The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input as part of its Lake Vermilion State Park planning process. The DNR is asking citizens to respond to a short questionnaire on its website this month.
The questionnaire comprises 19 questions which are expected to take participants five to seven minutes to answer, according to the DNR. The questions seek to define the kinds of experiences and facilities Minnesotans would like to have in their newest state park.
The survey can be found HERE.
“We are encouraging all Minnesotans to go to the DNR Web site and share their ideas about what they would like to see at Lake Vermilion State Park,” Minnesota State Parks and Trails Director Courtland Nelson said in a media release. “We’d like this to be a year-round destination. So we’re asking everyone to think about what would entice you to come to the park in the winter as well as the summer.”
Answers will be used by DNR staff and the park’s Citizens Advisory Committee to guide the master planning process, says the DNR.
The questionnaire is the first of two public input opportunities available during the master planning process for the park, according to officials. The second will occur later this fall, when the DNR will ask for public comments on the draft park master plan.
The DNR notes that additional public comments and suggestions are welcome at any time during the master planning process by e-mailing jade.templin@state.mn.us, or by calling the DNR at 651-259-5598.
Lake Vermilion State Park was established earlier this summer, when the state of Minnesota closed a $20-million land transaction with U.S. Steel for the 3000-acre property on the southeastern shore of Lake Vermilion.
Find basic information on the park, HERE, on the DNR website.