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<br />Printer version: Following trails to better things <br /> <br />Page I of2 <br /> <br />startribune.com <br /> <br />CIO$e..winc:low <br /> <br />Last update: March 21, 2005 at 3:52 PM <br /> <br />. Following trails to better things <br /> <br />Sarah McCann <br />Star Tribune <br />Published March 23, 2005 <br /> <br />Build a trail these days and people will come in droves. They'll ride, run, roll, walk and commute. <br /> <br />"Trail use is just exploding in our park system," said Greg Mack, director of parks and recreation for <br />Ramsey County. "It's one of the top requested improvements." <br /> <br />Despite the interest, funding isn't necessarily keeping up with the demand. Yet cities, counties, the state <br />and the Metropolitan Council, the regional planning agency continue working to make sure that as <br />money comes in, their trail systems will coordinate and connect. <br /> <br />Legislative bonding proposals this year allot more for acquiring and developing trails than in recent <br />years, said Tom Danger, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources trail recreation manager. <br /> <br />Mack said growing trail use is part of a national movement toward healthy communities that provide <br />safe places for people to play, to exercise, and get to the grocery store, school or library. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />In the next year, the Minnesota Transportation Department (MnDOT) will for the first time publish a <br />comprehensive map that displays all the bikeways and trails in the nine-county metro area. The agency <br />is just responding to demand, said Mary Jackson, a planner for MnDOT's metro district. <br /> <br />"There's definitely more interest, and we're happy to see that," she said. "One more bike means one less <br />car." <br /> <br />Natural characteristics in Anoka and Ramsey counties make trails appealing and available. <br /> <br />"It's the aesthetic appeal of landscape up in the north metro, specifically Anoka County, with forests, <br />wetlands, prairie and wildlife diversity," said Jeff Perry, interim parks operations manager for Anoka <br />County. <br /> <br />The city of Anoka is cradled by the Mississippi River and the Rum River and is packed with history, <br />said Bob Muscovitz, Anoka parks supervisor. <br /> <br />"When you have a natural amenity, you play on it and utilize it to its maximum," he said. Anoka County <br />also has more open space that can incorporate trail systems as developments pop up. The Lakes, a huge <br />development in Blaine, has planned trail systems that people can hop onto near their homes, said Jim <br />Peterson, recreation director for the city. <br /> <br />Ramsey County is more fully developed, but the area has always been a strong supporter of trails, Mack <br />said. Shoreview in particular has been a leader and started planning trails and connections to other trails <br />and parks earlier than most, Jackson said. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Ramsey County also has the Gateway Trail, which is the most-used trail in the state. <br /> <br />http://www.startribune.com/dynamic/story . php ?template=print_ a&story=53 04740 <br /> <br />3/22/2005 <br />