The Crow Wing County Land Services Department has initiated a project to develop a comprehensive recreation trails plan for county-managed public lands. The plan will be informed by an evaluation of potential high conservation value forests under the county’s management.

Click here to complete a questionnaire to provide input to the project!

The plan will address existing and proposed recreation trails that serve a full range of motorized and non-motorized uses, including ATV routes, equestrian trails, biking, hiking, dog-sledding, skiing, snowmobiling, and other trail based recreation types. The county had contracted with Dovetail Partners, a Minneapolis-based non-profit, to manage the plan development project. Dovetail will also oversee the evaluation process for identifying high conservation value forests.

The evaluation of High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF) is a component of the county’s participation in forest certification. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification standard includes requirements for the protection, management and monitoring of special sites, such as old-growth forests, water source protection areas, cultural or historic sites and other unique resources.

The full project is expected to take up to two years to complete, with the preliminary HCVF findings being shared with the public in about six months and the first draft of the recreation trail plan being released by the end of 2010.

A first meeting of the project advisory group is scheduled for Tuesday, March 23rd at 6pm in Meeting Room 2 of the Land Services Building (322 Laurel Street, Brainerd, MN 56401).

####

More information is available at:
http://www.co.crow-wing.mn.us/land_services/index.html

Links to news articles about the project:

• Input Sought on County Trails Plan
  

  Brainerd Dispatch January 15, 2010

• Crow Wing County to Develop Comprehensive Recreation Trails Plan
  

  Lake County Echo and Pine River Journal October 21, 2009