visitors must
stay inside their vehicle while in the
enclosure. From the overlook visitors
will be able to take in sweeping views
of nearly the entire bison range and the
Minnesota River valley.
While many see this as an exciting
opportunity for people to learn about a
symbol of the majestic prairies, it does
come at a cost. An existing hiking trail,
which traverses the prairie, will be relo-
cated to the perimeter of the enclosure.
Tere are many lovers of the prairie that
will dearly miss that experience, said
Tim Pulis of the Friends of Minneopa,
a group that has been weighing the pros
and cons of this project.
Tis new trail is expected to increase the
miles of trail within the park, however
that trail experience will be diferent.
Park planners anticipate that the bison
will attract new visitors to the park,
which will likely increase the use of other
amenities in the park. Pulis explained
that this will likely have a positive afect
on the park with potentially more invest-
ments made in the park. With Seppman
Mill becoming a signifcant interpretive
location, park staf may need to make
improvements to the area and protect
the mill, which is on the National Reg-
ister of Historic Places, from increased
visitor use.
A few other infrastructure elements will
need to be built for the bison. Within
the enclosure, a water source will be
constructed, but attention will be paid
to making it blend in with the prairie by
designing it to look like a natural prairie
pothole. A handling facility will also be
built out of sight to aid in herd manage-
ment activities such as genetic testing.
Te bison genetics are an important
component of the program. One of the
goals of re-establishing bison at Min-
neopa is to conserve plains bison genet-
ics. Such a goal aligns with the legislative
mandate defning a key purpose of state
parks as, to preserve, perpetuate, and
interpret natural features that existed in
the area of the park prior to settlement
and to reestablish desirable plants and
animals that were formerly indigenous to
the park area but are now missing.
Early plans indicated that if the project
were approved, the introduction of bison
could be done as early as fall 2014.
State Park Update
Bison may soon roam the prairie at Minneopa State Park
Seppman Mill at Minneopa State Park would become a overlook site encompassing views of the bison range (photo of mill by Randy Wood).
Summer ( June) 2014 page 4
Over 31 park and trail projects totalling
$53.49 million were included in the 2014
bonding bill (see map below).
Within this package were 11 trail proj-
ects that P&TC has been advocating for
since 2008. We were thrilled that these
trail projects, which have been on hold
for years will fnally begin to be built,
said Brett Feldman, executive director of
P&TC.
Regrettably, one trail projectthe Casey
Jones State Trailwas cut from the bill
during the fnal hours of negotiation
despite the projects strong merits and
local support. P&TC plans to continue
working with local groups, the DNR, and
state legislators to develop Casey Jones,
which was Minnesotas frst authorized
state trail.
Lake Vermilion State Park received $14
million for its ongoing development.
Te park was acquired in 2008 yet still
has very limited areas open to the public.
Plans include developing a campground
at Cable Bay, camper cabins, picnic areas,
boat launches, Wi-Fi access, and a family
adventure area.
In addition to these projects, the DNR
received $10 million for asset preserva-
tion to be used for rehabilitation of
current infrastructure. However, this
amount was for all the DNR divisions
(e.g., State Forests, Wildlife Management
Areas, State Parks), and it is undecided
how much if any will be spent on parks
and trails. In addition, this $10 million
is far below the DNRs original request
of $30.4 million for state parks and trails
alone, which identifed trail resurfacing
projects and campground rehabilitations.
Overall, this years package increased
bonding dollars for parks and trails by
nearly 60% compared to the 2011-12
bonding cycle.
Te Metropolitan system of regional
parks and trails received funding for
several projects. And while greater Min-
nesota benefts from the numerous state
projects, we were disappointed that the
emerging system received funding for
only two projects.
Bonding Bill Appropriations
DNR System of State Parks and Trails
Lake Vermilion State Park ................................................ $14 million
Red River State Recreation Area .................................... $250,000
Fort Snelling Upper Post .................................................. $500,000
Blazing Star State Trail ...................................................... $433,000
Camp Ripley/Veterans State Trail .................................. $1.73 million
Cuyuna Lakes State Trail .................................................. $2.38 million
Gateway State Trail ............................................................ $520,000
Gitchi-Gami State Trail ...................................................... $1.47 million
Glacial Lakes State Trail .................................................... $1.3 million
Goodhue Pioneer State Trail ........................................... $260,000
Heartland State Trail .......................................................... $2.69 million
Luce Line State Trail ........................................................... $1.73 million
Mill Towns State Trail ......................................................... $476,000
Minnesota River State Trail .............................................. $346,000
Minnesota Valley State Trail ............................................ $2.17 million
Shooting Star State Trail ................................................... $2.17 million
Metropolitan System of Regional Parks and Trails
Metropolitan Regional Park System ............................ $4 million
Hastings Bridge Trail Connection ................................. $1.6 million
North Urban Regional Trail ............................................. $2 million
Como Park ............................................................................. $5.4 million
Maplewood Fish Creek Trail ............................................ $318,000
Inver Grove Heights Heritage Park ............................... $2 million
Springbrook Nature Center ............................................ $5 million
Oakdale Mud Lake Trail & Boardwalk .......................... $150,000
Greater Minnesota System of Regional Parks and Trails
Central Minnesota Regional Parks ............................... $500,000
Grant County Trail Grant .................................................. $100,000
Mapping the $53.49 Million Capital Investments in Parks and Trails in 2014
Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund Appropriations
Metropolitan Regional Park System ............................ $1.5 million
Mesabi Trail Development .............................................. $1 million
Brown's Creek State Trail .................................................. $1.25 million
Martin County Parks .......................................................... $435,000
Minnesota River Water Trailhead .................................. $198,000