Minnesota state park wins national recognition

[Lee Borgersen]

 
Minnesota state park wins national recognition



A little-known state park in northern Minnesota has apparently won a prestigious national competition to name "America's Favorite Park."

Sponsored by Coca-Cola, the competition comes with a $100,000 check. The winning park is Bear Head Lake State Park, which is located just south of Ely and operated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The DNR has scheduled a news conference in St. Paul Thursday at 11:30 a.m. with DNR commissioner Mark Holsten and Kevin P. Morris, vice president, public affairs and communications for the Coca-Cola Enterprises Bottling Cos.

DNR officials are expected to announce how the money will be spent.

The beverage company ran a national, online competition called "America Is Your Park" campaign from July 29 to Aug. 31, where people could vote for their favorite park, including all national parks.

When the contest voting ended, Bear Head Lake State Park was in the lead, followed by Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Created in 1961, Bear Head Lake State Park is known for its scenic forests and Bear Head Lake, but it is not even one of Minnesota's most-visited state parks. That distinction annually goes to Gooseberry Falls and Fort Snelling state parks, which trade off for most-visited.

There is speculation Bear Head Lake State Park won because it is frequented by a group of bears being studied by Dr. Lynn Rogers. Rogers placed a video camera in the den of one of the bears, named Lily, and the live video feed



and subsequent Facebook page has attracted tens of thousands of viewers and fans.
The popularity of Lily may have sparked an outpouring of votes for Bear Head Lake State Park in the Coca-Cola contest.