Agreement Narrative: Minnesota Hunter Walking Trails, Public Land Recreational Access
Primary Funder: Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund through Legislative Citizen Commission Minnesota Resources
Location: Throughout northern Minnesota
Innovation: Approximately 1,000 miles of hunter walking trail networks across about 250 sites across state, federal and county lands exist in Minnesota. Most were created in the 1970’s through 1990’s, often utilizing logging access routes and intending to be maintained to facilitate both recreational walking traffic and future disbursed timber harvests. Many of these trail systems were established with support of RGS. Long term or dedicated maintenance funding and maintenance planning have not been established. Maintenance work is therefore typically conducted using annual operating funds and therefore many are overdue for upgrades and improvements. This grant endeavors to both build a better inventory of existing trails and trail needs to support long term maintenance planning and improve conditions on priority trails now. Working with the many public land agencies in the northern forested regions of Minnesota, this grant will also identify existing hunter walking trail infrastructure needs and implement indicated projects including: gates, parking, signage, restoration of trails, adding new trail to augment existing trail.
Impact:
1) restore, upgrade existing hunter walking trail infrastructure at ~120 trailheads, ~50 miles of trail;
2) construct ~12 miles of new hunter walking trails and related trailhead needs;
3) improve hunter walking trail information necessary for management and public recreational users (~100 trails).
Completed To-Date (2/16/24):
- 43 trailhead sites have been improved with gates, boulders, gravel including Aitkin Wildlife, G Rapids Wildlife, Tower Wildlife, Chippewa National Forest, Beltrami County, Itasca County, Crow Wing County.
- 37 miles of existing hunter walking trail have been restored including Grand Rapids wildlife, Little Falls Wildlife, Koochiching County, Beltrami County, Crow Wing County, Carlton County
- 9.35 miles of new Hunter Walking Trail have been created including Aitkin Wildlife, Koochiching County, Beltrami County
- 3 sign sets have been installed with Tower Wildlife
Partners: MN Department of Natural Resources, US Forest Service, County Land Departments (Beltrami, Carlton, Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca, Koochiching). LCCMR logo should be used in communication
