![]() “Thanks to their support, the American public will be able to enjoy this lakeshore and property in perpetuity.”Įlected officials also hailed today’s news. “We appreciate the partnership with The Trust for Public Land,” Darla Lenz, Forest Supervisor, Chippewa National Forest. The fund enables The Trust for Public Land to step up to secure at-risk, priority lands like Stony Point for conservation and public use. The Trust for Public Land was able to secure Stony Point thanks to its Northwoods Land Protection Fund, created through generous donations from individual supporters. We are fortunate that the Northwoods Protection Fund gives us that flexibility, and today’s announcement is yet another reason to be grateful for the generosity of the donors who created the fund,” said Bob McGillivray, Senior Project Manager, The Trust for Public Land. To protect our beloved public spaces, we have to act quickly. “Landowners and would-be developers aren’t willing to wait six or seven years for LWCF funding to become available. The land was purchased use $1.05 million of LWCF funds. LWCF funding for Stony Point did not become available until this year. The LWCF is funded by a small fraction of revenues generated by offshore oil and gas royalty payments it is not supported with general taxpayer dollars. The Trust for Public Land then stepped in and purchased the property in 2009, intending to hold it only until federal funding became available through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Forest Service wanted to protect the property as an addition to the Chippewa National Forest but the agency lacked the necessary funding. ![]() Those plans included the construction of a paved road across sensitive wetlands, which could disrupt the area’s delicate ecosystem, destroy Native American artifacts, and degrade the water quality of Leech Lake, the third largest lake in Minnesota and a favorite spot for local anglers. ![]() The Stony Point story began in 2009, when the property’s longtime owner announced plans to develop the property with luxury second homes. They are part of our family and our heritage,” said Greg Kvale with Anglers for Habitat. The Minnesota Northwoods are more than a vacation spot to us. Now I know that he can teach his children the beauty of the outdoors, and their children after them. It is one of the best fishing spots on the lake – I taught my son to fish on those same waters. “Fishing on Leech Lake and camping at Stony Point campground has been a family tradition for us for over 20 years. The pristine property, including its half-mile shoreline along Leech Lake, is now part of the Chippewa National Forest, successfully concluding a seven-year campaign to preserve the much-beloved place. To the delight of local anglers, boaters, campers, skiers, snowmobilers, and conservationists, The Trust for Public Land announced today that 40 acres of land at Stony Point has been formally acquired by the United States Forest Service.
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