Mission Statement

Recognizing the outstanding scenic, fishery, wildlife and recreational qualities of the Snake River and its Valley, the mission of the Friends of the Snake River is hereby declared to be the oversight, protection and general stewardship of these qualities in the watercourse, riparian environments and the extended watershed of the River.  We propose to meet these goals through the collection of information, interactive education and jointly conducted programs of challenge and support, pursued by members in cooperation with relevant public agencies and other citizen conservation groups.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Forest Classification and Off Highway Vehicle Road/Trail Designation Schedule

for the Snake River State Forest

On May 4 in Grand Rapids the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources kicked off state forest classification and OHV roads and trails designation for East Central Minnesota.  The East Central Team consists of the following DNR professional staff:

  Keith Simar, Forestry, Co-Chair

  Bob Moore, Trails and Waterways, Co-Chair

  Tom Provost, Enforcement

  Mike North, Ecological Services

  David Kranz, Wildlife   

This team will be responsible for the following state forests: DAR, Hill, Land O'Lakes, Savanna, Snake River and Waukenabo. The team will also classify and plan OHV roads and trails on scattered forest lands in these counties: southern Cass, Aitkin, Kanabec and Pine.

The planning process for the classification review and road/trail designation is expected to take about 15 months to conduct.  The status of the process can be monitored on the DNR website. DNR will notify interested parties of public meeting dates about mid-June.  The process has 3 phases:

• Phase 1: Orientation (2-3 months).  Evaluation-Field team reviews the completed forest access route inventory.  Public is invited to assist in this process by identifying mapping or data collections gaps, and by describing current use patterns.   About 4 or 5 public meetings are included in this phase.

• Phase 2: Draft Proposals (4-6 months).  Draft Proposal Phase--Issue draft forest reclassification and road/trail designation proposals using Phase 1 input and analysis.  Public process steps: Trail proposals and forest classification changes officially noticed and made available for 60 day public review prior to required public meeting.

• Phase 3: Final Plans & Proposals (1-2 months). Field team develops final recommendation, planner prepares summary on changes to plan following public meeting and comment and prepares response to comments, completed plans subjected to final review and proposal by Commissioner, final documents made available to the public.

Updated information from DNR will be posted here as we receive it.

*****

June 25, 2007: We received the following e-mail from Bill Johnson, Planner, Minnesota DNR Division of Trails and Waterways:

"Good afternoon Dr. Waters and Mr. Mortenson. This message is a courtesy update for you on the planning for the East Central Forests, including the Snake River State Forest.

Open Houses. We are scheduling our open houses this week. At this time five meetings are being planned across the planning unit. The meeting focused principally on Snake River will be held in Mora on Thursday, August 23 from 6-8:30 PM. Other open houses will be held in Pillager (8/21), Emily (8/22), Hill City(8/28), and McGregor (8/29).

We are looking to use the high school cafeteria for the Mora open house. Please recall these open houses are to allow the public to see the route inventory and engage the DNR team and other area staff. DNR will be soliciting input on forest classification, current and future public access patterns, and the accuracy of the route inventory.

Team Status. The East Central Team is now up and running. It is appropriate for them to meet with interested groups at this stage of the process. This can occur at the open house, site visits, or at your own meeting. If Friends of the Snake River (or its representatives) wishes meet with the team, arrangements should be made with the Team Co-Chairs. Please contact Keith Simar (218-8333-8703) or Bob Moore (218-999-7923) at your convenience.

Thank you for your interest in the process."

Welcome to Ford Township

The Snake River State Forest is accessed through Ford Township in the northern part of Kanabec County.  You can learn more about Ford Township by visiting the website.

Check for Snake River water levels

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports river levels at four locations along the Snake River between Pine City and the Ford Township bridge east of Woodland.  These reports are updated weekly.  They report valuable information for those planning canoeing or boating activities on the River.  Check out the DNR Snake River water level reports,  or check out the USGS gauge at Pine City for up to the minutes reports.

Welcome!

The Snake River is located in east-central Minnesota, between the Twin Cities and Duluth, and is a part of the St. Croix River basin.  The River begins about 6 miles north of McGrath, in the Solana State Forest in southern Aitkin County, and flows 90 miles southward and then eastward, and about 560 feet down to the St. Croix River east of Pine City.  The Snake River and its tributaries drain about 986 square miles of watershed. 

The earliest name for the Snake River was Portage River given by the European fur trappers.  The Mandan Indians were the earliest known inhabitants of the region, followed by the Dakota, who in turn were displaced by the Ojibwe, and eventually by European settlers.

The Snake River has "some of the wilder and more scenic river environment in Minnesota" according to Dr. Thomas Waters, the founder of Friends of the Snake River.  The upper half of the watershed is relatively wild and forest covered.  (See photo above.)  Logging of the high quality stands of white pine in the area began in 1837 and peaked in the 1880's.  The virgin stands of white pine were completely removed and the land transformed by wildfires and clearing.  The replacement forest consists of hardwoods and aspen.  Some of the steepest gradients in the River are found between McGrath and the bridge east of Woodland where the River flows through two granite gorges known as the Upper and Lower Falls of the Snake River.

You can reach Friends of the Snake River by contacting Tom Mortenson at:

tom@postsecondary.org

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