Wright County Parks & Recreation Operations Update - Executive Order 20-56

Press release from the Wright County Government:

May 14, 2020

Last night Governor Walz provided some hope for us all as he announced that he is allowing the “Stay at Home Order” to expire at midnight, Sunday, May 17, 2020. As good as that news is, there is still a long way to go. Us at Wright County Parks & Recreation would like to first thank you for being patient as we continue to process all that is going on. Secondly, we would like to say thank you to everyone who has visited their favorite parks, explored some new ones, and has adhere to the recommended guidelines of social distancing and coming prepared for their visit with limited services.

Executive Order 20-56 is allowing us to take a few steps forward. Below you will see some of those steps. Unfortunately, currently we are still not capable of opening up the campgrounds at Collinwood and Schroeder Park & Campground. We are just as disappointed as you are as this impacts many peoples plans for Memorial Day Weekend. Please know that if we could open them up, we would in an instant and we continue to ask for your patience as we work with multiple organizations to push that forward. Changes that will be taking place are:

• Bathrooms at our day use parks (Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park, Beebe Lake County Park, Clearwater/Pleasant County Park, and Otsego County Park) will be open for use beginning Monday, May 18. Some facilities may not be opened until Wednesday, May 20. These facilities will be cleaned twice a day to begin with. Please remember that even if we cleaned them every hour, they will only be as clean as the last person that used the facility so please take precautions.
• The opening of Schroeder Park & Campground and Collinwood Park & Campground have been delayed until Sunday, May 31, 2020. If you have a reservation between the dates of Monday, May 18 and Sunday, May 31 you will be issued a full refund including the $5 reservation fee.
• Drinking fountains will remain off during this time so please come prepared with your own water when you visit the parks.
• Permits for dispersed/primitive camping at Stanley Eddy Regional Park, Montissippi County Park, and parks along the North Fork of the Crow River will be available beginning Monday, May 18. You will need to apply for a permit through the Parks & Recreation website to legally camp in one of our dispersed/primitive camp sites. As a reminder, the available sites along the North Fork of the Crow River are only available to people that are paddling the river and the campsite at Montissippi County Park is only available to those that are paddling the river or riding the MRT (Mississippi River Trail).
• Public beaches that we manage are available for use. Swimming buoys are not being placed at this time at any of the swimming beaches to mark the swimming area. As a reminder we do not provided lifeguards at any of public beaches. They are all swim at your own risk. It is crucial that you treat the beaches the same as any other place and maintain your social distancing. We trust you to use your best judgement when visiting the beaches and help us keep them available. Be courteous. If you have been at the beach for a few hours, we would ask that you move to another activity with your family to allow for others to enjoy the beach as well. If we notice overcrowding or have patron issues we will re-evaluate having this amenity available.

Things to know as you visit your local park and trail:

• Social distancing guidelines are still in place. Please keep 6 feet of distance between you and other visitors and adhere to all other MDH and CDC guidelines in addition to the Outdoor Recreation Guidelines.
• Playgrounds, picnic tables and other shared surfaces and gathering spaces are available to use, but at your own risk and please take precautions to keep you and your family safe if. This is due to cleaning issues. The CDC recommends not to clean wooden surfaces such as picnic tables with cleaners/disinfectants as the wood can hold on to the chemical longer and hold the moisture from it creating more issues such as mold and mildew. If you do choose to use a playground or picnic table, we ask that you do not apply any cleaners or disinfectants yourself to them as they could harm the equipment or tables. Also, if you do choose to use these amenities, we recommend that you use sanitizer per the CDC guidelines before and after use.
• All programs, events, and meetings at Parks & Recreation facilities that cannot meet the Outdoor Recreation Guidelines through May 31 will be cancelled. We will contact you in the next week to discuss these items if you have reservation with us for a wedding, birthday party, or any other family event.
• No new facility reservations will be made through May 31, 2020.
• Please take anything you brought with you to the park out of the park with you and be sure to dispose of any trash in the proper receptacles. Utilize the “Leave No Trace Principles” where possible.

Things that you can do at Wright County Parks and Trails:

• There is plenty of open space to enjoy recreational activities such as flying a kite, playing catch, playing bags, or other creative play. Nature scavenger hunts are always a good idea.
• Enjoy a hike, bike, jog, or walk on one of the many miles of trail within the system. Montissippi County Park, Otsego County Park, and Clearwater/Pleasant County Park all have paved trails for you to enjoy if that is what you are looking for. The singletrack at Bertram is open, but please check the conditions at Bertram Singletrack Facebook page before heading out. If natural surface trails are your thing then we have plenty of them and are happy to provide suggestions to you if you contact us.
• There is plenty of space for you, your family, or friends (as long as the group is less than 10 people) to enjoy a picnic. If you choose to use a picnic table, please remember that we are not disinfecting the wooden surfaces so take precautions. Please practice the “Leave No Trace Principles” as well and take out what you bring in.
• Plenty of water recreation is available for you to enjoy. All our fishing piers have been put in and are available for you to use. Boat accesses are in and ready to go, and if you have a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddle board there are plenty of paddling spots, flatwater and rivers, throughout the park system. We do not provide rentals of any equipment, so you will need to provide your own.
• The archery ranges located at Clearwater Wayside, Hasty-Silvercreek Sportsmen Club, and Riverside County Park are available for use. If you have not tried archery, now might be a great time to start and find your inner Katniss or Robin Hood.
• There is plenty of great wildlife, wildflowers, and native plants to view in the parks. Morels are in season and we do ask that if you are out in the parks looking for them that you do not disturb any other vegetation or wildlife in pursuit of our state mushroom. Word of advice for any first-time morel seekers, if you don’t know it, throw it.
• Equine trails at Robert Ney Regional Park and Stanley Eddy Regional Park will be available for riders to enjoy on May 15. There is no bridle fee to ride at these two parks.
• The disc golf course at Clearwater/Pleasant County Park is a great place to get out. This is a popular place so please be mindful of the crowds and if it seems to be crowded when you arrive, take a hike on the trails for a bit before starting to allow for the proper social distancing.
• If you like to search for things, then try out geocaching. Wright County Parks & Recreation does not maintain the geocaches in the parks, but we have allowed for them to be placed. This is a fun activity to do with your family and a great way to explore the parks. Visit geocache.com to get started.

Again, we know that this is not the typical service from our department that you are accustomed to so we thank you for patience with us as we move forward. If you have reservation at one of our campgrounds or parks that will be impacted by EO 20-56 we will be reaching out to you to confirm refunds. You may contact us via email at parksandrecreation@co.wright.mn.us or by phone at either 763-682-7894 or 763-682-7693. If you call it may take us a day or two to get back to you so please bear with us and we apologize for any delays in advance.

As always, we encourage you to stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy the opportunity to gather with your family and move around more freely. We are excited that we can offer more services at this time and hopeful that we will be able to open more up on June 1. We will continue to monitor the executive orders and notify you of any changes that might occur.

This press release was produced by the Wright County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.