Parks and Trails leaders tell committee legacy funds expand access and help maintain aging system
March 25, 2026 | 2026 Legislature MN, Minnesota
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Emmett Mullen (Metropolitan Council), Laura Preuss (DNR Parks & Trails Division) and Renee Mattson (Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission) presented a joint update to the Legacy Finance Committee on parks and trails legacy investments and pilot programs.
Mullen outlined the metropolitan regional parks and trails system—58 regional parks, nearly 500 miles of regional trail and more than 65,000 acres of protected land—and said legacy funding has been central to protecting land, building amenities and expanding access. He illustrated projects funded with legacy dollars, including snowmaking at Battle Creek Regional Park and the Minnesota River Greenway Regional Trail.
Preuss described DNR’s system scope (73 state parks and recreation areas, roughly 240,000 managed acres, and about 2,700 miles of designated trails, of which roughly 1,500 are developed). She highlighted programs designed to broaden participation—"I Can Camp," "I Can Paddle," and related mentor‑led activities—that lower barriers by providing equipment and short, supported overnight experiences.
Mattson described Greater Minnesota grants and designation work, citing an estimated $2 million of legacy investment that expanded Big Falls campground and created a community pavilion. She said the commission currently has 84 designated facilities (with one more likely to be designated after an ongoing application review).
Committee members focused heavily on maintenance needs. Representative Heintzeman and others cited recent cost estimates for trail maintenance and resurfacing—seal coating estimates of roughly $50,000–$58,000 per mile and repaving costs that can reach the hundreds of thousands of dollars per mile—arguing the state faces a growing deferred maintenance backlog and needs targeted funding to preserve older assets. Presenters said legacy funds accelerate rehabilitation projects but typically do not supplant local maintenance obligations and that designated applicants must demonstrate maintenance plans to be eligible for designation.
Representative Scribe noted HF 4265, a proposed capital appropriation that would direct funds to Greater Minnesota parks and trails, and asked about acreage for Blakely Bluffs Park Reserve; presenters said the full reserve is roughly 2,500 acres with about half acquired so far and that the park will open in phases as critical masses of land are secured.
Mullen outlined the metropolitan regional parks and trails system—58 regional parks, nearly 500 miles of regional trail and more than 65,000 acres of protected land—and said legacy funding has been central to protecting land, building amenities and expanding access. He illustrated projects funded with legacy dollars, including snowmaking at Battle Creek Regional Park and the Minnesota River Greenway Regional Trail.
Preuss described DNR’s system scope (73 state parks and recreation areas, roughly 240,000 managed acres, and about 2,700 miles of designated trails, of which roughly 1,500 are developed). She highlighted programs designed to broaden participation—"I Can Camp," "I Can Paddle," and related mentor‑led activities—that lower barriers by providing equipment and short, supported overnight experiences.
Mattson described Greater Minnesota grants and designation work, citing an estimated $2 million of legacy investment that expanded Big Falls campground and created a community pavilion. She said the commission currently has 84 designated facilities (with one more likely to be designated after an ongoing application review).
Committee members focused heavily on maintenance needs. Representative Heintzeman and others cited recent cost estimates for trail maintenance and resurfacing—seal coating estimates of roughly $50,000–$58,000 per mile and repaving costs that can reach the hundreds of thousands of dollars per mile—arguing the state faces a growing deferred maintenance backlog and needs targeted funding to preserve older assets. Presenters said legacy funds accelerate rehabilitation projects but typically do not supplant local maintenance obligations and that designated applicants must demonstrate maintenance plans to be eligible for designation.
Representative Scribe noted HF 4265, a proposed capital appropriation that would direct funds to Greater Minnesota parks and trails, and asked about acreage for Blakely Bluffs Park Reserve; presenters said the full reserve is roughly 2,500 acres with about half acquired so far and that the park will open in phases as critical masses of land are secured.
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