DNR – Great Minnesota Outdoors

Mississippi River County Park

Mississippi River County Park, located near Rice, Minnesota is a place filled with nostalgia and memory making possibilities. I grew up a just 6 miles south of this park in Sartell, Minnesota and found myself here often in my teens and early 20s and now again with my own child. This is where I first learned to drive, had girl scout events, walked with friends, went on nature dates, and spent hours in solitude on their wide paths through the woods.

This park welcomes visitors in every season. In the warm months you can enjoy activities like walking, disc golfing, 80-person picnic shelter area for rent, boating and canoe access points, fishing and much more! In the winter, the hiking and disc golf trails are used for cross country skiing or snowshoeing and you can easily access the river to enjoy how beautiful it is frozen over. With 230 acres total and over 5 miles of trails this park is accessible but full of options. From personal experience this is also a fantastic place to stargaze or view planets when they are accessible with a telescope!

In addition to fun things to do, as of 2018 Mississippi River County Park has received help from the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) to work towards conservation of native prairie land. Prior to colonizers coming to Minnesota, there was an estimated 18 million acres of prairie land compared to less than 00,000 in 2010. With the initiative of restoring 500 or more acres of land annually they hope to maintain 300,000 acres of state park and trail systems by 2040.

Mississippi County River Park is a family friendly park that is perfect for the everyday person and seasoned outdoor connoisseurs alike. This park really had something for everyone! With the nature preservation efforts we can use this park and respect the land for our children and beyond. Are parks the same as you remember growing up? What are your favorite places to go in central Minnesota?

Author: Melissa Foy
Photos by Rachel Skaj

Wildlife Management Areas of Minnesota

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Wildlife Management Area (WMA) are pieces of land that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) maintains. Since the WMA programs inception in 1951, nearly 1,5000 WMAs have been named spanning approximately 1.3 million acres.

These precious pieces of land are home to a wide variety of wildlife. Instead of the sounds of the city, you can hear different birds. The preservation of certain specifies of native Minnesota birds can be credited to the conservation efforts put forth by the Wildlife Management Area program. Some of the fowl preserved be these efforts are Sandhill cranes, Peregrine falcon, and the Trumpeter swan.

The WMAs of Minnesota are a welcoming place for hunters, trappers, and nature enthusiasts to go and enjoy. People can enjoy bird watching, canoeing, hiking and more of the things we all love about living in Minnesota. The preservation efforts have allowed for hunting of certain birds to resume, such as the prairie chicken.

Funding for Wildlife Management Areas comes from a variety of sources. We can help support these conservation efforts by purchasing hunting licenses, critical habitat license plates or giving money directly to them. They also have an “Adopt a WMA” program which is a more hands on commitment. Beyond individuals most of the funding comes from groups created after the Clean Water and Legacy amendment was passed in 2008.

My favorite thing about living in Minnesota is the sound of the birds singing on a spring morning. I love to sit on a lake and hear a loon say hello. There is a powerful sense of peace and unity when you are outside, now more than ever we should be visiting and supporting our Wildlife Management Areas. We can each do our parts as individuals be it cleaning up the garbage on our walk, purchasing a license, or just sharing the legacy with your children.

Melissa