Purpose

This bill makes changes to how Minnesota manages state lands and parks, and it creates new authority to sell or convey certain surplus lands that border public water. It also updates park boundaries by adding some areas and removing another. The overall aim is to adjust how land is acquired, valued, and used to support access to rivers, lakes, and natural resources, while allowing targeted transfers of land back to private ownership or to local governments or tribes when the land is not needed for state purposes.

Key Provisions

• Acquisition process for state lands

  • The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must prepare a fact sheet, explain the legal authority, and describe land qualities.
  • An appraiser must assess the land and swear an oath guaranteeing impartiality and no direct interest in the land.
  • The state can pay less than the appraised value, but generally may not pay more than 10% above it. If the state pays less than value, the difference can be used to help fund future purchases above the appraised value.
  • A system tracks accumulated differences between appraised values and purchase prices, with limits on how much can accumulate, and allows new appraisals to be done.

• Stream easements and access

  • The DNR may acquire permanent stream easements for angler access, fish management, and habitat work. There is a onetime payment formula based on:
  • the stream and easement corridor, and
  • the access corridor.
  • The payment is tied to an estimated market value, calculated from land-type values (agricultural, rural vacant, and managed forest) and their respective land-type areas.
  • The DNR must periodically review these easement rates to reflect current shoreland values and report recommendations to the legislature if updates are needed.
  • The commissioner may also acquire access easements to native prairie, paying landowners up to 50% of the normal payment rate for those easements.

• Additions and deletions to state parks

  • Frontenac State Park (Goodhue County) gains a listed area (Villa Maria Addition).
  • Great River Bluffs State Park (Winona County) gains the West Half of the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter of Section 33, Township 106 North, Range 5 West.
  • Mille Lacs Kathio State Park (Mille Lacs County) has a specific parcel removed from the park boundary, described by detailed legal lines.

• Surplus land sales and conveyances

  • Becker County: Surplus land bordering public water may be sold at public sale if the land is not needed for natural resources. The parcel is described as land bordering Rossman Lake with a detailed boundary description. The DNR may correct legal descriptions as needed.
  • Mille Lacs County: Surplus land bordering public water may be sold by private sale to a federally recognized American Indian Tribe, with conditions:
  • land cannot be sold for less than appraised value,
  • the buyer must reimburse all costs to make the property salable and to complete the sale,
  • sale may reserve or require easements (e.g., access or dam-related easements) if the state chooses to reserve them.
  • Otter Tail County: Surplus land bordering public water may be sold by private sale (the description specifies a parcel near Rainbow Lodge and East Battle Lake). The land is not needed for natural resources and could be returned to private ownership.
  • Pine County: Surplus land bordering public water may be conveyed by private sale for no consideration to a private party, but with a reservation of an access easement. The land borders the Grindstone River, and the conveyance aims to ensure continued public access after the river dam removal and channel restoration.
  • Wabasha County (Elgin): Surplus land bordering public water may be conveyed by private sale to the city of Elgin for no consideration, with conditions that the land must be used for nonmotorized public recreation and public fishing access. The land reverts to the state if the city fails to provide the public use, and the city must reimburse the DNR’s costs.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Expands the acquisition framework for state lands, including how appraisals are handled, how much can be paid above or below appraised value, and how to handle accumulated price differences.
• Creates specific new mechanisms for stream and native prairie easements, including onetime payments and updated value calculations.
• Adds and adjusts park boundaries by including new areas and removing a parcel from Mille Lacs Kathio State Park.
• Authorizes various forms of surplus land disposal bordering public waters, including:
  • public sale (Becker County),
  • private sale to a federally recognized Indian Tribe (Mille Lacs County),
  • private sale to private entities (Otter Tail, Pine, and Wabasha Counties), in some cases with conditions such as nonmotorized recreation access, dam-related easements, or reversions if public-use commitments are not maintained.
• Establishes preservation and reuse rules aimed at maintaining public access to water resources during and after dam removals or changes in river/channel alignment.

Potential Impacts

• Public access and recreation: Expanded opportunities for anglers and the public to access streams, rivers, and lakes through easements and park boundary changes.
• Land value and sales: Introduces new valuation methods and sale pathways (including to tribes or cities) for surplus land near water, with protections to ensure fair value and public access where appropriate.
• Park boundary management: Changes to the boundaries of Frontenac, Great River Bluffs, and Mille Lacs Kathio State Parks may affect local land use, management responsibilities, and adjacent properties.
• Dam removal and river restoration: Provisions related to access after dam removals aim to keep public access intact as river channels are restored.

Implementation Notes

• The bill assigns authority and duties to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for land acquisition, easement management, and surplus land conveyances.
• It includes detailed legal descriptions for specific parcels and requires periodic reporting and possible rate changes to reflect current land values.

Relevant Terms

• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• state lands
• acquisition procedure
• appraiser and oath
• easement and stream easement
• angler access
• fish management
• habitat work
• access easement
• native prairie
• Frontenac State Park
• Villa Maria Addition
• Great River Bluffs State Park
• Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
• park boundary adjustment
• U.S. Trunk Highway 169
• public sale
• private sale
• surplus land
• riparian rights
• Rossman Lake
• Mille Lacs Lake
• Grindstone River
• dam removal
• Elgin (city)
• nonmotorized public recreation
• public fishing access
• reversions
• appraised value
• market value (agricultural, rural vacant, managed forest)
• shoreland market values
• onetime payment formula
• land adjoining public water