Handicapped-accessible path, platform planned
MINNEAPOLIS – A local landowner’s generosity coupled with efforts from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and FLW Outdoors are literally forging a path to angler accessibility along the Cannon River near Cannon Falls, Minn.
Jim Weinel, president of Gemini, Inc., a sign company based in Cannon Falls, recently donated 70 acres of waterfront property along with a 25-acre island to the DNR. The land, lying south of the Cannon River between the town of Cannon Falls and Minnesota Highway 52, is ideally suited for anglers targeting the walleyes, northern pike and smallmouth bass that swim that section of the river.
Though many anglers have traversed the land through the years to gain access to their favorite fishing locations, the property will now be public domain in the strictest sense. Based on current DNR plans, the many footpaths that already exist there will be maintained or improved.
Kevin Stauffer, area fisheries supervisor for MNDNR near Cannon Falls, said the project is significant because area anglers do not have a lot of access to fishable waters. While Minnesota is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” he said that there are few lakes to fish in the area, leaving the Cannon River as the prime target for local anglers.
“Fishing access in general is one of the main things we look at,” Stauffer said.
Weinel’s donation has been dubbed the Gemini Aquatic Management Area (GAMA), in honor of his sign company, and Weinel said he is glad the state intends to aid area anglers in their quest for river access. Weinel, who lives near Rosemount in the Twin Cities, said he is also pleased to know the state may bolster different types of recreational opportunities on the land.
“Whatever they do, I’m impressed with the work they do,” he said.
One aspect of the DNR’s plans for GAMA calls for the creation of a handicapped-accessible path to a stable, waterside platform to be built with rock or wood. The fishing platform will be conducive to those who use wheelchairs or walkers, or people simply seeking a sure footing along the bank of the Cannon River.
“One of the things we wanted to do was make this area handicapped-accessible,” Stauffer said. “We’d like to put some in-stream habitat features in association with that handicapped-accessible area so we can create good fish attraction in that area.”
Enter FLW Outdoors, the nation’s largest tournament-fishing organization. Through the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the American Sportfishing Association, FLW Outdoors has donated $5,000 to the Cannon River project. The project includes plans for fishery enhancements near the planned fishing platform. FLW Outdoors has donated almost $400,000 to such conservation and enhancement projects that benefit areas near sites that host its major tournaments. The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit Championship, organized by FLW Outdoors, took place on the Mississippi River near Red Wing, Minn., Oct. 2-5.
Fisheries enhancements could include “using large boulders or tree-root wads to deflect current to make pockets of still water,” hopefully keeping more fish in the area of the river adjacent to the future site of the fishing platform, Stauffer said.
An estimated $20,000 to $50,000 will be spent on the handicapped-accessible ramp and landing as well as fisheries enhancement in that specific area. Stauffer said FLW Outdoors’ donation “is a significant contribution to the project,” one slated to begin next spring or summer.
Weinel, who fished and swam in the Cannon River long before he owned the adjacent property, said a trust agreement with the state stipulates that the government must retain stewardship of the land for at least 100 years. He said he wanted to ensure that the land remain available to the public “because I guess it was always kind of public property; nobody knew we lived there.
“I just happened to own it,” said Weinel, who picked up the property for the price of $1,156 in back taxes more than 25 years ago. “It seemed like (the public’s domain) is where it ought to return to. It seemed like the right thing to do.”
Stauffer said the donated land, which includes about 3,000 feet of frontage along the river, was recently appraised at between $800,000 and $1 million. The DNR currently has 43 acres in agricultural production with plans to return the land to a natural state, graced with prairie grasses and wildflowers.
Another aesthetic advantage of the state’s plans for the land will be apparent to anglers. Many fishermen choose to fish near or underneath bridges along the river because they provide the easiest access from the road. Stauffer said that maintaining footpaths to the water as well as leveling out some steeper sections of the bank will allow fishermen to fan out.
“Instead of five people fishing under a bridge, they can spread out down the stream … and have a lot nicer surroundings,” he said, creating “an overall better fishing experience for them.”
Ralph Diercks owns the Four Seasons Sports shop in nearby Red Wing, which serves area fishermen on a regular basis and outfitted many of the pro walleye anglers during the RCL Championship. He said creating a handicapped-accessible fishing area has been a hot topic for civic leaders in the area, whether for the mighty Mississippi River or the smaller Cannon River, and he believes it will get used.
“Everybody’s looking to put out a handicapped ramp. … You know, there are people who can’t walk on big rocks and stones,” Diercks said. “With all the riprap along the banks around here, it’s tough to access the rivers in a lot of spots, especially people in wheelchairs or the elderly. (The path and landing) will really be appreciated.”
According to Stauffer, there is also the potential to extend the existing Cannon Valley Trail system across the donated land so it could connect with other Goodhue County recreational trails and possibly even trails as far north as Dakota County. These plans would likely have to involve intergovernmental cooperation, he said, and may not be addressed until four or more years down the road.
“These natural areas are disappearing,” Stauffer said. “Everyone we’ve talked to in Cannon Falls has been real happy with this project.”
Weinel said, “The purpose was to establish a place for fishermen and people to walk along the river. I’m terribly pleased.”
Goodhue County Commissioner Richard Samuelson, a District 2 official representing the Cannon Falls area, said the Cannon River “is a great river for fishing – you bet.” He said growth in the area has resulted in a river without much access without permission from abutting landowners.
“It’s a great gift for the area,” he said of the donations that will make the Cannon River more accessible to the general public, and the handicapped in particular. “The DNR is going to take its time with the plan, and I’m sure it’ll come up with a good one.”
Links:
FLW Outdoors, FishAmerica donate $5,000 to Minnesota fishery