01-14-2002 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Hennepin Parks is Becoming Three Rivers Park District Background Information Sheet December 2001 BACKGROUND: The Suburban Hennepin Regional Park District is changing its common name from Hennepin Parks to Three Rivers Park District. Although the Park District’s name is changing, it will remain the same great system it has been for more than 40 years. The name change was unanimously approved by the Park District’s Board of Commissioners on Dec. 6.2001, and will become more visible to the public by next spring and fully implemented by the fall of 2002. The Park District’s legal name. “Suburban Hennepin Regional Park District,’’ is not proposed to change at this time. Q. What b Hennepin Parks? A. Hennepin Parks is a natural resources-based special park district that maintains more than 26,000 acres of park reserves, regional parks, regional trails and special-use facilities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Park District is an independent unit of government with properties in seven metropolitan counties. Established by the state legislature in 1957, the Park District was first known as the Hennepin County Park Reserve District. In 1985, the Park District adopted the legal name “Suburban Hennepin Regional Park District" and the common name “Hennepin Parks.” The Park District offers year-round facilities including: three nature centers, four golf courses, a downhill ski area, extensive trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing, and areas for camping, swimming, boating, picnicking, ice-skating, and snowshoeing. It serves more than three million visitors every year. The Park District’s unique policy for planning and management of natural resources has earned it international recognition as a leader in natural resources management. The policy specifies that no more than 20 percent of a park reserve may be developed for active use and that at least 80 percent of a park reserve shall be restored to and retained in a natural state. Q. Why is Hennepin Parks changing its name to Three Rivers Park District? A. The Park District is changing its common name to better reflect its presence in seven metropolitan counties, its unique status as a special park district established by the state legislature, and its affiliation with the Metropolitan Regional Park System. In addition, the Scott County Board of Commissioners has asked the Park District to consider a name change. The name “Three Rivers Park District” was selected because the watersheds of each Park District’s property flow into one of three rivers: the Mississippi, Minnesota or Crow. Rich in cultural history, these three rivers played a significant role in the lives of Minnesota’s Dakota People and in the lives of the many immigrants to the area. Q. Where are the Park District’s Properties? The Park Distnet owns and operates parkland in suburban Hennepin, Scott, Carver and Dakota Counties. It also owns parkland in Anoka, Ramsey and Wnght counties that it currently leases to other agencies.