ST. PAUL 鈥� Leadership in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday that they will be closing the on Feb. 16, with intentions of transferring the 1,300-acre park to the in mid-March.
DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen called the transfer 鈥渢he right thing to do鈥� on a conference call with reporters announcing the plans on Wednesday, Jan. 10.
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She said the transfer was directed by the Minnesota Legislature in the 2023 session. It approved legislation authored by Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, and Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, requiring the transfer of the Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the Upper Sioux Community.
It was opposed by the area鈥檚 local legislators, Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, and Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent.
Strommen said the Upper Sioux Community has had a longstanding request for the transfer of the property. She said the land was the site of starvation and death of Dakota people in the summer of 1862. Its use for recreation is 鈥渋nconsistent with its unique and profound history,鈥� she stated in a news release announcing the plans.
Strommen said the DNR had been considering the possible closure of the park prior to the legislation calling for the land鈥檚 transfer. The park was facing significant operational challenges, she said. The collapse of Minnesota Highway 67 within the park, flooding along the Yellow Medicine River, and the deteriorated condition of some of the park's infrastructure, including its visitors center, were cited by Strommen and Parks and Trails Director Ann Pierce during the news conference.
Both said the DNR will continue the process of finding replacement recreational opportunities within the Minnesota River Valley area served by the park. The Legislature allocated $5 million for the process. Members of the public at DNR-hosted input sessions have charged that the funds are inadequate to replace what an operating state park provides.
Strommen said the DNR is not planning to ask the Legislature for additional funding but could use other funds it has for land acquisition.
The process of transferring the park property to the Upper Sioux Community is moving faster than many in the public had anticipated. Strommen said Upper Sioux Community Chairman Kevin Jensvold and Gov. Tim Walz had met with leaders in the United States Department of Interior prior to the 2023 legislation.
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The Department of Interior indicated it would be willing to provide 鈥渕aximum flexibility鈥� on its part in allowing the state to meet obligations to provide replacement recreational value for the park land, according to the DNR commissioner.
Current staffing at the park has been reduced to three seasonal positions. The employees are being offered opportunities at adjacent state parks, according to Jeremy Lozinski, regional parks and trails director with the DNR.
The Feb. 16 closure will allow the DNR time to remove all of the state-owned infrastructure in the park prior to its transfer, according to the DNR leaders. The infrastructure includes a visitors center, a 34-site campground with a shower facility, a 34-site campground for equestrian riders, backpack and canoe-in camping sites, and 18 miles of trails.
The Minnesota Historical Society owns property within the park that includes a building that is a replication of the Upper Sioux Agency building that existed in 1862. The Historical Society property will also be transferred to the Upper Sioux Community.
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