9.1. SR 07-21-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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.,,.� StarTribune Legacy raises more than $1 billion in first 5 years Article by: Jim Adams July 15, 2014 -2:03 PM Eagles and egrets fly by, deer graze and wild turkeys State officials say the Columbus Lake area, open to fishing, waddle around one of the newest preserved pieces of hunting and wildlife watching, is a good example of Legacy wetland,woods and prairie habitat in the Twin Cities. projects. Minnesota's Legacy Amendment paid for most of the$1.2 million cost of the Columbus Lake Conservation Area, a 258-acre wild chunk of northeast Anoka County. The area, which opened last fall, is a key link in a 20-mile-long wildlife corridor to the Mississippi River and protects the headwaters area of Rice Creek. " Wildflowers in a meadow at the Columbus Lake Conservation Area. DAVID JOLES•djoles @startribune.com, Anoka County owns and manages the area,which lies ` about 30 minutes north of Minneapolis-St. Paul and just south of the Lamprey Pass Wildlife Management Area near Forest Lake,where Rice Creek begins. The county paid $250,000 of its cost and built a small parking lot for users A painted turtle hunkered down on the highway before crossing last fall on Lake Drive (County 23), about a mile west of Interstate 35. near the Columbus Lake Conservation Area. DAVID JOLES djoles @sta rtri bu ne.com, The tract will be forever protected from development, said But the $940,000 paid last year by proceeds from the Jeff Perry, park planning and resources manager for Anoka state's Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment is small County. He said the area harbors the rare water willow change compared with the $1 billion-plus generated in the bush and has high quality plant communities, such as first five years of Legacy's dedicated state sales tax. That emergent marshes, a sedge meadow and oak forest five-year total is unmatched by any other voter-approved stands. It is rich in wildlife, including deer, pheasants, conservation measure in the nation, say officials at the beaver, great blue herons, bald eagles and water fowl, Trust for Public Land in Boston. The Trust,which has Perry said. monitored such initiatives across the country since 1988, says the Legacy Amendment's three conservation funds Legacy allows Anoka County to protect"high-quality are expected to raise at least$5.5 billion before the 3/8 of 1 resources for many generations to come," Perry said. He percent sales tax expires in 2034. noted the county also won about$2.8 million in Legacy funds to buy 550 acres for the Cedar Creek Conservation So far, Legacy has supported more than 1,500 projects Area on the Rum River in 2009 and 2010. aimed at preserving clean water and conserving land for trails, parks, and wildlife and fish habitat.