Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership, Forest Capital Partners and the Itasca County Snowmobile Alliance groom the future of one of Minnesota's greatest natural resources. Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy conservation easement project is celebrated community wide.

Grand Rapids, MN-(January 28, 2008) "It's like a whole new start," says Elmer Cone,Co- founder and past president , now secretary of the Itasca County Snowmobile Alliance, "The Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership-the 'green people'-came to us and asked us to work with them to celebrate the Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy conservation easement. "I said yes right away. It's about time those of us who love snowmobiling get together with environmental organizations to show how much we want to take care of our natural resources too. This conservation easement is important. It's good for everybody today and it's going to help us leave our natural resources intact for our kids. We ought to acknowledge that."

A two day celebration, in fact, has been planned, Friday, February 1 and Saturday, February 2, to note the Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy conservation easement project which was completed October, 2007. For more information on the project visit the Forest Legacy website. Single largest easement in a decade The size of the conservation easement is notable, it is the single largest in a decade, conserving in perpetuity nearly 80 square miles of state forestland and preserving ecosystems for wildlife as well as for public recreational opportunities. The conservation easement was an innovative solution introduced by the Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership and the landowner, Forest Capital Partners. Notable too was the Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership (see sidebar) that put it together. The Partnership was built of many different types of organizations-some of which would not normally work together on environmental issues. "The Itasca County region is undergoing rapid increase in land sales that have clearly resulted in smaller and smaller lot sizes," says Jim Hoolihan, president of the Blandin Foundation, a founding member of the Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership. "We formed a Partnership that on the face of it clearly crosses conventional boundaries of perception and values. But no matter what each of our organizations stand for, we're all concerned about the future of our forest resource base.

"We know that the conservation easement is an excellent way to help us preserve the recreational, economic and ecological resources of our forested lands." Ticket to ride

The weekend is kicked off by a dinner and program on Friday, February 1, hosted at Ruttger's Sugar Lake Lodge that will recognize and honor Forest Capital Partners (the Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy landowner) for their role in the conservation easement and to increase the community's awareness about the importance of the Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy conservation easement. Additionally, Elmer Cone will be on hand to describe the 60 miles of groomed corridor and spur trails winding through the Itasca side of the Koochiching-Washington conservation easement project area. On Saturday, February 2, about 50 snowmobilers are expected to stand up to the icy weather beginning at 7:00 a.m. with a pancake breakfast at the Swampsiders Snowmobile Club, 29730 County Road 52 in Bigfork, MN. Directions

At 10:00 a.m., the ride begins. It will be coordinated by the Itasca County Alliance of Snowmobile Clubs, assisted by the Itasca County Sheriff deputies and Arctic Cat, who is supplying equipment. Snowmobilers will discover the beautifully groomed Circle L trail which will lead them about 25 miles to the Bass Lake County Park shelter where the Itasca County Sheriff's department will offer hot and cold beverages plus a roaring bonfire. "This is going to be a great place for pictures of a fantastic day," says Cone, who notes that he'll be taking time out during the ride to highlight some of the places of interest, the signs identifying the Forest Capital Partners property and the importance of the partnership that brought this together. Following a warm-up, riders will continue on to the Herb Brandstrom Trail, says Cone, for another 25-mile trip back to the Swampsiders Snowmobile Club clubhouse for lunch. Partnerships get things done

Art Norton, field representative for the Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership (see sidebar), might be classified by Elmer Cone as one of the "green" people. He has worked diligently for many years to ensure that environmental challenges receive appropriate public policy attention. Yet, he's one of the first to remind us that the Koochiching-Washington forest area is a "working forest". "This is, in fact, the largest working forest easement-by far, in Minnesota history," Norton says. "It has kept the land open for public recreation, whether that means berry picking, hunting or bird watching. It provides recreational trails for snowmobiles and the logging can be done more efficiently and in a way that ensures the forest are more resilient against insect pests and exotic species."

Norton agrees with Cone that the time has come for building relationships among organizations that formerly might not have seen eye-to-eye on conservation issues. "Our northern forests are becoming fragmented into smaller and smaller pieces," he says. "This problem is very real and is being felt every day by hunters who go out to hunt on their favorite forestland only to find it posted "No Trespassing" by the new landowner. Or by snowmobilers or horse riding groups who find the same thing and have to reroute their trails.

"Our north country is like a patchwork quilt of land, and one of the best lines of defense we have is the working forest conservation easement," Norton says. "This project has brought people together on behalf of the health and vitality of our forests."

About Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership The Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership works with a number of partners to develop innovative strategies for preserving recreational, economic and ecological resources of forested lands. The Partnership includes the Blandin Foundation, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Deer Hunters, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Forest Resources Council, Minnesota Forest Industries, The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund and the Trust for Public Land. To date, the Partnership has made impressive progress toward its goal of bringing up to 75,000 acres of forestland in the Itasca County region under conservation easements. In August 2007, for example, the Partnership announced the Sugar Hills Forest Legacy conservation easement, which covers 1,600 acres of unique hardwoods, and some of the best cross country skiing trails in the state. Two months later, the Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy conservation easement project was concluded on 51,000 acres (80+ square miles) in Itasca and Koochiching counties. Like the Sugar Hills project, this easement protects jobs, preserves wildlife habitat and ensures public access for outdoor recreation. For additional information, see the Minnesota Forest Legacy Fact Sheet

About Forest Capital Partners Forest Capital Partners is a private forest landowner that acquires and manages working forests across North American for long-term sustainability. Forest Capital Partners is a leading grower of environmentally certified timber products and active participant in timber forest markets. Each year, the Forest Capital Partners reforests 5,000 acres. Recreational opportunities through Forest Capital Partners' working forests include hunting, fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and recreational vehicle use. For additional information, check www.forestcap.com

About Itasca County Snowmobile Alliance The Itasca County Snowmobile Alliance, a coalition of snowmobile clubs, is one of the sponsors for the weekend-long Koochiching-Washington Forest Legacy celebration. Since 1973, the Alliance has met the 4th Monday of each month from September to March of each snowmobile season. Their goal is to bring the spirit of partnering together with land owners, managers, administrative and enforcement personnel to enhance their trails programs and infrastructure.