Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 02/08/2018

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• Be reasonably, feasibly, and safely accommodated without detriment to existing uses as determined through master plans or through policy board decisions of regional park implementing agencies. • Protect the environment/ecology of the site and not negatively impact its natural resources. Based on the criteria above, activities that should be accommodated in the Regional Parks System include: Boating Horseback riding Bicycling Nature appreciation Camping Picnicking Cross country skiing Snowshoeing Cultural or historical interpretation Snowmobiling (in some cases) Fishing Swimming Hiking/walking/trail running Wildlife viewing This list does not include unique activities such as those offered by the Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, because these two facilities are, by law, to be included in the Regional Parks System as Special Recreation Features. The regional activities selected require large tracts of land, or land endowed with unique natural resources, or both. The land needs are easier to meet at the regional level than at the municipal level and the associated activities are more likely to be developed or provided at a regional level than by cities and townships. When it was established in the 1970s, the Regional Parks System included several existing parks that had activities not currently considered appropriate for inclusion in the regional system. Many of these activities continue to operate legitimately today, such as ball diamonds and tennis courts, but they are not eligible for regional funding for improvement or expansion. Land is acquired for the Regional Parks System with the intent that it may eventually be developed in a way that provides for the recreational activities listed above. Adherence to this basic list of activities has served the regional system well over the last 40 years and has helped to fend off efforts to acquire and develop Regional Parks System lands for other ventures. Regional park agencies should consider various factors when determining whether other uses, described below, should be accommodated in regional parks and trails and included in regional park or trail master plans. • inline skating and roller skiing. These activities require a treadway wider than eight feet if pedestrians, bicyclists and inline skaters are on the same treadway and traveling in opposite directions. inline skating and roller skiing also require a smoother/harder surface than bicycling and pedestrian uses. inline skating and roller skiing are more popular on flat -terrain trails, such as abandoned railroads, than on hilly terrain trails going cross-country.