ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting an open house at its Cross Lake Recreation Area, in Crosslake, Minnesota, July 21, to discuss the Mississippi River Headwaters Master Plan for its six recreation sites in the region.
The open house will take place at the Cross Lake main office from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. A presentation will be given on the hour. The office is located at 35507 County Road 66 in Crosslake. Follow the signs to the office once you enter the park.
The plan is a strategic land use document that will guide the Corps in the years to come. The plan, while conceptual in nature, will serve as the vision for both environmental stewardship and recreation as the Corps continues to serve the public in the 21st Century. The plan does not address water level management.
The plan, last updated in 1977, focuses on what could and should happen over the life of Corps’ federal lands in the Headwaters, but is flexible enough to adapt to unforeseen or changing conditions. It also includes all lands (fees, easements or other interests) acquired. This plan will guide and articulate the Corps’ responsibilities pursuant to applicable federal laws, policies and regulations.
For more information on the plan or to make a comment electronically, please visit our website at: http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/MississippiRiver/MasterPlan.aspx. All comments received will be made available to the public, to include the possibility of being posted on a publicly accessible website. Individuals are requested not to include personal privacy information in their comments unless they do not object to such information being made available to the public. Comments are requested no later than Aug. 21.
The Corps’ six Mississippi River Headwaters recreation sites include: Lake Winnibigoshish, near Deer River, Minnesota; Leech Lake, near Federal Dam, Minnesota; Pokegama Lake, near Grand Rapids, Minnesota; Big Sandy Lake, near McGregor, Minnesota; Gull Lake, near Brainerd, Minnesota; and Cross Lake.
The nearly 650 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2014 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.
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