Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 10/09/2014

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• 53 regional parks and park reserves • Eight special recreation features, such as the zoo and conservatory at Como Regional Park • 40 regional trails, with 340 miles currently open to the public • Over 46 million visits each year • An investment of more than $658 million in state and regional dollars since inception, with an additional $163 million of state funds to partially finance operations and maintenance of the regional park system Regional parks contain significant regional natural resources such as Lakeshore, wetlands, hardwood forests, native prairies and groundwater recharging areas. If you were to visit one regional park, park reserve or special recreation feature each weekend - not even counting the trails, it would take you more than a year to get to them all. It's an amazing system, one that has few rivals anywhere in the world. It demonstrates the importance of natural spaces and outdoor recreation to Minnesotans, including those living in the metropolitan area. The Regional Parks System is comprised of four main components: regional parks, park reserves, regional trails, and special recreation features. Regional Parks Regional parks most notably contain a diversity of nature -based resources, either naturally occurring or human - built, and are typically 200 -500 acres in size. Regional parks accommodate a variety of outdoor recreation activities. In 2014, a total of 41 regional parks were open to the public. Examples of regional parks include: • Battle Creek - Indian Mounds Regional Park (City of St. Paul and Ramsey County) • Lake Waconia Regional Park (Carver County) • Lebanon Hills Regional Park (Dakota County) • Theodore Wirth Regional Park (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board) • Spring Lake Regional Park (Scott County) Park Reserves Park reserves, like regional parks, provide for a diversity of outdoor recreation activities. One major feature that distinguishes the park reserve from a regional park is its size. The minimum size for a park reserve is 1,000 acres. An additional characteristic of park reserves is that they are required to manage at least 80% of the park reserve as natural lands that protect the ecological functions of the native landscape. As of 2014, a total of 12 park reserves were open to the public. Examples of park reserves include: • Hyland- Bush - Anderson Lakes Park Reserve (City of Bloomington and Three Rivers Park District) • Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Washington County) • Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve (Anoka County) The Council's 2008 Regional Park System Visitor Survey found the most popular activities in regional parks and park reserves included: 1) walking, 2) swimming, 3) biking, 4) picnicking, and 5) playground use.