Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Hundreds of acres of woods and wetlands, including three miles of St. Croix riverfront, join preserved public land in an east central state forest, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Trust for Public Land announced Tuesday. 

The national nonprofit bought the land from Xcel Energy and donated it to the state DNR.

The Trust for Public Land's Minnesota state director Susan Schmidt said it’s “a really huge win for Minnesotans and for the environment, for habitats and for lands or water quality on the St. Croix River.”

 will be open to hikers, but not accessible to off-highway vehicle access. The state forest is located in Pine and Chisago counties near Pine City. The forest currently has 15 miles of off-highway vehicle trails and a stretch of the Matthew Lourey State Trail. 

The Trust bought the land using a grant from the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund, supported by sales taxes. The TPL says it has protected millions of acres and created public parks across the U.S. 

 in the Mississippi River headwaters region near Crosby several years ago.

Environmental News

NewsPartners

MPR News Staff

Author

Hundreds of acres of woods and wetlands, including three miles of St. Croix riverfront, join preserved public land in an east-central state forest, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Trust for Public Land announced Tuesday.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

A parcel map outlining land boundaries for public land.

Minnesota given more than 700 acres near the St. Croix River

Go Deeper.

Like this?