MEDORA, N.D. – Campground fees at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota are set to increase for the first time since 2015, park staff said in a news release.
Beginning Oct. 1, the new fee at Cottonwood and Juniper campgrounds will be $20 per night from May 15 through Sept. 30, up from the current nightly fee of $14.
Valid Senior Pass or Access Pass holders will be able to camp for half price at those sites. From Oct. 1 through May 15, Cottonwood and Juniper campground fees will be half price, with individual sites at $10, up from the current half price fee of $7.
ADVERTISEMENT Other fee changes are as follows: Reservations for group sites can be made online beginning March 1, 2025. Cottonwood and Juniper sites can be reserved from May 15 through Sept. 30.
Roundup Group Horse Camp can be reserved from May 15 through Oct. 31 and is closed Nov. 1 through May 14.
After research of local campground rates in the surrounding area, the proposed rate increases were found to be comparable with current market rates for similar services, according to a news release from the park. Campgrounds are a popular destination for park visitors. Fees provide a vital source of revenue for needed facility maintenance, future campground improvement projects and increased costs associated with campground operations.
Past fee improvements include new comfort stations, improved accessible walkways in the campgrounds and accessible trail work. Anticipated future fee revenue projects include rehabbing water and wastewater systems in the campgrounds, replacing sidewalks in visitor use areas and restoring historic fencing at Peaceful Valley Ranch. Additional information about camping and Theodore Roosevelt National Park can be found on the park website at www.
nps.gov/thro . – staff report Minnesota Walk-In Access lands open Sept.
1 ST. PAUL – Minnesota’s Walk-In Access areas will be open for public use beginning Sunday, Sept. 1 through May 31, 2025, with the purchase of a $3 Walk-In Access validation, the Department of Natural Resources said in a news release.
ADVERTISEMENT The program pays landowners to allow public access on their property, and no additional landowner contact is necessary. This year, hunters and other people can access about 30,000 acres of private land at more than 280 sites in west, central and southern Minnesota. Through new legislation, acres enrolled in the program will be open to public uses in addition to hunting, such as bird watching, nature photography and similar compatible uses, starting with approximately half of the total acres this year.
All Walk-In Access sites are shown on the DNR Recreation Compass at mndnr.gov/maps/compass.html .
Digital maps for individual Walk-In Access sites, along with more information, can be found on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/walkin . Current funding for the program includes a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.
S. Department of Agriculture, Walk-In Access validations purchased by hunters, a surcharge on nonresident hunting licenses and donations from hunters, the DNR said. – staff report Minnesota deer lottery apps due Sept.
5 ST. PAUL – Minnesota firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as antlerless permit lottery this hunting season must buy their license by Thursday, Sept. 5, the DNR said in a reminder.
Hunters who purchase their license on or before Sept. 5 are automatically entered into the lottery for the deer permit area or special hunt area they declare. Successful applicants will receive a postcard in the mail authorizing them to take an antlerless deer using their regular license in that antlerless permit lottery area.
No lottery application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit or five-deer limit designations. Hunters are reminded that DPAs 235 and 251 went from either-sex to lottery this year. Hunters who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued through a lottery.
That application deadline is also Sept. 5. More information and details about how to apply for special hunts are available on the Minnesota DNR website at mndnr.
gov/hunting/deer/special-deer-hunts.html . ADVERTISEMENT More information about designations and regulations for deer permit areas, as well as details about special hunt opportunities, are available on the Minnesota DNR website at mndnr.
gov/hunting/deer and in the 2024 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook, which is available online and in print wherever Minnesota DNR licenses are sold. – staff report DNR investing $2.3M for tree care experts ST.
PAUL – The Minnesota DNR, thanks to funding from the U.S. Forest Service Inflation Reduction Act, is offering $2.
3 million of federal funds through competitive grants aimed at recruiting, training and retaining youth and adults for careers in urban and community tree care. The Growing Tomorrow’s Tree Care Professionals Grants will help develop the skilled workforce needed to tackle the growing challenges to keeping trees healthy. Healthy neighborhood tree canopies are not only beautiful – they improve health and enhance air and water quality.
The grants are open to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, educational institutions, professional associations, local governments and Tribal nations. “Our trees are facing new challenges every year,” Madisson Masucci, DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry coordinator, said in a statement. “It’s more important than ever to have people who can help educate the public about the importance of trees and to protect and maintain them.
These grants are a great opportunity to train the next generation of tree care professionals who can help our trees stay healthy and resilient for years to come.” Eligible organizations can apply for up to $500,000, with no minimum match required. The funding can be used for a variety of activities, including urban and community forestry education, career-focused outreach, professional certifications and training programs.
The grants can support staff time and recruitment and retention initiatives, as well as provide necessary program materials and personal protective equipment for participants. ADVERTISEMENT Applications are due by Oct. 8.
For more information or to sign up for an informational webinar on Sept. 18, check out the DNR website at mndnr.gov/community-forestry-grants .
– staff report.
