Over 700 acres added to Chengwatana State Forest
The St. Croix River as seen from Chengwatana State Forest. Photo credit MN DNR.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced a large land donation from Trust for Public Land on Tuesday.
The group donated 729 acres that were purchased from Xcel Energy for approximately $1.8 million through a grant from the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund, which is funded through a sales-tax increase that started in 2008.
The DNR says that the newly donated land sits along three miles of the St. Croix River.
“The benefits of public land projects like this are tremendous” said DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen, adding “we (the DNR) look forward to managing this land to meet Minnesotan’s recreation, conservation and economic needs into the future.”
Trust for Public Land’s Minnesota director Susan Schmidt says that the newly expanded forest is an easy day trip for Twin Cities Residents and the project “is a big win for our people and our planet”.
The national organization Trust for Public Land says that they have protected over three million acres since its founding in 1972.
You can learn more about Trust for Public land on its website.