New Stearns County park protects lakeshore, offers chance to restore lost prairie and wetlands
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About 250 acres on the Sauk River Chain of Lakes in central Minnesota will be preserved as a new public park and wildlife preserve.
The property borders the popular chain it narrows into the Sauk River, just south of Cold Spring.
It includes about a half-mile of shoreline, rolling hills and old-growth oak forest, said Ben Anderson, Stearns County parks director.
“It’s just a really unique property located in an area of the county and on a lake that doesn’t have a lot of public access,” Anderson said.
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Several organizations partnered to acquire the property, including conservation groups Pheasants Forever and Dakota Ringnecks. The project also received private donations — including $500,000 from an anonymous donor — and a grant from the state’s Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Fund. The county also used about $333,000 in unused COVID-19 relief funds for the purchase.
The property’s proximity to the city of Cold Spring makes it unusual, said Sabin Adams, state coordinator with Pheasants Forever.
“It was likely slated for development at some point in the future,” he said. “Now we can ensure that it will be maintained as wildlife habitat and as a recreation spot for people.”
Plans are to restore wetlands and native prairie that had been farmed, which will help protect and improve the water quality of the Sauk River and chain of lakes, Anderson said.
“This area serves as a big catch for rainfall that’s coming through there, and we want to treat that water before it gets into the chain,” he said.
Acquiring more than 200 acres for native prairie habitat is a “big win,” Adams said. But he noted that the U.S. has lost an average of 48,000 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program per year since 2007. Farmers enrolled in CRP agree to remove sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species to improve environmental health.
“Anytime we can purchase a property, put permanent protection on it — whether that’s with a state agency, a federal agency, a county — restore the grasslands, restore the wildlife habitat and then open it up to the public so they can enjoy those spaces, we view it as a win all around,” Adams said.
Restoring native prairie and previously drained wetlands will help hold more water on the landscape Adams said, likening it to a sponge.
“I think that’s a really important story to tell right now, as we’re seeing all of this water rushing off the landscape and into our waterways,” he said. “These types of projects provide this huge service — holding and cleaning our water, letting it percolate into our drinking supply.”
The county plans to get public input on the park over the summer, and have it ready to open sometime next year.
The Outdoor Heritage Fund grant requires the county to allow hunting in the park. Anderson said it will be limited to small game and bow hunting. Plans call for adding some limited trails for hiking and cross-country skiing, as well as a possible boat landing and fishing pier.
The county’s park commission has narrowed a list of possible names for the park and is asking the public to weigh in. Options are Chain of Lakes County Park, Chain of Lakes County Park and Conservation Area or Kinzer Creek Conservation Area.
