St. Paul council considers outdoor archery range

Katniss Everdeen admirers, prepare your arrows.

The St. Paul City Council will vote Wednesday on plans for a new archery range.

City officials want to convert land at Pig's Eye Park, 1200 Warner Road, into an outdoor range. If approved, it will open by June 30, 2015.

The plan directs the city's parks department to apply for up to $10,000 in grants from the state Department of Natural Resources. If the DNR agrees, the city would pitch in $5,000 for the project.

City Council President Kathy Lantry is sponsoring the plan, sparked by a growing number of residents who have inquired about where they can practice archery.

Did the surge in bow-and-arrow curiosity arise from the "Hunger Games" movies, starring Jennifer Lawrence as expert archer Katniss Everdeen?

"Maybe the movies piqued more people's interest," Lantry said. "I tried it and thought it was great. It's an easy sport and easy to be successful in."

Currently, St. Paul residents have to drive outside the city to participate in the sport. Marsden Archery Range is located in Maplewood, and there are a few clubs and pro shops in Little Canada, Coon Rapids and Stillwater. Minneapolis has three ranges, and many suburbs such as Maple Grove and Lauderdale also maintain private or public ranges.

The sport is gaining popularity partly as a result of the "Hunger Games" books and movies. The ­heroine, Katniss Everdeen, is an ace archer who represents her home district in the deadly annual youth-combat reality show.

The most-recent film in the four-part series, "Mockingjay," dominated the box office in its opening weekend.

Between 2011 and 2013, USA Archery, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of archery, saw its individual membership go from 4,100 to 8,500, according to the Archery Trade Association.

"If we can get some [grant] money for the archery range, then let's take it on," Lantry said.