Effective immediately, Blue Mounds State Park, in southwestern Minnesota, has been closed due to flood damage from recent storms and will remain closed until further notice, according to the Department of Natural Resources. All camping reservations at the park are being canceled through July 13.

“We decided it was in the best interest of our visitors to close the park until repairs could be made and services restored,” said Kathy Dummer, southern region operations manager for the DNR’s Parks and Trails Division. “We want their experience at the park to be a good one.”

The park has received more than 11 inches of rain since June 14. Rapidly rising waters and accompanying debris in Blue Mounds Creek caused damage to many areas of the park, including roads, trails, bison fence and the spillway connected to the dam on Lower Mound Lake. Heavy flows of surface water caused additional damage.

In spite of the damage, no visitors to the park were injured or evacuated. The park’s bison herd weathered the storms and remains in good health.

DNR engineers have visited the scene and are determining a plan to address damage to roadways, trails and the spillway/dam. Crews with Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa are assisting with cleanup.

Dummer said campers with reservations at the park have been notified and are being offered refunds or transfer of reservations to another Minnesota state park.

Blue Mounds State Park is located 40 minutes east of Sioux Falls off Interstate 90 and 3 ½ hours southwest of Minneapolis, near the city of Luverne.

The park is known for its bison herd, Sioux quartzite cliffs rising 100 feet from the plains and a sea of prairie grasses and flowers. The park is a favorite for birdwatchers who want to see nesting blue grosbeaks and other birds. Camping and rock climbing are popular activities at the park.

Updates and more information can be found at www.mndnr.gov/bluemounds or by contacting the DNR Information Center at info.dnr@state.mn.us, 651-296-6157 or 888-646-6367 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Franz Jevne State Park, near the Minnesota-Canada border, is closed temporarily due to flooding along the Rainy River, the Department of Natural Resources said.

For updates and more information, visit www.mndnr.gov/jevne or contact the DNR Information Center atinfo.dnr@state.mn.us, 651-296-6157, or 888-646-6367 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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Heavy rains in portions of northern Minnesota have prompted the closure of some off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails and state forest roads, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.

Some forest roads and OHV trails are flooded, are unstable due to soil saturation or have washed out in sections, so several have been temporarily closed to the public and signed at entry points.

Kabetogema, Koochiching, Land O’Lakes and St. Croix state forests are some of the impacted areas.

State forest road and trail users should check “Current Conditions” on the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov/trailconditions/index.html before traveling. Road and trail closing information will be updated as conditions change.

“By checking the conditions online, trails users should be able to find alternative locations where they can still get out to enjoy the trails,” said Joe Alberio, a district supervisor for the DNR’s Parks and Trails Division. “The road and trail closures will be lifted as soon as conditions allow and repairs are made, and we ask everyone to ride responsibly wherever they are.”

State forest road and trail condition information is also available by contacting the DNR Information Center atinfo.dnr@state.mn.us, 651-296-6157, or 888-646-6367 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               June 19, 2014

Construction of the new trailhead is underway at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area (SRA) in Ironton (north of Brainerd). Most of the recreation area will remain open throughout the construction season, however the Pennington Mine Lake public water access, Huntington Mine Lake carry-in canoe access and the road to Miner’s Mountain Overlook will be closed temporarily for visitor safety.

Signs will be posted and trail users will be directed to the Croft Mine parking area.

“There will be some inconvenience this summer, but the end product will be worth it,” said SRA manager Steve Weber.

The new facility will provide 96 additional parking spots, changing stations, picnic shelter, vault toilet and new walkway with waterfront access to Huntington Mine Lake. The project is expected to take 8-10 weeks, and managers are optimistic the new facility will be open for use before Labor Day Weekend.

The 25-mile mountain bike trail system will remain open throughout construction, as will the Yawkey trailhead area, the paved Cuyuna Lakes State Trail and the campground.

The SRA will also be getting three yurts this summer. Yurts are round tents set on wooden platforms and furnished with bunk beds, tables, chairs and a wood stove. The yurts, each of which will sleep up to six people, are being built on the west side of the Yawkey Mine Lake. The yurt location is northeast of the existing campground, which has 25 first-come, first-served campsites and a group camp, with showers and flush toilets typically available from April through October.

Funding for the new facilities is from bonding and the Park and Trails Fund, created after voters approved the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment in November 2008. The Parks and Trails Fund receives 14.25 percent of the sales tax revenue and may only be spent to support parks and rails of regional or statewide significance.

For construction updates and more information including a map showing where the new facilities are being built, visitwww.mndnr.gov/cuyuna or contact the DNR Information Center at info.dnr@state.mn.us or 651-296-6157, 888-646-6367between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.