|
State
recreational trails are
very popular because they
create opportunities for
Minnesotans to experience
the natural environment,
add to the livability of
communities and contribute
considerably to the tourism
economy. Valuable in and
of themselves, state trails
can leverage even more value
if the larger context of
natural resource systems,
cultural amenities and future
development patterns are
linked to trail corridors.
This
project extends and enhances
the Minnesota’s
Gitichi-Gami and the Minnesota
River state trails which
are maintained by the Department
of Natural Resources. By
exploring the recreational
opportunities, cultural
and natural amenities, current
and future development patterns
and community needs of these
two trails, the Center is
aiming to create useful
designs and graphic information
that address issues of recreational,
tourism, preservation and
development in the trail
corridor and the larger
trail landscapes.
The
Gitchi-Gami Trail is formerly
known as the North Shore
Touring Trail and it extends
from Two Harbors to Grand
Marais, Minnesota. Plans
to create the trail began
in 1996, eight years after
a citizens advisory committee
in Cook expressed the need
for a safe corridor for
bicyclists, in-line skaters
and walkers along Trunk
Highway 61. To date, approximately
12.5 miles of the trail
corridor is complete.
The
Minnesota River Trail is
located in southwestern
Minnesota, extending from
Ortonville to Le Seur. There
has been talk of creating
a trail along the Minnesota
River for nearly 80 years.
Only with the last 3 years
has its construction been
initiated after passing
the House and Senate and
being included in the Environment
and Agriculture Omnibus
Budget Bill.
For
both of these trails, the
DNR, in the collaboration
with the Center for Changing
Landscapes, is working with
communities and trail groups
to ensure that local communities
have a voice in recreational,
tourism and community issues
associated with the trails.
The
Center is providing both
the technical and design
expertise. The team at the
College of Natural Resources
(CNR) is employing existing
data, satellite imaging
and sophisticated computer
technology to document the
landscape of the existing
trails and project future
landscape patterns. One
of the most important tools
used in generating these
projections is the Land
Transformation Model.
Once
these models are complete,
the team from the College
of Architecture and Landscape
Architecture (CALA) will
create design scenarios
for each of the two trails,
local trails that connect
to the two state trails,
amenities that can be visited
from the trail and the trail
communities. To do so, they
will identify issues and
areas of opportunity and
challenge in the trail landscapes
and extract information
regarding the ecology of
the trail environment using
maps created by the CNR.
Ultimately, the work will
be presented in public meetings
for discussion, feedback
and final presentations.
|
