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 Master Plan at Completion! by Norton Johnson, LSWTA Vice-President Download the Master Plan 
By the time you read this, the new Lake Superior Water Trail Master Plan will be complete and ready for distribution. Although our December target date was missed, the plan fills a longstanding need, gathering many details of existing and proposed Water Trail sites into one document. Obtaining land values and site costs along the identified gaps on the Water Trail and finalizing priorities delayed completion of the final plan. This plan was compiled and written by LSWTA Board members and LHB Engineers and Architects. The project generated a lot of interest and attention, and will be the focus of an article in American Institute of Architects, a Minnesota magazine (likely appearing in the March issue). The editors were particularly interested in the planning efforts for a non-land based trail, with the attendant challenges of access and identification. An essential part of bringing the Master Plan into reality was Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program, admin-istered by Tricia Ryan of Minnesota DNR in Two Harbors. Their $18,000 grant enabled the LSWTA to fund the Master Plan process. Gathering information from many individuals, selecting LHB, and then organizing and assembling data showing where additional trail sites were needed involved many LSWTA members and board members. Public meetings set up by LHB and LSWTA personnel gathered information from interested sea kayakers in Minneapolis-St. Paul and along the North Shore. The Lake Superior Water Trail Master Plan covers the entire North Shore of Minnesota, from Duluth to the Canadian border. Primarily for safety, sites are identified or targeted for every 3 to 6 miles. Many existing sites define the current Water Trail. With board and DNR input based on safety and other criteria, areas with gaps between sites were identified and prioritized. Then budgets were developed showing what trail devel-opment in each area should cost. These project priorities and costs form the core of how we can app- roach completing the Water Trail in Minnesota. Although the effort to assemble and organize a wide range of information into the master plan was a large effort with significant contributions by many people, that part is now complete. Now the master plan showing Midwest area sea kayakers how to complete the trail exists. Now the LSWTA and Minnesota DNR can determine when and how resources can be used to begin narrowing the gaps to finish the Water Trail. For the first time, areas where site work is needed are clearly and objectively identified and priorities are laid out. The master plan is the source to determine what money is needed and where our efforts and projects are best put to use. Sea kayakers interested in seeing a continuous series of Water Trail sites along the North Shore can now get behind efforts to close the gaps in the trail. Our next project is to build the base of support to obtain funding for the missing sites. With broad support from a strong base of members and other sea kayaking organizations, a complete Water Trail can become reality. But we need both you and your sea kayaking friends. This master plan effort diverted much time and effort from normal LSWTA activities. Those on the Board apologize for that, but we also feel having a master plan was essential to allowing us to move forward. Now is the time to regroup and begin putting the master plan into action, so we can kayak uninterrupted along the North Shore. Certainly, much is laid out for us to do to close the identified gaps. The LSWTA Board hopes you will join us in the continued support for locating funding sources and working to complete the Water Trail. |
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