DNR invites public input on Root River State Trail

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DNR invites public input on Root River State Trail at Jan. 20 open house
(Released January 14, 2011)


The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites anyone with an interest in the extension of the Root River State Trail to attend an upcoming open house in La Crescent.

The event will be held on Thursday, Jan. 20, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in the La Crescent Community Room at 336 S. First Street. To access the meeting room, use the entrance on Oak Street.

This is the first of several meetings that will be scheduled to discuss the master planning process for extending the Houston to La Crescent segment of the trail, which is part of the Blufflands State Trail System. Additional meetings focusing on the central and western portions of the planned trail will take place in February in surrounding communities.

DNR staff and volunteers working on the trail-planning effort will discuss the draft master plan, display maps and other trail information, and answer questions about the issues involved in moving toward trail development.

Before the Jan. 20 open house, the La Crescent Planning Commission and Active Living La Crescent will sponsor a Transportation Trails planning meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The meeting will focus on local trail connections to commuter and recreational trails in the region. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend both meetings.

The Root River State Trail is one of the oldest and most popular rail-trails in Minnesota, meandering 42 miles alongside the Root River from Fountain to Houston. It is part of the larger Blufflands Trail System, which extends through Houston, Fillmore, Olmsted, and Winona counties.

The Houston County Trails Committee has been working since the 1990s to extend the trail from Houston to La Crescent. From La Crescent, the trail would extend to and across the

Mississippi River to La Crosse, WI, where it would connect to more than 100 miles of Wisconsin state trails. The trail extension is being planned to accommodate snowmobiles and horses in some locations, as well as bicycles and other nonmotorized activities.

The master plan must be completed and approved before any funds can be used for trail construction. The specific route for the trail south and west of La Crescent has not yet been determined, and no segments are yet in state ownership.

For more information, contact:

Suzanne Rhees, parks and trails planner, suzanne.rhees@state.mn.us or 651-259-5586; or
Craig Blommer, acquisition and development coordinator, craig.blommer@state.mn.us or 507-206-2845
The draft master plan will be posted by Jan. 20 on the public input section of the DNR website.