Itasca State Park welcomes the future through potential change
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Itasca State Park is looking at two amendments to its current management plan. And the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to hear visitors’ thoughts about the potential changes.
The first proposal is geared toward improving attendance in months when it’s down. If approved, it would add cross-country ski trails, and expand new camping and lodging opportunities at the park. It would also repurpose some buildings within the current infrastructure.
“A lot of these things brought together are more opportunities, especially in the shoulder seasons and over the winter, to attract more people," said Jade Templin, a DNR principal planner with the parks and trails division. A “shoulder season” is the period between peak and off-season.”
The second amendment would shift two of the park's public water accesses into carry-in use only for non-motorized watercraft, like canoes and paddle boats, while its largest access would remain open to carry-in and drive-in use for motorboats. These changes are intended to help protect water quality in Lake Itasca through reducing runoff and restoring shoreline habitat.
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“Neither of these sites are significantly impacted or have large amounts of runoff,” Templin said. “So, to reduce the amount of disturbed area and to restore some native vegetation along the shoreline, we think is a positive outcome for the park and for Lake Itasca as a whole.”
Aaron Wunrow,the state park’s manager, said as a lifelong visitor, he’s curious to hear what people think about the potential changes.
“Are we on track with some of these proposals? Are we meeting people's needs?” Wunrow asked. “We want to ensure that the reason people have been coming here for multiple generations, is that they're going to see these improvements and say, ‘Yes, this is Itasca. This is the Itasca I'm familiar with, and it's recognizing a path into the future.’”
The DNR will host an open house at the park on March 24, for public comment. The draft plan amendments are available online, as well as Itasca State Park’s current management plan.
