Happy New Year Friends!
January 2012
2011 was a year of much progress, and we thank-you for your membership and support in achieving our goals. We'd like to take a moment to share with you the highlights of 2011 and plans for 2012, and to invite you to attend the annual meeting on January 19.
One of our primary accomplishments this year has been the development of a bicycle route system for Scandia. Many of you joined in the meetings with City Planner, Sherri Buss, to give her important feedback necessary to design a trail system that would meet our needs. Working from the completed Scandia Trails Map, Friends board member Rich Burton lead our signage committee and produced a precise plan listing the required sign dimensions, post gauge, cost and sign placement.
Purchasing these signs wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for a $3,500 grant awarded from the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council's Bridge the Gap Fund. Friends President Tom Triplett applied for the grant even though it seemed like a long shot. Look for the signs to be installed later this spring. Then explore our three routes on your own or on a community bike ride led by our Mayor Simonson. Look for details to come.
Our youngest board member, Eagle Scout candidate Jake Otto, took on another significant project when he designed a bridge to connect Hay Lake School and Museum with the city's Hay Lake Park (with its Lions Shelter). After presenting the plan and costs to the Friends board and receiving a donation for materials from the Lion's Club, Jake recruited and supervised fellow scouts, friends and family to help build the bridge. It was a great experience for Jake and resulted in a wonderful bridge. We are planning on supporting additional Scout projects for our parks in 2012.
In celebration of a great year, we invite you all to our third Annual Meeting, on Jan. 19, 7pm at the Scandia Community Center. Our featured speaker will be Chris Stein, National Parks superintendent of the St Croix National Riverway. He will discuss the National Parks' perspective on the future of our critical Upper St Croix and the role that our Friends might play in this future. We encourage you to bring friends, introduce them and enjoy some refreshments.
We will also be electing new board members and officers. Tom Triplett, founder of Friends and president for the last three years, will step down as president, but will remain an active member of the board. We're urging all Friends members to run for a seat on our board! If you're interested, please contact Tom at 651-433-4749 or Sonia Borg at 651-433-4746. Please join us on Jan 19 to celebrate our successes and plan for the future!
With the help of all our members, we hope to make 2012 a year of more group endeavors and park enhancements. To date, we've identified several major activities for the coming year. We will work with the city's Parks and Recreation committee to enlist volunteers for development projects at Lilleskogen and Wind in the Pines parks. We will support the Washington County Land and Water Legacy Program in their land protection efforts. Scandia's little known Log House Landing Park will be on our list to raise awareness of its history, add some signage and plan for some improvements. We plan to host a bike tour on the newly signed bike routes. And as always, we will continue to work on bringing the Gateway Trail System through Scandia.
To help us pursue these and future goals, we ask for your continued membership, donations and support. Please send your 2012 dues payment -- $20 per household (or more!) with the check made out to MN Parks and Trails Council with "Scandia" on the note line. (The Council is our fiscal agent.) Mail the check to Friends of Scandia Parks, PO Box 251, Scandia 55073.
We wish you a wonderful 2012. Thank you so much!
Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails
Friends July meeting and picnic at Hay Lake Park, Lion's Shelter. We were joined by Mayor Simonson.
Become a Member of
Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails
Are you interested in parks and natural areas?
Do you wish for more hiking, biking and horse trails in Scandia?
Would you like to see more permanent protection for natural areas?
Take a holiday hike! This is a beautiful time of year to enjoy our city's natural resources. Wind in the Pines park is in its glory. WIP is located off of Hwy 95 a mile north of the 95/97 intersection. Look for the brown "Nature Park" signs that point to the parking area. Thanks to the city's Parks and Rec Committee, we now have more trail markers and a new set of log steps that make access to the creek area much easier.
Meetings of the Friends board. We meet the second Monday of every month at 7 pm at the Scandia Community Center. You're welcome to join us at any meeting.
Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails is a non-profit (501c3) organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the parks, trails, open space and natural areas in the City of Scandia. We will seek funding for creating and improving parks, such as improving trails and signage at Wind in the Pines Nature Park; creating accessible trails and restoring habitat at Lilleskogen Park and assisting with Gateway Trail plans and other bicycle and recreational trails.
Several volunteer events each year will engage citizens in stewardship activities and enjoyment of Scandia's natural areas. Please join us to improve Scandia's parks and trials!
