Stanley Eddy Park is a beautiful park in western Wright County. It consists of three units consisting of about 879 acres of rolling hills, woods, and wetlands. It is often referred to as the crown jewel of the Wright County Park system and offers a variety of recreational opportunities. It is located just 20 miles south of St. Cloud and 40 miles west of the Twin Cities.
The Wright County Parks Commission voted five years ago to develop horse trails in Ney Park and then to close Stanley Eddy Park to horses due to the sensitive nature of the trails there.
This past November, the commission decided that water bars and other erosion measures they had taken were quite effective at solving the erosion problems, and that horses are an appropriate use in the park.
Stanley Eddy Park was closed off to mountain bikes years ago because of erosion fears. There have been tremendous strides in bicycle design since then, and numerous studies have shown that mountain bikes have about the impact as hikers. Studies have clearly shown that horses cause more erosion than bikes.
Since the Wright County Parks Department is doing such a good job on maintenance, it seems this would be a good time to allow bikes back in the parks.
Please try to attend the next meeting of the Wright County Parks Commission. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on March 9th at the Public Works Building, 1901 Hwy 25 N, in Buffalo, MN. The Public Works Building is about 1 mile N. of Hwy 55 on Hwy 25, west side of the road.
Please contact as many of the following people as you can and let them know that you support bike trails in Stanley Eddy Park:
Parks Commission:
John Wisecarver 320.963.6085
Bernie Beneke 763.441.5228
Jerry Durst 763.972.3684
Mario DeMatteis 763.497.2077
Janice Bergstrom 320.236.7415
Kevin Bergquist 763.682.1359
The people above are the most important to contact. It is also important to contact as many of the county commissioners as you can:
Rose.Thelen@co.wright.mn.us
Pat.Sawatzke@co.wright.mn.us
Jack.Russek@co.wright.mn.us
Elmer.Eichelberg@co.wright.mn.us
Dick.Mattson@co.wright.mn.us
Also, please contact the park administrator:
Marc.Mattice@co.wright.mn.us
Commissioners and park administrator can also be contacted toll free by calling 1.800.362.3667
Please get as many people as you know to respond to this. We need at least 200 people in order for this to pass. It’s a great park and a great place for mountain bikes!
Agenda
Buffalo, Mn 55313
1'tq 7 (763) 682-7693
Fax (763) 682-7313
Date: March 2, 2009
To: Parks Commission Members
From: Marc Mattice: Parks Administrator
Re: March Parks Commission Meeting
A meeting of the Wright County Parks Commission will be held MONDAY, March 9, 2009 at
7:00 p.l11. 01 Public Works Building in Buffalo
Agenda
I) Election of Officers.
2) Approve Minutes of November Meeting.
3) Review and Rank Playground Proposals For Collinwood Regional Park
4) Review Phase I Archeological RFP For Bertram Chain of Lakes
5) Update on.
a. Bertram Lake Regional Park.
b. Winter Programs at Ney Park
c. Trail Grooming and Conditions
d. 2009 Seasonal Dates
e. Legislative Update
f. Archery Range
6) Discuss Mountain Bike Trails - Stanley Eddy Park.
7) 2009 Budget Impacts and Project Schedule
8) Adjourn
IF YOU CAN NOT ATTEND PLEASE CALL BY
Friday March 6, 2009
I sent a letter of support did you?
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