Connect people with nature, community, and cultural landscapes to better support their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

The Twin Cities Metropolitan Region has a world-renowned system of Regional Parks and Trails that span the seven-county Metropolitan Region. The history of our region is complex and marred by systemic racism that at one time overtly limited certain people’s ability to choose where they live, work, and even recreate. The legacy of this history has had a profound impact on the people of our region and the implications of this racist past persist today. This reality has profoundly informed who uses our regional parks and trails system today and whether impacted communities feel welcome and a sense of belonging.

The partnership that makes up our Regional Parks and Trails System acknowledges this troubled history and is committed to reparative solutions through advancing equity and belonging in our work. We are committed to addressing and undoing structural and programmatic inequities across the metropolitan region. We believe in working with impacted communities to co-create solutions and shape a future where all people have a seat at the table to shape our collective future. We recognize that there is a lot of work to do, and we are committed to building a Regional Parks and Trails System where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Reinvest in existing regional parks and trails to maintain and enhance visitor experiences.

The Metropolitan Regional Parks and Trails System, made up of the ten regional park implementing agencies and supported by the Met Council, has a large and mature system of parks and trails. Once an agency establishes a park or trail, they also establish a regular reinvestment plan to ensure that the facility is maintained for high-quality visitor experiences.

In 2022, the most recent year for operational expenditure data, the ten regional park implementing agencies’ operational expenditures exceeded $130 million. While the state contributes to this critical function, historically their investment has been about 9% of the total annual operating costs. This means the vast majority of costs are borne by the regional park implementing agencies. If funding does not keep up with growing demand and maintenance, the system will experience deterioration.

To protect our current and future investments in the Regional Parks and Trails System, the State of Minnesota, and Met Council must prioritize and accelerate reinvestment in the existing system from all available funding sources, in partnership with the ten regional park implementing agencies. A synopsis of Key Minnesota Legislation for the Regional Parks and Trails System and Applicable Funding Formulas can be found on pages 12-13, including Minnesota Statute 473.351 that indicates regional park implementing agencies should receive at least 40 percent of their actual operations and maintenance costs from state funding to operate and maintain the Regional Parks System.

Protect and restore natural systems to safeguard the well-being of all living things.

Our Metropolitan region’s natural systems – our lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, and uplands - serve as the foundation on which our Metropolitan Regional Parks and Trails System was created.

Our Regional Parks and Trails System are the crown jewels of our region’s natural systems, providing access to the outdoors for everyone, ensuring healthy habitats and landscapes, and increasing ecological resilience. Preserve these high-quality natural systems for today’s residents and for future ones. In the parts of our regional system that are degraded, invest in restoration.

The health of our natural systems is intertwined with the health of our region. Encourage work across sectors to protect, restore, and connect natural systems with one another. Provide access and opportunities for people to be outdoors, for happiness, health, and well-being.

Increase the region’s resilience to climate change through land stewardship practices that mitigate greenhouse gases and adapt to future climates.

The Regional Parks and Trails System provides our region with important ecological services to combat climate change. The most critical role natural systems play in climate change mitigation is sequestering carbon in soils and organisms. Additional services will help the region adapt to future climates, including shade and cooling benefits, water storage, and protecting critical habitat that provides refuge for all living things.

Our regional trail network serves as the arterial backbone of our region’s active transportation system, in coordination with the Regional Bicycle Transportation Network, local trail networks, and other important trail connections. Additionally, regional parks and trails provide wildlife pathways and migratory routes. Agencies are working to reduce or eliminate barriers to wildlife movement by improving connectivity and ensuring all living things can find food, water, and suitable habitat.

By working together, the Council and Agencies can anticipate and address climate change impacts and utilize climate tolerant species that adapt to our wetter and warmer region. By making proactive park and trail modernization investments and anticipating future weather conditions that put in place more durable infrastructure and climate-adapted species, our system will be able to survive more frequent storms, freeze-thaw cycles, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters. The Council and regional park implementing agencies are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy use and providing for carbon capture. Whether through increased use of renewable energy, electrification of fleets, or investing in smart infrastructure, we share a common commitment to shrink our carbon footprint. The Council is committed to providing regionwide climate data and other requested information and technical assistance.

Meet the growing demand for regional parks and trails through strategic and timely land acquisition and development.

As our region’s population continues to grow toward the 2050 projection of nearly 4 million inhabitants, the use of our Regional Parks and Trails System will grow, too. In 2023, our Regional Parks and Trails System had more than 69 million visits. While this level of use reflects the high value residents place on the system, it also illustrates the tremendous daily pressure on the system that agencies must support to meet visitor needs.

To prepare for the projected growth and use, the Met Council will work closely with our ten regional park implementing agencies to acquire existing park and trail in-holdings, and we will identify new opportunities for future expansion. As our population becomes more diverse and the proportionate share of the population over 65 years nearly doubles, we must adapt our facilities and park offerings, to remain relevant to changing expectations and needs. A relatively new idea to the regional system, bridging facilities, are intended to attract and introduce new visitors to our regional parks and trails. This type of facility may become more prevalent as we continue to innovate to meet new needs.

In areas with limited land availability, protecting and preserving natural systems will become more challenging and will require more creativity. Some of the best conservation opportunities may include protecting regional “greenway” corridors that provide natural systems benefits for people and wildlife. Finding corridors that connect larger landscapes will increase their natural systems value, but with limited opportunities, our approaches will need to adapt and will require more partnerships across public and private sectors and new sources of funding. Parks and trails professionals will need to reach beyond their current relationships and knowledge base, to innovate and grow as we collectively strive to meet our region’s challenging and exciting future.