• Geological  Currently, no state park focuses on peatland geologic features. Such a park would meet a "high need" as defined by the DNR.

• Financial  A state park status would do much to revive the economy of the Waskish area. (See the regional economic impact later in this report). The DNR could convert existing state land to broader revenue producing uses for the community and generate additional state park sticker fees, gift shop sales, and higher revenue from campgrounds current campers number 366, compared to 10,000 in 1977. (Additional state land could be re-designated on the north shore of Red Lake to expand the shoreline of the state park’s beaches enhancing walking, swimming, wildlife, camping, etc.)

• Recreational  Red Lake Bog will provide most of the highly valued activities important to Minnesota visitors: walking, visiting a beach, visiting a nature center, visiting a historic site, wildlife viewing, boating and fishing.

• Historical/Cultural  The area is rich in historical and cultural interest; listed below are 3 themes of importance to state tourists as well as the DNR:

• The Red Lake Bog — Part of the Largest Bog in the US
The Red Lake Bog — Part of the Largest Bog in the US (Lower 48 States)
The Red Lake Bog Center will be part of the largest peat bog in the U.S. outside of Alaska. Almost 600 square miles (585), its very size creates the highly unusual ecosystem the largest natural wilderness in the lower 48 states. While there are other bogs in the state (as well as nearby Wisconsin and Michigan), none provide the wealth of diversity offered in this large, isolated ecosystem.
Source: DNR

3. European Settlement The French and British entered the region in the early 1600s with fur trading activity. It is believed that a trading post was established on Tamarack River (where Waskish is located). Peak logging occurred around 1891. Settlement efforts followed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; a massive bog drainage program was commenced in 1908. It ended in failure 20 years later, after it was determined that the bog would not drain and these bogs are not suited for commercial use. Remnants of the drainage ditches can still be seen in some parts of the Red Lake Bog area. Commercial and sport fishing began in the 1920s. The French and British entered the region in the early 1600s with fur trading activity. It is believed that a trading post was established on Tamarack River (where Waskish is located). Peak logging occurred around 1891. Settlement efforts followed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; a massive bog drainage program was commenced in 1908. It ended in failure 20 years later, after it was determined that the bog would not drain and these bogs are not suited for commercial use. Remnants of the drainage ditches can still be seen in some parts of the Red Lake Bog area. Commercial and sport fishing began in the 1920s.
Source: Red Lake Band of Chippewa, DNR

•  Observations All 3 key factors that are required by the DNR for the establishment of a new state park appear to be met by the Red Lake Bog area. Meeting this criteria, in addition to interest in a new park in north central Minnesota, strong community support, and other key factors support state park designation.

• Watershed Preservation: Red Lake Bog and the Roseau River/Hudson Bay
One of the state’s significant watershed areas, this area is part of a system that primarily flows north to the Roseau River. As a component of the watershed, the Red Lake Bog is considered to be important, worthy of environmental preservation. Source: DNR

• A New State Park: Red Lake Bog
The DNR could designate existing state-owned land to establish this new state park. Red Lake Bog State Park (precisely named for optimal recognition on any Minnesota map). To achieve state park designation, the area must be:

1. An interesting, diverse natural landscape, essentially unspoiled: Although civilization attempted to modify the Red Lake Bog, years ago this activity was curtailed (some signs of draining remain) and the wildness of the bog has remained virtually unharmed. The land is not suited for other uses, including wildlife management, because it is basically unmanageable or manipulated. Much of the land is a priority area for the DNR — the bog has received the highest ranking of 22 bog-preservation sites in the state. 

3. Large enough to permit preservation of the ecosystem
Large enough to permit preservation of the ecosystem — the Red Lake Bog area is one of the largest, most diversely patterned peatland bog in the U.S. Over 50 miles long and 12 miles wide, the ecosystem is of considerable size, clearly large enough to permit preservation. Existing state-owned DNR land is part of this area, the park itself would cover 9,160 acres.
Source: DNR

Preservation Is part of a National Priority
Red Lake Peatland Bog - Treasured Wetlands

• The Loss of Valuable Wetlands All Across America
Since Colonial times, America’s wetlands have been converted to other uses. Of the 215 million acres of wetlands originally present within the contiguous U.S., fewer than 95 million acres remain and 22 states have lost 50% or more. Wetlands provide essential breeding, nesting, feeding, and predator escape habitats for millions of waterfowl, other birds, etc. Wetlands’ plant/animal diversity make them a valuable resource for non-consumptive fish and wildlife related recreation. Wetlands also provide educational, research, historic, and archaeological values.

• Priority: Department of the Interior
The U.S. Department of the Interior is working with other federal agencies to achieve the President’s goal of no net loss of wetlands  including public understanding of the value of wetlands and initiated a 3-point program:

• Wetlands Protection Reduce wetlands losses on federally owned lands and encourage state/ private landholders to practice conservation.

• Priority: EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water states that its wetlands goal is to increase the quantity and quality of wetlands by conserving and increasing wetlands acreage and improving wetlands health.
Source: EPA Office of Water

• Observations
Because wetlands are a national priority, preservation, restoration, education, and research of the largest bog in the lower 48 states may be of importance to these and other organizations a potential source for additional resources and/or funding. For example, the Audubon Society is partnering with the new National Eagle Interpretive Center currently being built in Wabasha, MN.

Wetland preservation, and bogs specifically, are of significant international concern. Perhaps Red Lake Bog could provide valuable information to international organizations.

National Interest Bog Nature Centers - Parks 

• Few State/National Parks or Nature Centers Emphasize Bog Wetlands
A small number of nature centers provide small bogwalks  and very limited education/ interpretive activities. Due to the historical value of bogs, in some cases the state historical society sponsors a nature area. Of the list of bog nature centers listed at the right, none of them provide the extensive interpretation and bogwalks that are planned for Red Lake Bog State Park which provides a unique national marketing opportunity for the State of Minnesota.

• Observations

• In the U.S. state and national park system, true bogs were not offered as the focus of any park, in part because most parks are south of the boreal forest zone (though existing in parts of Wisconsin and Michigan). Nevertheless, 331 references were made to bogs in the National Park Services web site.

• Although Canada has numerous nature centers, none of them appears to be dedicated to bogs. Of the 14 parks that were found to have bogs as part of the park description, none of them offered a formal bog interpretive center a potential marketing opportunity.

• Because Canada contains many bogs, Canadians may be interested in a comprehensive bog interpretive center attracting more non-resident, international tourists to the state. Furthermore, joint marketing efforts could be undertaken with Canadian parks.

• The Ohio Historical Society is associated with the Cedar Bog Nature Preserve. Tannersville Cranberry Bog Preserve is a National Natural Landmark. This suggests that the Red Lake Bog’s cultural and historical properties may be relevant to the Minnesota Historical Society a possible resource for additional support.

• Because of the size and scope of this unusual ecosystem, it provides a unique opportunity to establish a specialized interpretive center as a resource for the entire country  and perhaps the world. Although other bog centers exist, they do not offer the miles of wilderness that the Red Lake Bog site has to offer. This becomes increasingly important as a competitive edge as Minnesota competes with other states for tourism as well as environmental, cultural, historical, and geological leadership.

• Bog Nature Centers  (Partial listing)
• Allenberg Bog Wildlife Refuge (NY)
• Black Moshannon Bog Natural Area (PA)
• Quincy Bog Natural Area (NM)
• Cedar Bog Nature Preserve (OH)
• Tannersville Cranberry Bog Preserve (PA)
• Tennant Lake Natural History Interpretive Center (WA)
• Volo Bog State Natural Area (IL)

• Environmental Education — A Priority Supported by Many Local, 
Regional, and National Sources

• Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources The Minnesota Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund requested applications for environmental education as 1 of its 5 priority areas — backed by $44 million in funding.

• A Green Print of Minnesota The State of Minnesota established environmental education goals so people can make more informed decisions to maintain a sustainable lifestyle.

• DNR Interpretive Services A key program of the DNR is environmental education through its interpretive services, web site, local resources — and support for "A Green Print for Minnesota" where state parks are used for school programs.

• National Parks Chippewa National Forest, located in north central Minnesota, provides free educational information about wetlands — including learning kits. Audio visual and other resources are available as well.

Minnesota Bog Nature Centers - Parks 

• DNR’s Ongoing Commitment to Bogs
Further evidence that wetlands, and bogs specifically, are interesting to the public is reflected in the number of state parks that include wetlands over 26. However, only a few have bogs and none have major bog areas, particularly of the size and scope of the proposed Red Lake Bog site. State parks with bog areas can refer visitors to other types of bogs within the state (cross selling opportunities). The following list provides an overview of the existing state park where bogs are featured.
Source: DNR

MN State Parks With bogwalks

• Lake Bemidji State Park:
In 1998, more than 150,000 people visited the park  9,000 visited the bog walk, which consists of a half mile walk on 40 to 50 acres of bog (tamarack bog, beaver ponds, and ash swamp).

• Savanna Portage:
The bog walk, about 200 yards, is visited by approximately half of all 60,000 park visitors annually. (A park manager indicated that people are very interested in the bogwalk and he believes many people would visit Red Lake Bog State Park if they knew about it.)
Source: DNR

• MN Landscape Arboretum Bog Site
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, part of the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Science, features 1,000 acres of unique public gardens  and a new wetlands bog site, installed just 2 years ago. Currently, the Arboretum receives 200,000 visitors annually and has 14,000 members.
Source: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

• Observations

• A select few state/national parks focus on bogs. However, none of these parks or interpretive centers appear to offer as extensive a product offering as the proposed Red Lake Bog interpretive center and bog walk. This may provide a marketing advantage for the region/state to attract non-resident tourists.

• Several small bogwalks exist within Minnesota state parks (including Lake Bemidji State Park). Therefore, the Red Lake Bog site must be of adequate size and uniqueness to attract the number of visitors necessary to warrant investment in the park and interpretive center (e.g., measurably higher education/interpretive effort) and longer, more varied bogwalks than other state parks.

• The New England Wild Flower Society advertises a traveling exhibit on the web. The Red Lake Bog State Park could build a greenhouse to display/propagate rare plants  and perhaps offer seeds or plants for sale  in conjunction with Bemidji University, University of Minnesota Extension Services, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, etc.

Bog Nature Centers - Parks Comparison Chart

 

	Red Lake Bog MN State Park	Lake Bemidji MN State Park	Volo Bog IL Nature Area	Cedar Bog OH Nature  Preserve
Established  Open Center Size Primary Focus Park Area   Bog Type	2001 All Year 10,000 sq. ft. Bog 585 Acres of Bog: Miles of bogwalk Black Spruce and open bog	1995 All Year No bog center Diversified Park 3 Trails/Bogwalks Tamarack bog	1980 All Year 3,000 sq. ft. Bog 1/2 Mile Bogwalk 5 Miles of Trails Tamarack fen	1975 Apr - Sept. 8,000 sq. ft.  (next yr.) Bog 1 Mile bogwalk Boreal and prairie fen
Visitor/Yr. Funding	50,000 -100,000 (no firm est.) State of MN	150,000+ (9,000 bog walk) State of MN	50,000 State of IL	6,000 Currently 18-24,000 next yr. OH Historical Soc. 1999 — rec'd $2 Million from State of OH
Admission Fee Regional Facts	State Park Fee TC- 289 miles or 4 1/2 Hrs; Fargo- Bemidji- 1 Hr E. Grand Forks- St. Cloud- North Central Region of MN Small airport in Waskish exists for shuttle flights	State Park Fee TC- 228 miles or 5 Hrs or 4 1/2 Hrs North Central Region of MN Bemidji has a higher tourist traffic than the Waskish area	Free Chicago-1 Hr Illinois	$3 - Adults $1.25 - 6 to 12 Columbus-1 Hr Cincinnati-2 Hrs Cleveland-3.5 Hrs West Central\ Ohio Most bogs have been drained in OH — fen has high concentration of endangered species. High percentage of return visitors

Because natural areas that feature bogs are so rare, 
the chart provides only a few attributes for comparison. 
The chart makes it possible to quickly review attendance levels and other features.

• Observations
Visitor attendance levels vary widely among the parks/nature centers listed above. Each has unique features, making reasonable predictions about attendance difficult at best. When comparing Red Lake Bog State Park to other bog nature centers, it appears that a higher volume of tourism (tourism mass) may be needed to raise visitor levels to 50,000 or more.

Multiple tourist attractions may provide higher volumes of tourism, such as the proposed bear center in nearby Northome. The number of visitors to Lake Bemidji’s bogwalk (9,000) serves as a reference for Red Lake Bog State Park’s bogwalks.

Strong Economy is Good For Tourism

• Forecasters Agree, US Economic Growth Will Continue In 2000
"A Wall Street Journal headline from early January, 'Economists Are Euphoric about the Prospect for 2000," succinctly summarizes the outlook. Forecasts for further growth in 2000 are virtually unanimous; the only question is how rapidly the economy will grow during 2000 and 2001. Data Resources Inc. (DRI), Minnesota’s national macro-economic consultant, is slightly more optimistic than the consensus. DRI now expects the economy to grow at a 3.7% annual rate during 2000, and a 3.1% annual rate in 2001." DRI does not predict any possible recession through 2004; even then, it is given only a 55% chance of occurring.

Source: 1/2000 Economic Update, Minnesota Department of Finance

• Favorable National Economy Is Good News for Minnesota Too — Strong Economic Forecast Continues
Minnesota has outpaced the nation in economic growth and standard of living:

• Minnesota’s economy grew 22.5% from 1990-1996, adjusted for inflation, compared to 14.5% for the U.S.

• Minnesota median family income has risen to 9% above the U.S. median.

• 84% of Minnesota adults are employed the highest rate in the country.

• A new study confirms that new jobs, retirees, recreation and spillover from nearby cities lead the diverse reasons for Minnesota’s widespread rural population rebound."
Source: Minnesota Milestones 1998: Measures that Matter, Pop Bites 3/98, Minnesota Planning

• Observations
Now, during this period of highly favorable economic conditions for the state, is the time to overcome historically poor economic conditions for the region and build a solid infrastructure in the north central region. This would benefit the entire state as well. Considering the growth of the state and US economy, when would the conditions be better for the community, or the state, to take action?

A Key Economic Driver

• $10 Billion Minnesota Tourism Economy — Key Facts