Friends of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County

February 2006 - Years have gone by and the Rice Creek property and railroad spur is "almost" transfered.

The wheels of the government grind exceedingly slowly, the land transfers have progressed, yet are still not totally complete. Still farther behind in the process is the 49 acre "wildlife corridor" parcel. The main change noticed in the process is the designation of TCAAP is now AHATS (Arden Hills Army (national guard) Training Site) which is about 2/3 of the original site. A map from the MN Dept of Natural resources give an idea of the AHATS - TCAAP parcels set aside for parks and development.

The Friends of the Parks and Trails with assistance of Ramsey County and the Minnesota National Guard have had hundreds of people on guided tours of AHATS property for bird watching and nature hikes during the 20th Year Anniversary of the Friends. The tours have raised awareness that the AHATS is a wonderful natural resource.

August 2003 - An amendment to the Trail plan sought

At long last there appears to be a land transfer in sight for some of the property in the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant. Ramsey County received notification from the National Park Service that they have accepted the application for 113 acres around Rice Creek and the County can get ready for the land transfer. After decades of preparation including the 1996 Vento Reutilization Plan, the first surplusing of the army's property is finally coming to pass.

Ramsey County is preparing an application the National Park Service for an additional 3 1/2 acres of a railroad spur extending from the arsenal to the north shore of Rush Lake in Long Lake Regional Park. Greg Mack, Ramsey County Director of Parks and Recreation, said these two transfers will probably take place within the next six months.

Ramsey County also seeks to acquire an additional 49 acre parcel which links the Rice Creek corridor to the property leased to the National Guard. The connection to Rice Creek is essential for the flow of water and the movement of animals through the area. The General Service Agency, a federal agency facilitating the transfer of the property, has asked Ramsey County to work with the City of Arden Hills. As planned, the property earmarked for resident and commercial development in Arden Hills, which includes the 49 acre wildlife corridor, would be transferred to Arden Hills and Arden Hills will in turn transfer the 49 acre corridor to Ramsey County. This land transfer will probably not take place for at least a year.

The Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) was built in 1941 on four square miles of farmland to support the nation’s defense. No longer needed by the U.S. Army, control of the land is now being transferred to a variety of interests.

In 1994 Congressman Bruce Vento established a Reutilization Committee to make recommendations for the future use of the site. The Friends of the Parks and Trails strongly support the Vento committee's recommendations for the TCAAP site.

It appears that the 113 acres comprising the Rice Creek Corridor will be transferred to Ramsey County in the near future for the purpose of a recreational trail. We also understand that the 276 acres requested by the National Guard will be transferred to them. The Friends are strongly supportive of these transfers.

What is in question is the 49 acre wildlife corridor connecting the area licensed to the National Guard to the east and the Rice Creek corridor to the west. This connection was one of the recommendations in the Vento Plan.

The most effective way to assure those acres are incorporated into public open space as a connection between the Creek corridor and the National Guard lands is for Ramsey County to include the acres within the Rice Creek Trail Corridor.