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

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Regional Trails The Council has defined two major types of trails to serve the region: 1) destination or greenway trails and 2) linking trails. Destination or greenway trails typically follow along routes with high - quality natural resources that make the trail itself a destination. Examples of destination or greenway trails include: • Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board) • Rush Creek Regional Trail (Three Rivers Park District) Linking trails, on the other hand, are predominately intended to provide connections between various Regional Parks System units, most notably regional parks or park reserves. Examples of linking trails include: • East Anoka County Trail (Anoka County) • Highway 96 Regional Trail (Ramsey County) As of 2014, 40 regional trails totaling approximately 340 miles were open for public use. Special Recreation Features Special recreation features are defined as Regional Parks System opportunities not generally found in the regional parks, park reserves or trail corridors. Special recreation features often require a unique managing or programming effort. As of 2014, there were eight special recreation features open to the public. Examples of special recreation features include: • Como Zoo (City of St. Paul) • Gale Woods Farm (Three Rivers Park District) • Square Lake (Washington County) Additional information on Regional Parks System facilities is provided in Chapter 3. Regional Parks System Management Structure The organizational structure of the Regional Parks System is unique. It is built upon a strong partnership among the Council and several governmental agencies, including cities, counties, and special park districts. While each agency has a role in the Regional Parks System, collaboration is the cornerstone and the strength of the Regional Parks System. Regional Park Implementing Agencies Role Cities, counties, and special park districts own and operate regional parks and trails - the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes' facilities, paths and activities are the responsibility of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, for example - but once a park becomes part of the Regional Parks System, the Council supports it with planning, funding, information, marketing, and advocacy. The agency partners that own and operate the Regional Parks System are called regional park implementing agencies. A map of the regional park implementing agency areas is shown in Figure 2 -1.